1934 Kohler Case Study

Conflict has been around since the beginning of time: Satan tempting Adam and Eve, the Pharaoh and his enslavement of the Israelites, events such as World Wars 1 and 2, et cetera. Creating a conflict is the easy part. Realizing there is a conflict and finding a way to compromise is often the hard part. Unfair working conditions and inequality at Kohler factories in Wisconsin led to the conflict of the 1934 Kohler Strike. This resulted in the compromise of better working conditions. The Kohler Company was founded in Wisconsin in 1873 and started out as a steel and iron factory. Later in the 19th century, Kohler Company began producing plumbing and enamelware equipment.
Walter J. Kohler, Sr., was a very important figure and had a substantial

It is unclear how much the National Guard was actually able to restore order in the strike.
The case for the strike later eventually went to the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, DC. The National Labor Relations Board decided that the employees of the Kohler Company can choose between two options. They could either choose the company organized Kohler Worker’s Association or the American Federation of Labor’s Union.
The AFL was formed in 1886 and their main intention was to get higher wages, better working conditions, and a shorter work week for the members of the union, but they did not attempt to organize unskilled workers. In 1920, however, the growth of an economy took place.
The economic growth took place in the mass-production industries mainly, such as automobiles, rubber, chemicals, and utilities.
Samuel Gompers was the President of the AFL from 1886-1895 and 1895-1924. His leadership helped to make the AFL the largest and most powerful union in the country. Compared to the earlier decades though, it was not as powerful and there was a dramatic decrease in membership.
There were many votes for the company union but the local AFL refused defeat so most employees continued to

It was one that allowed employees to organize and bargain collectively. Walter J. Kohler, Sr., thought that the workers could organize, but he didn’t think that any union should have “exclusive bargaining power.”
“Exclusive bargaining power” was a right that had been recently formed by the AFL Union of Kohler Workers. Mr. Kohler refused to bargain with them, which the workers obviously didn’t like. In summary, because Mr. Kohler, Sr. didn’t believe that his workers should have certain rights and and he refused to accept the workers’ requests, the Kohler Strike of 1934 came to be as a result.
There was no clear compromise or end to the strike, but the lives of the workers did get better and the strike finally did end for good in 1941 because of World War Two. World War Two increased the need and demand for Kohler products. While World War Two started in 1939, the demand for the products started in 1941.
Additionally, unions are still classified as important because they protect the interests of the working people and improve the working conditions for them as