Origins of Labor Unions in Troy

Color broadside advertising for the Fenian Brotherhood. The Fenians were an organization that supported pride in Irish culture, solidarity and Irish independence. The Fenians may have been an organization at the root of the iron workers union in Troy, New York.

In the years leading up to the Civil War, labor unions began to become more organized in Troy, especially for skilled iron workers such as puddlers, stove and machinery molders. Ethnic clubs that originated as social institutions became increasingly political. The Scottish were represented by the Sons of Scotia. The Germans had the German Mutual Aid Society. Irish-Catholic sociopolitical organizations included the Fenians and Clan na Gael. The Fenians particularly had a reputation for militancy, and many of the iron molders were affiliated with it. These social societies, and the newly formed workers unions that followed, maintained systems of ritual and secrecy to sustain solidarity within their ranks.

The financial panic of 1857 galvanized workers to protect the security of their situations. Troy’s working class were hit with wage cuts, high unemployment and increased poverty when the factories reduced wages, hours and positions. The iron workers grew in strength by joining with a national level organization. In April of 1858, they formed the Iron Molder’s International Union No. 2. The six founding members grew to 51 members within a few weeks. In the first year the membership climbed to 300. They organized and sustained strikes in Troy’s foundries to keep their wages and work hours from falling. Their activities spurred the formation of unions for other skilled workers in other industries. It was considered a strong and militant organization in Troy.

This is small cast iron pan produced by Wagner Works that commemorates the founding in 1859 of the International Molders and Allied Workers Union. It depicts a cast iron stove to the left, clasped human hands in the center and an iron machinery part to the right. The name and the date encircle these images in the border.

They were not only concerned about wages, but also their ability to unionize, control of their shops, and the conditions of their workplaces. Not every strike was successful; strikes for the unskilled iron laborers and puddlers (a three-week strike in May of 1859) did not prevent wage cuts. In the spring of 1859, when their wages were cut, they walked out of the Clinton and Washington foundries. Editorials in the Troy Daily Times criticized them as a “tyrannical combination.” The anti-workers union sentiments of this newspaper would be violently challenged during the draft riot in July of 1863. After two and half weeks, the foundries conceded to many of their demands.

The Troy iron workers union exerted limitations on the number of apprentices, who worked for lower wages. The union established uniform wages for various types of jobs in the foundries. With a membership of 400 by spring of 1860, the Iron Molder’s International Union No. 2 was the largest in the United States. Yet, the owners and management continued to press against the demands of labor. In March of 1861, the Washington Foundry attempted to reinstate apprentices. The Union voted to strike, but the onset of the Civil War complicated their planning. When President Lincoln called for soldiers, a large number of the iron workers enlisted. The management seized the instability as an opportunity to challenge the union in a grand jury, charging them with conspiracy in forming a secret combination. The union thus had to spend $250 to hire a lawyer from Albany to defend themselves. The reduced and weakened membership, the necessity to make concessions along with the legal challenge nearly brought the union to a standstill. There were only three meetings between September of 1861 and February of 1862. With the assistance of the Albany union, the Troy workers began a steady process of rebuilding while the Civil War raged abroad.