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Chapter 4, Lesson 4 The Labor movement. Mr. Julian’s 5 th Grade Class. Essential Question. Why did workers form labor unions to fight for better wages and working conditions?. Places. Homestead, Pennsylvania New York, New York. People. Lewis Hine Samuel Gompers Mary Harris Jones.
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Chapter 4, Lesson 4The Labor movement Mr. Julian’s 5th Grade Class
Essential Question • Why did workers form labor unions to fight for better wages and working conditions?
Places • Homestead, Pennsylvania • New York, New York
People • Lewis Hine • Samuel Gompers • Mary Harris Jones
vocabulary • Sweatshop • Labor union • Strike
Factories and Sweatshops • Andrew Carnegie made millions from his steel factories but his workers barley made enough money to survive. • Most of his workers, worked 12 hours a day and got paid only $10 a week. • Women that worked in clothing factories got paid even less. • Factories were hot and cramped. They were also know as sweatshops.
Children at Work • Due to low wages, parents often had to make their children go to work to help support their families. • Children were paid even less than the adults. • Children worked 10 – 12 hours a day earning just 10 or 20 cents a day.
Children at Work • The jobs the children were given were the most dangerous. • Many children lost fingers or worse, working in the factories. • People began speaking out against child labor. • A teacher named Lewis Hine led this movement. • He took many pictures of children in these awful conditions to try and convince people to end child labor.
Labor Unions • Low wages, long workdays, and disasters encouraged workers to join labor unions. • A labor union helped people improve working conditions, get better wages, and end child labor. • One of the first labor union leaders was Samuel Gompers.
Labor Unions • Gompers formed a labor union of cigar factory workers when owners lowered wages. • In 1877 his union went on strike, or had workers refuse to work. • The strike did not work, so Gompers realized that his labor union needed workers from other industries to be effective.
Labor Unions • He formed the AFL or American Federation of Labor. • At the same time a union named the United Mine Workers worked to improve conditions for coal miners. • Mary Harris Jones or “Mother” Jones helped this effort by getting workers to join the union.
Going on Strike • Many unions became violent when owners refused to listen to the workers demands. • Most strikes however, were resolved peacefully.
Improving Conditions • As the membership of labor unions grew so did their impact. • Unions created a new holiday, Labor Day. • The first Labor Day celebration was held in New York City in September 1882.
Review Questions • What conditions led to the rise of Labor Unions? • What were the main goals of the AFL?