Question

Briefly describe the history of unions in the United States.

Answer 1

During the mid-1800s, improved transportation and the new markets for manufactured goods led to further industrial expansion in the United States. This expansion made several craft unions to be emerged in the industrial economy.

Out of these craft unions the following labor organizations evolved over time:

Knights of Labor was the first significant labor organization emerged in the American industry.

Major goals of Knights were:

• To eliminate the depersonalization of the worker

• To improve the moral standards of both employees and society.

Knights failed to recognize the effects of technological change. Moreover, the leaders of Knights failed to establish common goals among the members.

American Federation of Labor (AFL) was the most significant labor organization which still has its presence in the American labor scene. The major goal of the AFL was to improve living standards of the members without changing the business system. AFL supported the use of strikes and believed that organized labor should play a major role in politics.

Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was evolved as a radical alternative to ALF with a major goal to overthrow capitalism. This revolutionary stance prevented it from gaining public favor.

Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was founded as a body of the individual industrial unions between the world wars. CIO began to grow, and at some point began to rival the AFL in size and influence.

During and after the war years, CIO and AFL were in fierce rivalry regarding the right to organize and represent members. The clashes between these unions caused public sentiment to shift against unionism which eventually led to the merger of these unions. The resulting organization, called the AFL-CIO became the largest labor organization of its kind in the world.