Samuel Gompers believed that craft unions, where workers of the skill or job joined together, would be the most successful in achieving reforms within the workplace. During his testimony to the Senate, he argued that, when properly organized, labor unions are a necessary part of American society because they help protect the rights of the working class. He argued that labor unions allow laborers to become more productive members of society by reducing their working hours and increasing their wages; this allows them to become “consumers instead of mere producers”. Based on Gompers’ testimony, I believe that he sought a positive relationship between the government and labor unions. Gompers argued that only uncivilized, barbarous nations, like