5 Comments
Ashton Reinhardt
1/27/2014 11:38:35 am
By the late 1870s the pace of immigration to America, curtailed during the Civil War era, had begun to accelerate again. Immigrants from southern and eastern Europe, as well as Ireland, flooded to the United States, and Chicago became one of their favorite destinations. The American economy had begun to show signs of revival, and the city's meatpacking establishments, rail yards and factories offered plentiful jobs to unskilled laborers.ever, the knights often failed to deliver their promised benefits. So, by 1882, Chicago employers had identified the Knights as a formidable adversary and began a stiff opposition to the new boycotts.
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Maddy Vogel
1/27/2014 11:51:44 am
During the 1870s and 1880s, industry boomed in the United States. A major reason for this was European immigrants. They flocked to American to escape poverty and oppression, and they expected opportunities that were not available to them in their home countries. Industrial employers took great advantage of eager foreigners looking for passage to the states. Unskilled laborers worked 10 hour days, six days a week in accident ridden conditions. Women and children could be found in factories and on fields working for wages that kept them in poverty. As a way to fight against unfair treatment, unions were formed.
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Keeya Marquez
1/28/2014 12:36:49 am
In the 1870s and the 1880s, the United States saw an increase in industry. Many immigrants were coming into industrial cities,allowing industry to grow. Many immigrants came to America for the new oppurtunities they wer presented, however they still faced problems in the workplace, along with the other American citizens. Incomes were incredibly low, most getting paid below the poverty line. People were also always vulnerable to lose their jobs. They worked 10 hours a day, for six days out of the week, which took a toll on many workers' bodies. Accidents also occured frequently within the factories. Women and children were even employed to work wtih an even lower income. Thus, unions were born to fight back against the problems workers faced. However, these unions faced many problems in their fight for justice. Most often when strikes turned violent, the public blamed the unions instead of the employers. There were also often feelings of division in the employees, not allowing the unions to gain strength. Also, many of the workers that went on strike were able to be easily replaced. Because of these issues, the unions weren't able to make significant gains. They were able to obtain 8-hour working days as well as compensation for injury on the job. However, these gains were still far from competley protcecting their rights in the workplace.
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Drew Whittington
1/29/2014 11:09:07 am
During the 1870s and 1880s, labor unions achieved many things. First of all, they were able to get better wages for their members. Along with this, they got better working conditions. However, there were many struggles that labor unions faced. For example, if a union went on strike, many large companies would rather hire new workers for lower pay than to listen to its employees. Also, immigrants in the country had a tough time. They were trying to support their families, so they would usually do any work that was available. Most of the time, this would include jobs like mining, where they would work more hours in harsher working conditions and receive less pay than American workers.
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Elayna Muller
2/3/2014 11:05:44 am
How were they able to get better wages? Would labor unions today face better conditions/challenges or not? It's a shame there are still arguments about such matters! Good answer.
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