Why did workers band together to form labor unions?

Answer 1

The primary reason workers began to join together is simple: the voices of many outweigh the voices of a few. The second reason was to create a powerful body to protest working conditions and wages and create reforms. The third, and perhaps a driving force toward unions was a backlash against companies that used threats, bullied, beat, and even killed workers who did not comply.

In the 1800s, for example, coal companies advertised in foreign countries (Wales, Ireland, England primarily) to bring coal workers to Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. Though experienced workers, because many did not speak English, this meant that coal companies paid lower wages, price-gouged at the "company store" where workers were mandated to buy groceries/supplies, and withheld "fees" from salaries for essential work supplies, like candles, helmets, and lanterns used in the mines. (This meant that miners always "owed" the company money, and because the fees ate into their wages, they also got behind on paying rents.) When men protested because mining was so unsafe to begin with, the coal companies created their own "police force". The coal police would go to men's houses to threaten and beat them. Coal companies promised housing, in coal towns which were called "coal patches". Men paid high rents on these homes. But if the man protested the working conditions, the "coal police" would come and physically put the family out of their home, throwing their meager belongings into the streets. If a coal miner died at work during a slate fall or explosion, the coal police would go to the house while the family was at the cemetery and put the widow and children out on the streets. If a mine had a mass casualty, no families got paid a death benefit (e.g. no insurance from the company).

As a result of events like those listed above, The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) is one of the oldest unions in the United States. The push toward unionizing coal mines started in a tiny town known for coal mines, coke works, and glass plants: Charleroi, Pennsylvania. Leaders guided workers toward unionizing, held rallies, and helped the workers ban together to fight unfair and illegal labor practices. The Mine Workers of America Union was formed January 25, 1890. The UMWA lobbied for new laws as well as for higher wages and benefits, along with safer working conditions and that companies would supply necessary safety gear. The UMWA was instrumental in reducing the number of explosions and roof falls in mines, by pushing for safe work policies. They set standards for what they called "the practical miner", which meant "experienced", including the man's ability to mine safely. They introduced standardized "tests" so miners could prove they were "practical miners", thus, identifying miners whose work might be sub-standard and unsafe so those men could be retrained.

However, instituting the UMWA did not immediately, automatically, or magically create reforms. Charleroi PA and numerous surrounding coal towns in Washington County PA was a volatile place to live and work. Even in 1969, there remained great unrest and strife between unions and non-unions, and even among union members. I recall in 1969 hearing about the horrific murder of Joseph Albert "Jock" Yablonski and his family. Mr. Yablonski was an labor leader in the United Mine Workers Union. His opponent, UMWA president and union embezzler, Tony Boyle, hired a group of thugs to kill Yablonski before the union's next election because Yablonski was gaining in popularity. But the three hired killers waited until after the election. They entered Yabonski's home where he, his wife, and 25-year old daughter were asleep and shot them all. However, the three killers left numerous fingerprints in the home; it only took a few days to capture all three.

The Yablonski Murders sparked an investigation from the Department of Labor. This fueled unprecedented mining and union reforms. But this was 79 years (plus) in the making, from the earliest rallies in Charleroi pre-1890 before the mine union formed. Though The Knights of Labor formed in the 1880s, and The American Federation of Labor was founded in 1886 (later the AFL-CIO), the UMWA was formed nearly around the same time as The United Steel Workers Union. Coal Mining, Steel Mills, and Railroads were "close financial relatives" whose unionizing efforts transformed the workplace. The efforts of the UMWA, the USW, and the American Railroad Union (ARU which formed June 20, 1893) provided "Unity and Strength For Workers" (the USW motto), and led increasingly to more groups unionizing, such as US Postal Workers during the 1960s. In the years following, labor groups (like plumbers and pipe fitters), teachers, nurses, and many other groups began to "unionize".

However, even today, once powerless groups such as nursing aides (CNAs, STNAs, and Independent Providers) have pushed and continue to group together to join the Service Employee International Union. But in Ohio and Wisconsin, State governments in the last 4 recent years have created laws to prevent the Service Employee International Union from effectively bargaining for increased wages for union members paid under State programs. Nurses and other service workers have found similar obstacles in truly having a powerful unionized voice to speak on their behalf.

Answer 2

Labor unions were created during the Industrial Revolution because:

• The large quantity of laborers available for these unskilled factory jobs made individual workers expendable
• Most industrial laborers worked at least a ten-hour day
• Most industrial laborers earned 20 to 40 percent less than the minimum wage necessary to live comfortably
• Class division between the corporate giants and laborers became even greater
• Health and safety conditions in the workplace were poor and workers had limited recourse
• There was little federal protection for workers

Answer 3

to press for reforms