Working Conditions
Small factories with poor working conditions are often referred to as
sweatshops.
What was the workers' main strategy for improving their working conditions?
forming labor unions
What did many Americans fear after the Railroad Strike of 1877?
A working-class revolution led by radicals
Which of the following best describes collective bargaining?
negotiations between employers and employee representatives
What was a health threat faced by industrial workers?
Examples:
hazardous machinery
toxic gases and dust
Lack of safety equipment
What is the primary source of a labor union's negotiating power?
threatening to strike
What was a result of violence at the Haymarket Affair?
Union leaders feared that radicals would hurt the movement.
People who reject all forms of government are called
anarchists.
Crowded, run-down apartment buildings in low-income areas are called
tenements.
What was the largest national labor organization of the late-1800s?
Knights of Labor
What happened in both the Homestead and Pullman Strikes?
Government troops broke up strikes.
Between 1890 and 1915, Union workers experienced a _____ in weekly earnings and a _____ in hours worked.
increase; decrease
Why were many children forced to work throughout the 1800s?
Their families needed more income.
Which national labor organization sought to overthrow capitalism?
Industrial Workers of the World
Which strike was directly tied to the issue of company towns and high living costs?
The Pullman Strike of 1894
Which of the following best explains why company towns often left workers trapped in debt?
Companies owned the stores and charged high prices.
What event in 1911 brought more public attention to the plight of workers?
fatal fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
The Industrial Workers of the World advocated what economic philosophy?
socialism
What long-term effect did these strikes (1877–1894) have on labor relations in the U.S.?
They showed the power of unions but also linked labor with violence.
Why were workers often unwilling to protest poor working conditions?
They feared losing their jobs to immigrants willing to work for low wages.