THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR
Early american workers dealt with many problems. These problems ranged from child labor to unemployment. The workers also tried to set up groups, called unions, that they could call their own. The owners of the companies they worked for could not give the workers what they deserved because of their unions. Many unions also helped shape our modern US history by helping the people come together as a whole. One such union was the American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.).
The unions of the A.F. of L. placed great emphasis on written collective agreements, including the closed shop, in which only union members are permitted to work. The A.F. of L. unions also insisted that members pay relatively high dues, and many of them established insurance and strike benefits. They became known to be job consciousness rather than class consciousness.
The start of the A.F. of L. started with the beliefs of one man. That man was Samuel Gompers. He believed in organizing skilled workers ofd the same craft, build unions of plumbers, or carpenters, or cigar makers. By establishing these unions, a labor movement started to unfold. He split the American unions from the class struggle, and made it a partner to the US and not an enemy as people thought unions were. Gompers made unions respectable to the people.
Child Labor
The A.F. of L. was a pioneer in restricting child labor. The A.F. of L. would have a law passed by the Congress but the Supreme court would say Congress over stepped its powers. Even though this slowed the progress of child labor laws, it did not stop Gompers from trying to start the laws. The A.F. of L. held a conference in 1922 in which any union who wished to see the abolition of child labor was invited. The council worked for the restriction of child labor by writing an amendment that did not get enough votes to pass. It was not until the 1930?s that some forms of restriction come about.
Unemployment
The depression in the 1930?s gave way to massive unemployment. In 1929, 3.2% of the workers could not find work. In 1933, it rose to over 24.9% of the workers not being able to find work. The A.F. of L. recognized the problem of unemployment even before it became a problem in the 1930?s. The A.F. of L. had a plan for meeting unemployment: (1) establishment of a national employment service by Congress; (2) census of unemployment to be included in the census to be taken in 1930; and (3) regularization of employment by management to provide stable work. The plan also represented the following program as a means for relieving unemployment: (1) shorter work hours to be introduced in industry, with the five days week and vacations with pay; (2) stabilization of employment. With the effort of the A.F. of L., unemployment was greatly reduced, but not completely and jobs for workers became easier to attain and keep.
Education
The A.F. of L. has always supported the education of children and the free public school. They liked the idea of ?enactments that will enforce the education of children.? They supported free textbooks to the school children and the establishment of part time classes for the education of minors who were employed. Federal aid to the A.F of L. meant four items: (1) able to pay the teachers; (2) aid to protect the health of the student; (3) scholarships to help those in need to further education; and (4) support in a school building program. Extra funds would be distributed based on need. In 1920, the Workers? Education Bureau was established with the help of the A. F. of L. The bureau was to promote and assist educational work done by the unions. The bureau became an important and very functional part of the A.F. of L.
Merger of AFL and CIO
The A.F. of L. and the C.I.O (another strong union) saw that unions would be better able to serve their members and the community if a labor unity was reached. Talks soon started with the help of President Roosevelt but were soon halted by both sides in 1939. Talks did not resume until 1942 where an agreement was negotiated. The agreement was signed by three members of both unions who were put in charge of the agreement. But the major leaders of both unions accused the other of raiding They said that talks could not go farther until they agreed that neither side would raid and the war was over. Year after year, very little progress was made, but enough to keep the talks going. Serious negotiations were not made until 1947. Closer cooperation between both groups slowly began with the help of local groups affiliated with the two unions. In 1954, both sides agreed to the no-raiding policy. The new A.F.L-C.I.O spent time examining their differences standing in the way of finalizing their unity. In 1955, all differences were sorted out and on February 9, the Merger Agreement was signed. On this day, the American Federation of Labor finished its seventy-five years of existence.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1.)Renshaw, Patrick. The Wobblies: The story of syndicalism in the United States.
1967. Doubleday & Company. Garden City, New York
2.)Taft, Phillip. The AFL: from the death of Gompers to the merger. 1959. Harper & Brothers. New York.
3.)Velie, Lester. Labor U.S.A Today. 1964. Harper & Row. New York.
Другие работы по теме:
American Essay Research Paper What does it
American Essay, Research Paper What does it mean to be “American?” What makes it “American?” And how does it make us “American?” American stands for the beliefs, the music, as well as the people that come from
The Industrial Revolution Essay Research Paper The
The Industrial Revolution Essay, Research Paper The industrial revolution My view of the industrial age started in the 1700 A positive effect of the industrial revolution was the greatly enhanced labor productivity brought about by the mechanization of production processes (and the resulting widespread adoption of coal or water power factory-based manufacturing).
Los Vendidos Essay Research Paper Los Vendidos
Los Vendidos Essay, Research Paper Los Vendidos means the sell-outs. All the characters in the play sold-out at some point during the play. The characters sold out both their races and their way of life. I would say that the person who sold out the most was the Mexican-American because he sold-out both his Mexican, his American heritage and way of life.
Begging Essay Research Paper By the middle
Begging Essay, Research Paper By the middle of the fourteenth century, begging was becoming a social problem. During periods of economic dislocation, the unemployed began to roam the countryside and migrated to the towns looking for work. Capitalism, wage labor, and poverty continued to grow. The American welfare state is dated from the Social Security Act of 1935.the act continued and hardened the categorical programs that had been enacted by the states between 1910 and the 1920s.
Unemployment In Us Essay Research Paper This
Unemployment In Us Essay, Research Paper This article is an attempt to examine the numbers of unemployment in the United States more closely. It contends that the Bureau of Labor Statistics misrepresents the percentage rate of unemployment in the United States in its monthly surveys.
Haiti Essay Research Paper Globalization is not
Haiti Essay, Research Paper Globalization is not in the favor of poor countries like Haiti and only works to benefits the rich countries. I believe if they really wanted to help the Haitian people, they would help the peasants to get assistance from the government and other international organization that would give them appropriate technology such as fertilizers, tractors so they can increase productivity.
An Essay On The Return To Manzanar
Book Essay, Research Paper Manzanar Essay Way back when during World War II the United States grew conflicts with many other nations. One of those conflicts was with Japan. The Americans discriminated against the Japanese because of the fact that they bombed Pearl Harbor. When we discriminated against them we called them names and did not include them into our life.
History Of Australia Essay Research Paper History
History Of Australia Essay, Research Paper History of Australia 1901 2000 Between the years of 1901-2000, much occurred in the history of the proud, independent nation. Over more than 100 years ago, Australia fought the battle for federation against England. Australia proposed to be an independent, self-governed nation of six states and territories.
Michael Moore Essay Research Paper Michael Moore
Michael Moore Essay, Research Paper Michael Moore: Is the Left Nuts? (Or is it Me?) Topic Sentence: The Liberals of America, who are supposedly for the American people, have actually lost touch with the average American.
Communication Essay Research Paper Eye Safety at
Communication Essay, Research Paper Eye Safety at Work Recently the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has undertaken new initiatives to diminish eye injuries at work.. OSHA has plans to set in motion a nationwide information campaign to decrease the over 1,000 eye injuries that occur in American workplace each year.
Marx Alienated Labor Essay Research Paper Marx
Marx Alienated Labor Essay, Research Paper Marx on page 327 of his essay “estranged labor” is describing what to him were the fundamental conditions of labor under capitalism and why he found them
USA Essay Research Paper 4 American Civil
USA Essay, Research Paper 4. American Civil War The war between states, in the U. S. history, a four-year war (1861-65) between the federal government of the U. S. and eleven Southern states that asserted their right to secede from the Union. The secession of the Southern states in 1860-61 and the ensuing outbreak of armed hostilities were the culmination of decades of growing sectional friction over the related issues of slavery, trade, and tariffs, and the doctrine of state?s rights.
Ecolabu Essay Research Paper Trade UnionTrade unions
Ecolabu Essay, Research Paper Trade UnionTrade unions can be defined as: the various labor organizations in the UnitedStates, each of which serves to consolidate, represent, and protect the rights of workers ina specific occupation or trade. They can be dated back to as early as the twelfth centurywhen craft guilds were formed.
American Revolution Essay Research Paper Q
American Revolution Essay, Research Paper Q: Explain why Japan reacted to western ideas by adopting a policy of isolation. How did this reaction to outside influences effect Japans development over the next few centuries.
American Labor Essay Research Paper Labor Immigrants
American Labor Essay, Research Paper Labor, Immigrants, and Urban Life The late 1800 s was a time period filled with rapid growth of the industries and cities in America, and it led to more opportunities for jobs, education, and entertainment.
Afl And Child Labor Essay Research Paper
What were the impacts of child labor? Late in the eighteenth century, as the first textile mills were being built, one of the earliest factories employed nine children less then twelve years old. A decade later that same factory had more then 100 children whose ages ranged between four and ten, working in it.
Cio Essay Research Paper Persuasive essayAFL
Cio Essay, Research Paper Persuasive essay AFL – CIO Working people need representation so that the jobs we work everyday are productive for us. We find this representation in the form of unions. The
Labor Forces Essay Research Paper The Massachusetts
Labor Forces Essay, Research Paper The Massachusetts AFL-CIO has partnered with the Massachusetts Business Roundtable to examine the future role of workforce training and education programs in the Commonwealth.
American Ethics Essay Research Paper American Beauty
American Ethics Essay, Research Paper American Beauty is a very intricate film portraying the sarcasm intertwined within American values, or beauties. Every scene within American Beauty influences each character in the movie as well as other scenes. The structure of this flick is as if it were not possible to remove one scene from the work, otherwise the entire movie would collapse like a domino effect.
Three Sides Of Labor Unions Essay Research
Paper Summarize the three arguments on labor unions. To start with, the Conservatives believe that labor unions are bad. They feel that labor unions have too much power for their size. Labor unions use this power as blackmail against companies, by becoming labor monopolies. They ask too much of companies, causing either the company to shut down, or to supply more money for the employees.
Unions Essay Research Paper Labor Unions
Unions Essay, Research Paper Labor Unions Since the foundation of the American Federation of Labor(AFL) in 1886, most unions in the united States have displayed a pragmatic out look, largely compatible with that of business. The general purpose of unions has been to protect and advance the well being of workers, while that of business has been to promote the interests of stockholders.
American Dream Essay Research Paper scribes the
American Dream Essay, Research Paper scribes the defeat of the American dream, and that the American ideals differ with the actual social conditions that exist in society. For the American constitutions stands for the freedom, and equality among people, but the truth of the matter is that social discrimination still exists and the grouping among the classes can never be overcome.
Jacob Lawrence Essay Research Paper Jacob Lawrence
Jacob Lawrence Essay, Research Paper Jacob Lawrence is among the most distinguished and accomplished artists of the twentieth-century. His artwork is in every major public collection of twentieth century American art and has been the subject of three nationally touring retrospectives, organized by the American Federation of Arts (1960), Whitney Museum of American Art (1974), and Seattle Art Museum (1986).
Unmanaged Heart Essay Research Paper Can a
Unmanaged Heart Essay, Research Paper Can a person?s heart be controlled? Do all people go have some form of emotional management or emotional labor in their lives? In the book, The Managed
American Dream Essay Research Paper American DreamShow
American Dream Essay, Research Paper American Dream Show how Willy Loman’s “American Dream” of success can be compared to at least three other works of literature we have read this semester and their main character’s interpretation of the “American Dream” of success. Mention specific examples to support your thesis.
Adam Smith Essay Research Paper Adam Smith 2
Adam Smith Essay, Research Paper Adam Smith, (1776), of the division of labor According to Adam Smith, economic growth is rooted in the increasing division of labor and the specialization of the labor force by the breaking down of large jobs into many little ones. Under this regime, each worker becomes an expert in one area of production and workers do not have to switch tasks during the day.
History Of The Labor Movement In Th
United States Essay, Research Paper This is a brief history of the labor movement in the United States from the late eighteen hundreds to the present. In 1881 a movement
Child Labor Essay Research Paper My opinion
Child Labor Essay, Research Paper My opinion is that child labor was one of the most terrible acts in the 1800 s. I am sure that there were more than enough adults to take care of the jobs that small child had to do. I think that child labor sick and twisted and anyone who believes in it should not be considered human.
Child Labor Essay Research Paper By definition
Child Labor Essay, Research Paper By definition, child labor is described as any economic exploitation or work that is likely to be hazardous, or interferes with the child s education, or is harmful to the child s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral, or social development. Although this is clearly stated in Article 32 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was started by UN in the 1920’s, it is often ignored in the developing world where child labor has become a growing issue.
An Excerpt From Joseph Freeman
’s AN AMERICAN TESTAMENT Essay, Research Paper from An American Testament by novelist and apparatchik Joseph Freeman (1936) Reconciliation to the city is only a prelude to our transformation. The conflict of