The Rise of National Union Organizations in the US (1865-1920)

Business Unionism

"pure and simple"

NLU( National Labor Union)

1866

KOL (Knights of Labor)

1869

AFL (American Federation of Labor)

1886

IWW (Industrial Workers of the World

1905

NLU

Convention forming the National Labor Party (1871)

KOL

Ironically, the Southwestern railroad system strike (1885); Haymarket Riot) (1886)

IWW

Lawrence Textile Strike (1912); Minnesota Iron Range Strike (1916)

IWW

Members of local unions and industrial unions; all workers welcome in "one big union"

AFL

US Steel Strike (a failed recognition strike by 24 craft unions in 1919)

NLU

a federation of affiliated unions and reform organizations (including women's suffrage leagues and eight-hour leagues)

AFL

a federation of affiliated, yet autonomous national craft unions.

IWW

abolish the wage-earning system; replace captalism with socialism or worker control.

Communism

an extreme form of socialism.

Haymarket Riot

began as a peaceful rally in support of workers striking for an eight-hour day and in reaction to the killing of several workers the previous day by the police. An unknown person threw a dynamite bomb at police as they acted to disperse the public meeting. The bomb blast and ensuing gunfire resulted in the deaths of seven police officers and at least four civilians; scores of others were wounded.

Socialism

believe economic inequality is bad for society, and the government is responsible for reducing it via programs that benefit the poor (e.g., free public education, free or subsidized healthcare, social security for the elderly, higher taxes on the rich).

Capitalism

believe that the government does not use economic resources as efficiently as private enterprises do, and therefore society is better off with the free market determining economic winners and losers.

KOL

capitalism had short-term legitimacy; wanted long-term reform of the factory system; form consumer and producer cooperatives via employee savings.

KOL

encouraged education and political action.

KOL

every welcome (employees and employers, skilled and unskilled etc). except immoral workers such as liquor dealers, professional gamblers, lawyers, and bankers.

IWW

favored the use of strikes (and violence and sabotage)

NLU

first national US labor federation; pre-dates the other three labor organizations.

KOL

first national US labor organization of any real consequence (over 700,000 members in 1886)

NLU

form consumer and producer cooperative via legal reform; also wanted currency and banking laws reforms.

AFL

formed out of frustration with the KOL (in particular, the KOL's inclusion of unskilled workers)

IWW

formed out of militant frustration with the AFL (which was viewed as "an extension of the capitalist class")

NLU

hostile towards the use of strikes; favored political action.

KOL

local assemblies belonging to the national organization.

NLU

members of reform unions and reform organizations (including women's suffrage leagues and eight hour leagues)

IWW

most radical and extreme

Greenback Party

n American political party with an anti-monopoly ideology which was active between 1874 and 1889. (Labor Rights, Currency Reform, and Democratic Socialism)

NLU

political action was primary goal; sponsored the Labor Reform party (and after its failure, affiliated with the Greenback Party)

AFL

pure and simple unionism; business unionism.

NLU

reform unionism; importance of a labor party

IWW

rejected political action in favor of violence and sabotage.

IWW

revolutionary unionism; overthrow of capitalism

IWW

semi-autonomous industrial unions and local unions, "one big union".

AFL

skilled craftsmen with each union based on exclusive jurisdiction.

KOL

strikes conflicted with major goal of moral betterment; favored arbitration.

AFL

strikes were the main weapon

KOL

uplift unionism; divine nature of man

AFL

wanted to work within the two-party system, but advocated legislation only when collective bargaining was unsuccessful (only want protections to help balance power)

AFL

work within the capitalist system to win economic gains for workers; workers are better off with a strong capitalist system.