Simrat Kohli Dearest Salon Members, It is a pleasure to introduce myself, Samuel Gompers, to all of you. I look forward to our discussion and would like to participate and advise in whatever way possible. To begin our conversation, I will give an overview of my focuses and beliefs. My respected gentlemen and women, our beloved country is facing a conspicuous issue. While we meet here, fellow Americans, including our youth, are battling brutal conditions in the workplace- long hours, strenuous tasks, and the lack a living wage. However, I do believe I have the answer to America’s labor problem and the unequal distribution of wealth. The solution lies not with the Knights of Labor, who sought to organize all of the workers in a industry together. This generalized type of union will never be able to be successful. As I stated in the 1887 Baltimore Sun, “It is impossible for capitalists and laborers to have common interest.” Being so how can an association such as the Knights of Labor bring success, merging all parts of an industry together, from employers to …show more content…
I strongly advocate for this system of trade unionism, with only wage workers joined together based on their craft. To be able to form successful unions is essential for labor reform. As I said in the December 21, 1890 New Yorker Volkszeitung, “I believe that the trade unions will bring about both the improvement of conditions and the ultimate emancipation of workers… I think that the emancipation of the working classes has to be achieved by the workers themselves.” Thus, workers must work through the power of negotiations, strikes and collective bargaining to gain the best opportunity for change. Following my election as president of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), which I helped to found, I was incredibly proud to watch the AFL’s nationwide strike on May 1, 1886 for an eight-hour