HISTORY OF LABOR MOVEMENT

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SECTION 1

• HISTORY OF LABOR MOVEMENT
•  

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    Colonial America (1619- 1776)

• High demand for labor in colonies  
•     
• Most were self-employed artisans
• Maximum wages established early

3
Centers of population begin to grow

•   Skilled tradesmen started to work as
  journeymen under master workmen in small
  retail shops
• Labor disputes are recorded back from 1630s
• Perhaps 1st actual strike in 1768
• No continuous labor organization yet

4
1780s?1800s

•  Mutual Aid societies
• Out of need of post-revolutionary period
•  First Union
• 1794, Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers
  (Philadelphia)
• all early unions craft-based 

5
Transportation Revolution

•  Markets widen (interior opens up) competition
  increases
• Employers interests in contrast with workers
  interests
• Workers protests general peaceful (for ?wages,
  ?hours, better conditions)

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INDUSTRIALIZATION

• 1830s and on
• New class of factory workers
• Initially clean for Mill girls
• ?labor supply and competition again lead
  employers to push.
• 1st real attempt at National unions in 1850s
  

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POST CIVIL WAR

•  Knights of Labor (1869)
• 800,000 members by late 1880s
• Accepted skilled and unskilled
• Belief in political action, not strikes.
• Key flaw was focus on moral philosophies instead
  of short-term economic interests of workers.
• Quick demise in 1890s precipitated by HayMarket
  Riot (1886)

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American Federation of Labor (AFL)

• 1886 Key founder is Gompers
• Established as a Federation, not a union, of
  largely craft unions
• Basic philosophy
• Promote capitalism, but improve material needs of
  members
• Belief in strikes, govt acceptance

9
AFL survives key incidents

•  
• Homestead Incident (1892)
• AFL shows solid material support
• Media criticizes Carnegie
• Pullman Strike (1894)
• AFL chooses to not help ARU strike
• Debs ?prison?radicalized (socialist)

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IWW (1905)

•  Threatening because of left-winged, radical
  views (overthrow capitalism)
• Downfall by 1918 due to
• Financial troubles
• No focus on short-term material interests
  (similar flaw of KOL)
• Identification with violence and sabatoge (check
  out their website)
• Stance against U.S. war effort

11
WWI-WWII

•  Welfare Capitalism
• Depression Era legislation
• CIO splits from within AFL (1938) 

12
WWII-present (roughly)

• General decline in unionization
• AFL-CIO merger (1955)
• Anti-corruption legislation for unions coming out
  of 1950s
• Dealing with increased global competition
• AFL-CIO new president (1995) Sweeney