Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-09T16:36:49.405Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

4 - The Gilded Wage: Trade Politics in the American Textile and Steel Industries

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 September 2016

Adam Dean
Affiliation:
Middlebury College, Vermont
Get access

Summary

This chapter presents a structured-focused comparison of two labor unions in the American textile and steel industries during the late nineteenth century. Overall, the analysis demonstrates that both unions joined their employers in favor of the same trade policy when profit-sharing institutions were present, but openly disagreed with their employers when profit-sharing institutions were absent. In examining the effect of profit-sharing institutions on workers’ trade policy preferences, this chapter also demonstrates how changes in workers’ bargaining power influenced the creation and destruction of profit-sharing institutions.

The first case study focuses on the textile industry in and around Fall River, Massachusetts, a city that dominated the American textile industry during the late nineteenth century. In 1883, Fall River's textile mills produced an astounding 60 percent of all print cloth produced in the United States, earning the city the nickname of the “Spindle City.” The analysis focuses on the highest skilled textile workers, the mule spinners, whose job it was to use mule spinning frames to turn raw cotton into yarn. These workers organized and formed the Mule Spinners’ Association, a labor union that struggled for survival in the 1880s, but then grew and established profit-sharing institutions with their employers in the 1890s. Consistent with my theory, the textile workers disagreed with their employers and did not support high tariffs during the 1880s, but then joined their employers in favor of high tariffs in the 1890s.

The second case study focuses on the iron and steel industries in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a city that dominated the American steel industry during the late nineteenth century and beyond. In the 1890s, the factories surrounding Pittsburgh accounted for roughly 40 percent of all iron and steel produced in the United States, earning the city the nickname of the “Steel City.” The analysis focuses on the highest skilled steelworkers, the puddlers, and boilers, whose job it was to stir molten iron. These workers organized the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers, a labor union that maintained profit-sharing institutions throughout the 1880s, but then struggled for survival and lost their profit-sharing institutions in the 1890s. Consistent with my theory, the steel workers joined their employers in favor of high tariffs during the 1880s, but broke with their employers and did not support high tariffs in the 1890s.

Type
Chapter
Information
From Conflict to Coalition
Profit-Sharing Institutions and the Political Economy of Trade
, pp. 53 - 99
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2016

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×