It affected the rich and poor, old and young; just about everyone. Protesters sought to achieve more substantial reform via organizational and electoral pressure for legislative reforms. Instead of direct public assistance, he called for a public works program. Protests in local communities originated in sporadic street demonstrations, rent rebellions and the disruption of relief centers. Rising anger led to defiance and resistance. Industries were devastated, as were the towns where they were located. The lack of alternate job opportunities, drought conditions, and cut on government expenses were a few of the factors that contributed to the mass amounts of unemployment. The National Industrial Recovery Act (1933) provided for collective bargaining. Without them, most of us might all still be earning minimum wage with no benefits, and might … The Bureau of Labor Statistics later estimated that 12,830,000 persons were out of work in 1933, about one-fourth of a civilian labor force of over fifty-one million. Tens of thousands of people rallied in 1837, 1857, 1873, 1884 and 1893 to demand a public jobs program from the federal government. But in recent decades, union membership has plummeted. Millions of unemployed Blacks and whites marched together, sometimes leading to bloodshed instigated by the cops. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. There was frequently endless competition for underpaid work in regions foreign to them and their families. The first federally dictated minimum wage came about as a result of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which guaranteed “employees who are engaged in interstate commerce or in the production of goods for commerce, or who are employed by an enterprise engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce” $0.25 an hour as of October 24, 1938. They held mass meetings and focused on a dual approach of community and trade union unity. Unions were formed for all types of different jobs. Unionization rates also vary greatly from state to state, from nearly 25% in New York to less than 4% in the Carolinas. The Washington State Labor … Life for migrant workers in the 1930s, during the Great Depression, was an existence exposed to constant hardships. Entire families contributed to the production of goods (see History of Childhood). Wobblies, Knights, AFL. By the early 1980s it was down to 20%. The tremendous gains labor unions experienced in the 1930s resulted, in part, from the pro-union stance of the Roosevelt administration and from legislation enacted by Congress during the early New Deal. Unavoidable comparison is made to the similar decline of the unions in the 1920s. Thousands of them joined the CP. Organization leaders conducted work stoppages and demonstrations on WPA projects, protesting layoffs and demanding more adequate security wages. Conferences of unions and fraternal organizations were called in a number of states to plan further campaigns for the Workers’ Bill. Interestingly, two of the three are not about farm workers: instead, they focus on the people who interpreted the California farm labor story of the 1930s. Communists declared March 6, 1930, to be International Unemployment Day, and led marches and rallies of the unemployed in most of the major cities in the U.S. Several thousand marched to factories and auto plants to demand jobs and unemployment insurance. There is no doubt that 1933 was the worst year, and March the worst month for joblessness in the history of the United States” (1). Create your own unique website with customizable templates. One of the great conflicts within the labor movement existed between the Craft Unions and the industrial unions.When the American Federation of Labor indicated reluctance to organize unskilled workers, John L. Lewis created the Committee for Industrial Organization within the AFL in 1935. The growing differentiation between rich and poor in the countryside, the expansion of resource industries (see Resource Use), the construction of canals and r… At the time, it was common for many Canadians to support themselves as independent farmers, fishermen and craftworkers. The Great Depression of the 1930s was a period of economic crisis that drastically affected the daily lives of millions of people, who faced massive unemployment. In 1946, 35% of American workers were represented by unions. Rick Fantasia, Hard Work: Remaking the American Labor Movement (2004) This account deals with the decline of unions. The economic collapse also impacted those with low-wage jobs. Joint rallies comprised progressive trade unions, communist activists and alliances of communities. 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