Samuel Gompers and AFL

AFL goals

-narrower but more realistic goals than KOL's -wanted to increase workers' wages -reduce hours -improve working conditions

closed vs. open shop

-closed: employers only hire union members (what Gompers wanted) and any employee should pay union dues -open: could employ non-union members (what employers wanted)

"company unions"

-established by employers in mines and factories -to hand grievances and provide certain welfare benefits

Samuel Gompers

-first president of American Federation of Labor (AFL), the first enduring national labor union -immigrated from london where he was a cigar maker -become leader of cigar-maker's union and made it one of the country's strongest unions

AFL

-largest membership in the building trades where the craft principle was most dominant -union of skilled workers and craft unions -eventually replaced KOL as nation's largest labor organization after the Haymarket Square Riot

Gompers' Beliefs

-organizing skilled craft workers would be most beneficial to labor -shouldnt attempt to organize all workers in an industry -refused to form alliance with Knights of Labor -rejected socialism -wanted a unionism that emphasized agreements with employees

successful efforts at unionization

-organizing workers in immigrant sweatshops -new immigrants could be effectively organized (for ex in Amalgamated Clothing Workers)