American Labor Unions

1
American Labor Unions

• Which Way?
• Conservative, Reform or Radical?

2
Knights of LaborNoble and Holy Order of the
Knights of Labor
3
American Federation of LaborBread and Butter
UnionismBeliefs and Goals

• Pure and Simple Unionism
• Skilled Craft Workers Only
• Use Strikes
• Accept Capitalism/Corporate Order
• Mo Money
• Samuel Gompers, 1886

4
Methods

• Exclude women and minorities
• Use Strikes
• Avoid Radicalism
• Collective Bargaining Contracts
• Create an Elite Worker Organization

5
Results

• 1million members by 1900
• 1/3 rd of all skilled workers by 1900
• Bring many workers into middle class lifestyle
• Accepted by many corporations
• Continues to Grow and still exists

6
Industrial Workers of the WorldThe Wobblies

• An Injury to One is an Injury to All
• Unite all workers regardless of skill, race,
  gender or ethnicity
• Capitalism is the source of all problems
• Socialism the Solution
• Founded in Chicago, 1904

7
Methods

• Build Working Class Unity by Appealing to all
  cultures
• Focus on the most dispossessed and exploited
  workers--Western miners, textile workers, migrant
  workers, lumberjacks
• Teach that Capitalism is based on class
  exploitation and conflict
• Form One Big Union

8
Results

• Led Key Strikes in Mining and Textiles
• Offered a Future Vision of Racial Harmony
• Kept Idea of Industrial Unionism Alive
• Attacked and silenced during World War I

9
Womens Trade Union League

• Middle Class and Upper Class Women Support for
  Unions
• Support for End to Laissez Faire
• Social Justice Advocacy
• Lobbied for State Investigations

10
Beliefs/Methods/Results

• Feminism Suffrage
• Investigations/reform of women/child labor
• Support Union Formations and Strikes
• Factory Saftey Laws and Child Labor Laws

11
Business Unionism

• Prevent Independent trade unions
• create harmony in the workplace
• build support for the company
• combine efficiency, loyalty and improved benefits

12
Success

• Grew significantly in 1920s with Dept. of
  Commerce support
• Henry Ford leads way with 5 day and cultural
  programs for workers
• Called welfare capitalism--develop worker faith
  in company to do good by them
• Worker benefits build loyalty and productivity

13
Limitations

• Many companies rejected concept
• Limited to most profitable and progressive
• Workers questioned true motives
• Great Depression and economic losses tended to
  hurt workers and reduce benevolence of company
• most replaced with independent unions in 30s