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.
