ipl-logo

National Labor Union History Essay

666 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Economic conditions impact collective bargaining

Unions have been around for a long time. The first union was established in 1866 in the U.S. with the foundation of the National Labor Union or the NLU. The National Labor Union was created to persuade Congress to change laws. The NLU was against holding strikes and instead relied on political action to reach its goals. The NLU, made up of farmers, workers, and reformers, excluding African Americans and women, firstly wanted Congress to limit the work days to just eight hours, and it was able to make this change, but after this none of its other suggestions made it through. Eventually, the NLU was dissolved in 1873, but with its existence, it boosted public awareness to make changes for labor laws.

Next came the Knights of Labor, created in …show more content…

The AFL was established in in 1886 led by Samuel Gompers. Many members of this group were former members of Kings of Labor. At first the AFL only allowed skilled workers to join the group. The organization’s membership rose greatly during World War I, since the government gave multiple concessions to workers and unions. Since the United States was engaged in the war, the government wanted to avoid strikes, so by stepping in on behalf of workers with their employers, the government believed they could do so. In 1920, the AFL had gained more than 4 million workers. But, during the 1920s-1930s, some members wanted to have a nonexclusive group. They wanted it to include unskilled or untrained workers also. This issue became so big that in 1935, John L. Lewis, an AFL member, created the Committee for Industrial Organization. It was originally a part of the AFL, but in 1937, it broke off and became the Congress of Industrial Organizations or CIO. The CIO organized almost 4 million workers into 32 national and international unions in just the first two years that it was in service. They also signed contracts with 30,000 companies, “resulting in wage increases in excess of $1 billion, shorter work hours for millions of workers and improved working conditions.”(UMWA) The AFL and the CIO stayed as two separate organizations until 1955, when the two groups combined to make the AFL-CIO. Today the AFL-CIO is the federation for U.S. unions that represent 12.5 million working women and men. They ensure that all people who work receive the correct rewards for their labor. They fight for all workers to have respect and fair treatment from the companies they work for. Unions are needed to help workers and laborers get the respect they

Show More
Related
221 Words | 1 Pages

The Knights of Labor was the first major American labor union created around 1871. It was configured by all productive laborers from the factories to fields, whose leader was Terence V. Powderly. Their goals were to adopt a system that could which will secure the labor job and involve the government to protecting the workers. In addition they were fighting to obtain 8 hour work day, graduated income tax, cooperatives.

Read More
1052 Words | 5 Pages

A Brief Story of the United States Trade Unions In the United States, such as in most of other countries, agriculture played a very important role in the beginning of the enrichment decades. Native, African and White Americans were not the only ethnicities in the country by that time. Immigrants - mostly from Asia and Europe - started to arrive in the US seeking for job and the dream of wealth. Thanks for this population growth, the labor force was duplicated and the landlords realized it was time to spread their goods all over the country.

Read More
762 Words | 4 Pages

The National Labor Union (NLU), the Knights of Labor, and then the American Federation of Labor (AFL) all strived for a better workers’ condition. Specifically, Samuel Gompers, the founder of AFL, demanded “a reduction of the hours of labor,” “adequate wages,” etc. (Doc G) The labor unions took actions against the relentless business owners: the Railroad Strike, the Homestead Strike, and the Pullman Strike were examples that attempted to ameliorate working conditions by refusing to work. Similarly, the southern and western farmers formed organizations that asked for legislations that would benefit them.

Read More
1886 Words | 8 Pages

He then served as second vice president of the CMIU from 1886 to 1896, when he was elevated to first vice president. In the 1880s, Gompers was also very educated in establishing the Federation of Organized Trades and labor Unions, which he served as vice president from 1880 -1886 then after he changed the organization’s name from F.O.T.L.U. to A.F.L. Gompers was later elected as its very first president, a position he held for nearly forty years. He distrusted intellectual reformers, and feared their influence would sidetrack labour’s efforts away from economic goals. With his election as president of the AFL in 1886, he wanted to build a national federation of trade union dedicated to these principles. He immediately threw himself into the organization’s first big effort a nationwide general strike on May 1,1886 in support of an eight hour

Read More
332 Words | 2 Pages

1. Differentiate between the kind of unionism represented by the AFL and the kind of unionism represented by the Knights of Labor and/or the Wobblies. 4 pts.2. The union represented by the Knights were more egalitarian organizations that sought to organize all workers regardless of skill level.

Read More
408 Words | 2 Pages

The feeling, shown in Nast's illustration after the railroad strike of 1877, that amalgamations simply lead to more " communistic values" and general uniformity made it very arduous to genuinely get anything done. Samuel Gompers, progenitor of the American Federation of Labor, argued that the right to strike was absolutely obligatory if any reforms were going to be made and not even this right had been officially granted to the people by regime (Document I). Gompers made it very pellucid that not even the very substratum of organized labor had been established and so up until this point the advances that had been made, were virtually frivolous. In conclusion, from 1875-1900 very few advances were made through organized labor in achieving better working conditions for workers.

Read More
541 Words | 3 Pages

Three unions that are similar & different. The Knights of Labor was a powerful labor union in the United States in the nineteenth century which was founded by Uriah Stephens in 1886 and was also lead by Stephens but then Stephens got replaced by Terence Powderly. American Federation of Labor was started by Samuel Gompers in the mid-1800s the AFL had came into place after the The KOL had begun to fall. Industrial Workers of the World came up in the late 1800s their key leader was “Big Bill” Haywood. The similar things between the three were they wanted the best for workers and had a group that was made of workers.

Read More
988 Words | 4 Pages

However, the economic crises in 1837 collapsed the labor unions because of economic hard times, and with immigrants coming in surplus willing to work for cheap, regular people could not compete and thus had to work at the beckon of the factories. Labor unions worked when the economy was resilient, but when the economy was shocked, everyone was too afraid of demanding more when there were those willing to work for

Read More
815 Words | 4 Pages

Under the Wagner Act of 1935, the federal government had guaranteed that the right of employees to form unions and to bargain collectively. It also set up the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which also had the power to prohibit unfair labor practices by employers. In late 1935, a group of union leaders formed the Committee of Industrial Organization (CIO) to organize the unskilled workers in America's mass production industries. The CIO formed unions in the auto, glass, radio, rubber, and steel industries and by the end of 1937, which it then had more members than the American Federation of Labor (AFL)-3.7 million CIO members against 3.4 million American Federation of Labor members.

Read More
550 Words | 3 Pages

Early labor unions went through a lot to get to where they are. Some succeeded and some failed. The National Labor Union was the first national work organization in the United States. Established in 1866 and broke down in 1874 and was driven by William H. Sylvis. The National Labor Union took after the unsuccessful endeavors of worker activists to shape a national coalition of neighborhood exchange unions.

Read More
109 Words | 1 Pages

The Roaring Twenties led to social, political, and economic changes in the United States. The Twenties were one of the most influential time periods of the 1900’s. In the 1920’s America was battling a cultural war between traditional fundamentalists and liberal-minded urbanites. America was faced with a choice: stick with what they have always known or create a new era of change. There are several significant events that highlighted the split between the “two Americas” including Prohibition, the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, evolution and the Scopes “Monkey” trial, mass consumerism, and changing attitudes about gender roles, sex, and Women’s rights.

Read More
812 Words | 4 Pages

The AFL advocated for most of the same things as the Knights of Labor. The American Federation of Labor used strikes and boycotts against owners to try and get what they wanted. Two major strikes that occurred were the Pullman Strike and the Homestead Strike. Both strikes were very dangerous and had millions of dollars of damage. Some of the strikes and boycotts did work and wages were raised, however some backfired and many workers ended up losing their

Read More
748 Words | 3 Pages

(Engelman, 2015) At the same time, the workers began to band together to protect themselves and ensure they had a voice. With the founding of the American Federation of Labor in 1886 workers had an avenue to negotiate wage increases as well as better and safer workplaces. (Brief History of Unions, n.d.)

Read More
1464 Words | 6 Pages

The topic of Labor Unions has been the focus of many political debates in recent years, with these discussions having people advocate for and against the unions. Labor Unions are an organization that represent a collective group of employees to protect and further theirs rights and interests. Labor Unions were first introduced in the eighteenth century with increasing numbers around the United States and the world, but unfortunately during the past decade these numbers have drastically decreased, resulting in less education and achievement of solidarity among employees. Solidarity is the unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest. Workers in the United States would benefit more through labor

Read More
397 Words | 2 Pages

Labor Union Introduction Labor Union an organization of workers. Protect their common interest and improve their working conditions. Employs were well treated at time from unions and benefits. Workers also economic good growth.

Read More

More about National Labor Union History Essay

Related Topics

Open Document