How did the American Federation of Labor AFL differ from the preceding Knights of Labor?

In 1881, a Dutch immigrant cigarmaker named Samuel Gompers and some other leading craftsmen organized the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions of the United States and Canada -- the predecessor of the American Federation of Labor. Unlike the Knights of Labor, it included only wage earners. In 1886 it was reorganized and changed its name to the American Federation of Labor. Gompers became the AFL's first president.

Gompers' three-point program of union strategy served the AFL movement throughout its history. First, he insisted on working for practical benefits in the form of higher wages and better working conditions, rather than engaging in a philosophical class struggle. Second, he committed the AFL to the principle of federalism within the movement, allowing each union considerable internal freedom to organize and operate according to its own style. Third, he did what he could to keep government out of collective bargaining, while favoring rewards to political friends and defeat of members of Congress who opposed labor's position. Gompers also insisted that no more than one union should try to organize the same workers at the same time.

Despite the successful beginning of the AFL, labor organizers faced a number of difficulties. For the most part, employers had never fully accepted the legitimacy of unions, much less their right to strike or bargain collectively. Management, which preferred to discuss issues separately with each worker, often sought to circumvent the union, firing or "blacklisting" (agreeing with other companies not to hire) those workers who were in favor of unions, or by signing workers to "yellow dog" contracts, which prohibited them from joining unions.

Employers also sought court injunctions against unions to stop them from engaging in strikes. For most of the years between 1880 and 1932, the government and the courts were generally sympathetic or, at best, neutral to the position of management. In fact, it was often the government, in the name of public order, that provided the force necessary to put down a strike. For example, when employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company went on strike in 1894 to protest a wage cut, joined by members of the American Railway Union in a sympathy strike, the U.S. government sent federal troops to end the strike, declaring that it interfered with mail trains. There were other violent strikes during this era, some of which resulted in numerous deaths.

Another major setback for the labor movement occurred in 1905 with the Supreme Court ruling in the case of Lochner v. New York. The Court held that a law limiting the number of working hours was unconstitutional because it restricted the right of an individual to contract for employment. The Court's reasoning was based on the principle that individuals have "liberty of contract" as derived from the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

By the close of World War I, the AFL had some 5 million members and was growing both in numbers and in influence. However, growth slowed during the 1920s when labor met determined opposition from business groups like the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). One fierce battle was over the principle of the "open shop," the right of a worker not to be forced to join a union. Additionally, because the 1920s tended to be prosperous years with high employment, workers felt relatively secure without union support. After Gompers' death in 1924, William Green was elected president of the AFL as a compromise candidate.

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• Chapter 20: Big Business And Organized Labor
• Research Topics
• Organized Labor
• What was the difference between the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor?
• How was the American Federation of Labor different from the Knights of Labor quizlet?
• What were the problems of the American Federation of Labor?
• What did the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor want?

Chapter 20: Big Business And Organized Labor

Research Topics

Organized Labor

Overview Why did American workers form labor unions?

Laborers in the factories of the north sought to improve their standard of living. However, they often faced obstacles in this effort. Workplaces were unsafe and wages were low. Business owners wanted to make money, not share it with workers. Government officials, hoping to ensure law and order and to promote economic growth, often sided with industrial leaders. Labor unions took on these challenges and met with varying degrees of success. The Knights of Labor offered a grandiose vision of economic reform, but it did not survive the century. The American Federation of Labor was more successful but only aided skilled workers, a minority of the nation's labor force.
Sources

From Ohio History Central

Established in 1886, the American Federation of Labor is an umbrella organization for other unions.

In 1881, Samuel Gompers took the lead in organizing the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions of the United States of America and Canada. This organization became the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in 1886, in Columbus, Ohio. Many members of these two groups were disgruntled members of the Knights of Labor, the most influential organization of unions in the United States during the 1870s. Gompers served as the AFL's first president. He remained the organization's president, other than for one year, until his death in 1924. Under Gompers's leadership, the AFL became the largest labor union organization in the United States. The AFL initially allowed only skilled workers to join the organization. Unskilled laborers initially did not have representation under the AFL. The group also originally prohibited women, African Americans, and other racial minorities from joining the organization. Gompers supported the use of strikes, but he preferred peaceful negotiations to attain fair contracts for workers from their employers. He also sought to keep the AFL out of the political arena, believing that political activity might offend some business owners and hinder the workers' ability to attain better conditions.

By 1904, the American Federation of Labor had 1.7 million members. The organization's membership soared during World War I, as the federal government granted numerous concessions to workers and unions. As the United States was engaged in a world war, the government hoped to avoid strikes by intervening on the behalf of workers with their employers. In 1920, AFL membership had soared beyond four million workers. Unfortunately for the AFL, the 1920s and 1930s resulted in new difficulties for the organization and its leadership. Some members began to call for a more inclusive organization -- one that would fight for the rights of unskilled workers as well, rather than just workers skilled in a particular craft. Tensions over this issue became so prevalent that, in 1935, John L. Lewis, an AFL member, formed the Committee for Industrial Organization. Originally, this organization was a part of the AFL, but in 1937, the parent organization expelled all members of the Committee for Industrial Organization. The Committee for Industrial Organization eventually became the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). The AFL and the CIO remained as two separate organizations until 1955, when the two groups reunited together as the AFL-CIO.

For the remainder of the twentieth century, the AFL-CIO remained the largest union organization in the United States. The percentage of unionized workers, however, declined beginning in the 1950s. In 1953, 32.5% of American workers were union members. By 1983, only twenty percent of American workers belonged to a union.

See Also

References

1. Montgomery, David. The Fall of the House of Labor: The Workplace, the State, and American Labor Activism, 1865-1925.  New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1989.

In 1881, a Dutch immigrant cigarmaker named Samuel Gompers and some other leading craftsmen organized the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions of the United States and Canada -- the predecessor of the American Federation of Labor. Unlike the Knights of Labor, it included only wage earners. In 1886 it was reorganized and changed its name to the American Federation of Labor. Gompers became the AFL's first president.

Gompers' three-point program of union strategy served the AFL movement throughout its history. First, he insisted on working for practical benefits in the form of higher wages and better working conditions, rather than engaging in a philosophical class struggle. Second, he committed the AFL to the principle of federalism within the movement, allowing each union considerable internal freedom to organize and operate according to its own style. Third, he did what he could to keep government out of collective bargaining, while favoring rewards to political friends and defeat of members of Congress who opposed labor's position. Gompers also insisted that no more than one union should try to organize the same workers at the same time.

Despite the successful beginning of the AFL, labor organizers faced a number of difficulties. For the most part, employers had never fully accepted the legitimacy of unions, much less their right to strike or bargain collectively. Management, which preferred to discuss issues separately with each worker, often sought to circumvent the union, firing or "blacklisting" (agreeing with other companies not to hire) those workers who were in favor of unions, or by signing workers to "yellow dog" contracts, which prohibited them from joining unions.

Employers also sought court injunctions against unions to stop them from engaging in strikes. For most of the years between 1880 and 1932, the government and the courts were generally sympathetic or, at best, neutral to the position of management. In fact, it was often the government, in the name of public order, that provided the force necessary to put down a strike. For example, when employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company went on strike in 1894 to protest a wage cut, joined by members of the American Railway Union in a sympathy strike, the U.S. government sent federal troops to end the strike, declaring that it interfered with mail trains. There were other violent strikes during this era, some of which resulted in numerous deaths.

Another major setback for the labor movement occurred in 1905 with the Supreme Court ruling in the case of Lochner v. New York. The Court held that a law limiting the number of working hours was unconstitutional because it restricted the right of an individual to contract for employment. The Court's reasoning was based on the principle that individuals have "liberty of contract" as derived from the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

By the close of World War I, the AFL had some 5 million members and was growing both in numbers and in influence. However, growth slowed during the 1920s when labor met determined opposition from business groups like the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). One fierce battle was over the principle of the "open shop," the right of a worker not to be forced to join a union. Additionally, because the 1920s tended to be prosperous years with high employment, workers felt relatively secure without union support. After Gompers' death in 1924, William Green was elected president of the AFL as a compromise candidate.

What was the difference between the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor?

Unlike the Knights of Labor, the AFL organized only skilled workers into unions defined by particular trades. The AFL also emphasized relatively high dues in order to create a treasury large enough to sustain the members during a prolonged strike.

How was the American Federation of Labor different from the Knights of Labor quizlet?

How did the AFL differ from the Knights of Labor? The AFL was socialist while the Knights were capitalists. The AFL was a federation of national organizations, each of which retained a large degree of its autonomy, while the Knights organization was more centralized.

What were the problems of the American Federation of Labor?

Despite the successful beginning of the AFL, labor organizers faced a number of difficulties. For the most part, employers had never fully accepted the legitimacy of unions, much less their right to strike or bargain collectively.

What did the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor want?

The Knights of Labor was a union founded in 1869. The Knights pressed for the eight-hour work day for laborers, and embraced a vision of a society in which workers, not capitalists, would own the industries in which they labored. The Knights also sought to end child labor and convict labor.

How did the AFL differ from Knights of Labor?

How did the AFL differ from the Knights of Labor quizlet?

What made the American Federation of Labor AFL different?

How was the American Federation of Labor AFL different from the Knights of Labor Brainly?