Chapter 8 – Employment, Labor, and Wages
8-1 The Labor Movement
CA Standards:
12.3 Understand the operations of the labor market, including the
circumstances surrounding the establishment of principal American
labor unions, procedures that unions use to gain benefits or their
members, the effects of unionization…
Objectives:
• Explain why unions are still important today.
• Discuss the development of the labor movement from the late 1700s to
the 1930s.
• Relate labor’s successes during the Great Depression.
• State the major labor developments since World War II.
Write definition of key terms found on
page 189 Use glossary in textbook
Read pages 189 - 192
Economics: Principles & Practices
Prepare for Open notebook Quiz
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 Key Terms page 182
Macroeconomics
Right-to-work Law
Civilian Labor Force
Jurisdictional Dispute
Craft or Trade Union
Independent Union
Industrial Union
Strike
Picket
Boycott
Lockout
Company Union
Great Depression
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This chapter and those that follow deal with
macroeconomics, the part of economics that deals
with the economy as a whole, and with the
behavior and decision making by large units, such
as labor unions and government.
What are three reasons that labor unions are
important?
a) Labor unions played a significant role in American
history, and they are responsible for much of the
legislation that affects current working
conditions.
b) Labor unions still have an important presence in
vital industries.
c) They represent millions of workers.
2. What was the first attempt to organize labor
in the United States?
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The first attempt was by printers joining together
in New York City in 1778 to demand higher pay.
3. Was the general view of labor unions in the
early 1800s positive or negative?
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Negative
4. What two major types of unions had
developed by the end of the Civil War?
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Craft or trade
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Industrial
5. What were three things for which labor
unions negotiated to help workers?
a) Higher
b) Better
c) Job
pay
working conditions
security
6. What three pro-union laws were passed
during the Great Depression?
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Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932
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National Labor Relations Act
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Wagner Act of 1935
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Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938
7. What six restrictions were placed on unions
by Taft-Hartley Act of 1947?
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Gave employers the right to sue unions
Prohibited unions from making membership a condition for
hiring
Made it illegal for unions to make political contributions
Required unions to give 60 day’s notice before going on
strike
Gave the federal courts the power to enforce an 80-day
“cooling off” period
Allowed states to pass right-to-work laws
8. What two organizations joined in 1955 to
create the AFL-CIO?
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The American Federation of Labor
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The Congress of Industrial Organizations
Be prepared for open
notebook quiz