Trade Unions Civil Rights 1865-1992 – Specification Questions
Describe and explain union and labour rights in 1865.
- Unions were small and exclusively for skilled workers
- Employers were under no legal obligation to recognise trade unions
- They worked to oppose employers’ attempts to reduce wages and provided sickness
benefits
- They were closed shop and only admitted craftsmen
Describe the impact of New Immigration and Industrialisation on union development.
- 19 million immigrants entered the US, causing an influx of unskilled and industrial workers
(885,000 to 3 million industrial workers 1860-1900)
- Creation of the NLU, KOL and AFL during this time as unskilled workers were excluded from
craft unions
- Workers became increasingly unskilled and low paid due to industrialisation
Evaluate the impact of New Immigration and Industrialisation on union development.
SUCCESSES
- Creation of the NLU, KOL and AFL during this time as unskilled workers were excluded from
craft unions
- Increasing labour force meant that employers and government were forced to listen to
them and give in to some demands imminently
FAILURES
- Workers became increasingly unskilled and low paid due to industrialisation
- They were excluded from the existing craft unions as they were not skilled craftsmen
Describe the varying attitudes of the Presidents with regards to workers and trade union
civil rights.
- Cleveland sent in 2,000 federal troops to break the Pullman Strike 1894
- Roosevelt’s New Deal introduced the NIRA 1933, Wagner Act 1935 and Fair Labor
Standards Act 1938 which recognised unions, allowed collective bargaining and increased
employment rates, however the NIRA was declared unconstitutional and employers such as
Ford were able to avoid signing the contracts
- Kennedy introduced the Equal Pay Act 1963, however his reforms to increase the minimum
wage were rejected
- Johnson introduced the Civil Rights Act 1964, Economic Opportunity Act 1964 and Age
Discrimination Act 1968, and increased social security spending to increase job
opportunities
- Nixon brought in the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1970 to regulate working
conditions
- Reagan reverted the power back to employers, enforcing a lifelong employment ban on
the workers who took part in the PATCO strike 1981 and reducing trade union membership
to 12% by 1990
Describe and explain union and labour rights in 1865.
- Unions were small and exclusively for skilled workers
- Employers were under no legal obligation to recognise trade unions
- They worked to oppose employers’ attempts to reduce wages and provided sickness
benefits
- They were closed shop and only admitted craftsmen
Describe the impact of New Immigration and Industrialisation on union development.
- 19 million immigrants entered the US, causing an influx of unskilled and industrial workers
(885,000 to 3 million industrial workers 1860-1900)
- Creation of the NLU, KOL and AFL during this time as unskilled workers were excluded from
craft unions
- Workers became increasingly unskilled and low paid due to industrialisation
Evaluate the impact of New Immigration and Industrialisation on union development.
SUCCESSES
- Creation of the NLU, KOL and AFL during this time as unskilled workers were excluded from
craft unions
- Increasing labour force meant that employers and government were forced to listen to
them and give in to some demands imminently
FAILURES
- Workers became increasingly unskilled and low paid due to industrialisation
- They were excluded from the existing craft unions as they were not skilled craftsmen
Describe the varying attitudes of the Presidents with regards to workers and trade union
civil rights.
- Cleveland sent in 2,000 federal troops to break the Pullman Strike 1894
- Roosevelt’s New Deal introduced the NIRA 1933, Wagner Act 1935 and Fair Labor
Standards Act 1938 which recognised unions, allowed collective bargaining and increased
employment rates, however the NIRA was declared unconstitutional and employers such as
Ford were able to avoid signing the contracts
- Kennedy introduced the Equal Pay Act 1963, however his reforms to increase the minimum
wage were rejected
- Johnson introduced the Civil Rights Act 1964, Economic Opportunity Act 1964 and Age
Discrimination Act 1968, and increased social security spending to increase job
opportunities
- Nixon brought in the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1970 to regulate working
conditions
- Reagan reverted the power back to employers, enforcing a lifelong employment ban on
the workers who took part in the PATCO strike 1981 and reducing trade union membership
to 12% by 1990
