Labor History Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lawrence Massachusetts

The strike began when workers convinced the State Legislature to reduce the working week from 56 hours to 54 hours but the law didn't provided for a compensatory raise. When the first paychecks were issued the workers noticed the difference and immediately struck. One account of the strike indicates that parents sent their children to live in other areas just so they could be fed and housed during the strike. Women wore signs saying "We want Bread and Roses too!" Source:
http://www.worldsocialist-cwi.org/index2.html?/eng/2002/07/12history.html

Answer: the eight hour day

In 1884, the American Federation of Trades and Organized Labor called for workers to convince their employers for an eight hour day. After two years, on May 1st, those workers not yet on the eight hour system were to strike. There were over twelve hundred demonstrations across the country. Most were Peaceful.

Answer: No one is really sure

No one is really sure. Chicago was under martial law at the time and police were ordered to disband any kind of gathering. On May 3rd police went to break up a band of five thousand workers when someone yelled "He has a gun!". Police opened fire on the crowd killing several workers.

The next night, workers gathered in defiance and refused to move when told to. As the police moved in, someone unknown to this day, threw a bomb killing one officer. Other officers opened fire but a thick fog prevented them from taking clear aim and several more police officers were at least injured.

Theories abound about the bomber from a social anarchist to a union buster to a Pinkerton Agent.

Answer: 8

Albert Parsons and seven others associated with radical organizations were prosecuted in a show trial. None were linked to the unknown bomb thrower, and some were not even present at the time. They were held to be responsible for the bomb thrower's act because their public criticism of corporate America, the political structure, and the use of police power against the working people, was alleged to have inspired the bomber.

Answer: Four were hung, one committed suicide and three were pardoned

Albert Parsons, Adolph Fischer, August Spies, and George Engel were hanged, and Louis Lingg was an apparent suicide(while in his jail cell). Oscar Neebe, Samuel Fielding, and Michael Schwab were sent to prison. They were pardoned by Governor Altgeld June 26, 1893, and caused a ferocious uproar. Spies is most interesting, He was a German national with ties to German politics. German representatives were at the trials and called them a sham.

The German government protested the trials and verdicts to Washington, almost declaring war on the United States.

It has been noted in history that the United States Supreme Court wrote a letter to the Illinois Supreme Court saying to the effect that maybe the Illinois Judges should take their places for refusing to hear the appeals.

Answer: The Pullman Strike

President Grover Cleveland ordered federal troops to intervene. His action aroused sympathy across the country and many more strikes were called to show solidarity with the workers at the Pullman Yards. In an effort to win back votes he signed a bill making Labor day a national holiday. Source:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/september96/labor_day_9-2.html

Answer: No

No he was not. While serving his ten year sentence, for his part in the Pullman Strike, he was visited by Horace Mann, Nathan Turner and Victor Berger. They convinced him to join the party. During World War I he was charged under the war time espionage laws for his opposition to World War I and sentenced to ten more years in prison.

While there he campaigned from his jail cell for President of the United States and collected almost one million write in votes. He took second in the race. http://www.eugenevdebs.com/pages/histry.html

Answer: pay raises and they wanted employers to recognize the Union

Key issues were raises--they had had no pay increase for four years, despite many promises--and a demand for union recognition. To show his contempt, one employer had thrown into the wastebasket a union letter stating its position. The strike lasted at least five weeks and its leader Thomas Kidd was arrested for conspiracy to create a work stoppage. If found guilty he would have had to pay the company all money lost during the strike. Clarence Darrow, in a landmark case, defended him and won.

Answer: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The Tragedy at Bay View, as it is called today, was the last event of the Great May Labor Strike. It happened on May 5th, 1886 when National Guardsmen fired on the crowd killing seven. Orders were to fire only if the strikers tried to enter the Bay View Rolling Mills, but was altered as it reached the Commanding Officer who got the message to fire.
Labor Leaders were arrested and there was no real investigation into the Guards actions.

Answer: The Knights of Labor

The Knights of Labor, founded in Philadelphia in 1869. They had their own handshakes and signals. Working for the eight hour day was their main cause. They were seeking recognition from the Catholic Church but most historians say they never received it. According to the book "The First One Hundred Years of the Milwaukee Journal" by John Wells it was obtained in 1884, but were excommunicated after the May Labor Strikes of 1886 and their name stricken from every church record. The other Knights of Columbus are active to this day, The Templar Knights had something to do with the Crusades, and The Knights of St. Crispin were the first major union in the United States, comprised of cobblers.

After the Civil War they banded together to stop the mass production of shoes and lost.

They take their name from St. Crispin the patron saint of cobblers who in real life was hiding Christians from the Romans in his shoe store.

Answer: a union run by the company

In the early 1900's Wisconsin passed a law that prohibited employers from barring union representatives from their shops unless there was a union there. So some companies encouraged the formation of a union under their control to keep the representatives out.

Answer: Taft-Hartley

Taft-Hartley was introduced to balance out the power between unions and employers. It set guidelines as to who could organize and who could not, previously Foremen, Managers, Supervisors and even CEO's could organize. It also eroded the idea of solidarity by outlawing secondary strikes or boycotts. If one company went on strike the employer would send his work to another company. Before Taft-Hartley, the workers at the active plant would just let the work lay until the strike was settled, after Taft-Hartley they could no longer do this.

It also prohibited the use of the media as a way to gain support for strikers, previously they could take ads out in papers and run radio spots stating their case and asking people to boycott their product until the strike was settled.

Answer: 1935

In 1935, under the National Labor Relations Act which also provided us with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration and child labor laws. The National Labor Relations Board was also crafted in the act.

Answer: Yes

Yes, they were, but there would have to be paycuts along the way. Shorter hours meant less production in their eyes and they would be taking a loss if they were to keep the workers at the same pay scale. Workers were upset that everyone in the house had to work, just barely making ends meet and they did not have the time to see their families.

Answer: Woody Guthrie

He also played songs such as "Union Burying Ground" and "Halleleujah I'm a bum".