Jonah Patel
Labor unions have been a part of the United States since its early history, with the first recorded worker strike in 1768, and the establishment of the first trade union in 1794. The labor movement has played a crucial role in shaping the country's history, with unions advocating for improved wages, working conditions, and labor reforms. The early labor movement was primarily driven by skilled workers, but over time, it diversified to include more women and Black workers. Unions have influenced federal legislation, such as the creation of the Department of Labor and civil rights laws, and their peak influence in the mid-20th century saw around a third of American workers unionized. However, since then, the movement has been in decline, with a steady erosion of their power and influence in the political process. Despite this, a majority of Americans continue to approve of labor unions, recognizing their essential role in representing workers' rights and interests.
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What You'll Learn
The Knights of Labor
The Knights operated as both a trade union federation and a political movement, envisioning a "Cooperative Commonwealth" where producer cooperatives and nationalized railroads would replace monopolistic capitalism. They launched labor parties, worker-owned cooperatives, and local assemblies that represented members in their workplaces, bargaining with employers and conducting strikes. Their inclusivity was a hallmark, accepting women, African Americans, and immigrants as members. By 1886, nearly a million workers were enrolled, making them the dominant labor organization in the United States.
However, the Knights' influence declined sharply after 1886, a year marked by 1,600 strikes (some violent) and the deadly Haymarket Riot in Chicago. The backlash against unionism and dissatisfaction among members led to the Knights' demise and the establishment of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in December 1886. The AFL focused on winning economic benefits through collective bargaining, while the Knights represented both craft and unskilled workers in a single national union. Most members abandoned the Knights in 1886-1887, and the Panic of 1893 terminated their importance. While their national headquarters closed in 1917, remnants of the Knights of Labor continued until 1949.
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The American Federation of Labor (AFL)
The AFL was led by Samuel Gompers, who served as president from its founding in 1886 until 1924, except for one year in 1895. Gompers kept the AFL politically neutral, focusing on income and working conditions, with the federation's founding convention declaring "higher wages and a shorter workday". Gompers, an English immigrant who had organised cigar makers, was also a Marxist, and the AFL embraced "pure and simple" unionism, remaining separate from national political issues.
The AFL's membership grew steadily, albeit slowly at first, and by 1892 it had cracked the 250,000-member mark. The AFL focused on the organisation of skilled workers and remained the sole unifying agency of the American labour movement for about 50 years. In 1955, the AFL merged with the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) to form the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), which has been the longest-lasting and most influential labour federation in the United States.
At its peak in the mid-20th century, the AFL, along with the CIO, constituted a third of the American labour force. Since then, the influence of organised labour has steadily declined, with losses in the private sector outweighing gains in the public sector.
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The CIO
The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was a federation of unions that focused on organizing workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. It was originally created in 1935 as a committee within the American Federation of Labor (AFL) by John L. Lewis, a leader of the United Mine Workers (UMW). The CIO focused on organizing unskilled workers, who had largely been ignored by the AFL unions.
In 1947, Section 504 of the Taft-Hartley Act required union leaders to swear they were not Communists, which some CIO leaders refused, leading to their expulsion. In 1949, Walter Reuther of the United Automobile Workers purged communist members from the CIO. In 1955, the CIO rejoined the AFL, forming the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the largest federation of unions in the United States.
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The American Railway Union
The ARU's first victory came in the summer of 1894, when it led a successful strike against the Great Northern Railway Company. The company had enacted a series of wage cuts for its workers, prompting the ARU to organise an 18-day strike. The strike forced the company into arbitration, and the arbitrators found in favour of the workers, leading the company to roll back its wage cuts. This success inspired railway workers on other lines to seek similar redress through strike action.
However, the ARU's next strike action, the Pullman Strike in 1894, was not successful. The strike advocated a countrywide boycott of Pullman cars, with 125,000 railway workers on 29 railroads quitting work rather than handling Pullman cars. The government enlisted troops and the power of the judiciary against the ARU, and the union's leadership was jailed for six months in 1895, effectively crushing the organisation. The remnants of the ARU disbanded and amalgamated into the Social Democracy of America in June 1897.
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The First Red Scare
The labor movement in the United States has a long and complex history, with various groups contributing to its development and transformation over time. One notable period of upheaval and transformation was the First Red Scare, which occurred during the early 20th century, particularly between 1917 and 1920. This period was marked by widespread fear of far-left movements and radical political agitation, which had a significant impact on labor organizations and their perception by the broader public.
Additionally, the hyper-nationalism of World War I played a crucial role in shaping the First Red Scare. The war effort led many Americans to embrace strong nationalistic and anti-immigrant sentiments. They feared that immigrants, particularly those from Russia and Eastern and Southern Europe, might harbor communist or anarchist ideologies and pose a threat to the stability of American society. These fears were intensified by real incidents of anarchist bombings and labor strikes across the United States. Notable examples include the Seattle General Strike, the Boston Police Strike, and the bombing campaigns directed at political and business leaders by anarchist groups.
In conclusion, the First Red Scare represented a tumultuous period in American history, marked by fear of far-left ideologies and the perceived threat of revolution. It had significant repercussions for labor organizations, immigrants, and radicals, shaping legislation, public sentiment, and power dynamics in the early 20th-century United States.
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