Chapter 2 the American federation of labor was originally

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2

THE HISTORICAL

FRAMEWORK

SUMMARY

The following constitutes a chronology of key dates in the history of the American labor

movement.

Late eighteenth century: The first trade unions, individually encompassing printers,

carpenters, tailors and artisans of similar skill levels, are established.

1819: A major nationwide depression occurs and all but wipes out these early unions.

1822–1850: With the return of a healthy economy, skilled workers in the trades previously

organized once again turn to union activity. But economic hard times from 1837 to 1850 cause

unionism to vanish almost completely once again.

1850–1865: With the return of prosperity, unions are again a force to be reckoned with and

now the nationwide scope of many labor markets gives them more incentive to try to standardize

conditions. The first nationals are now formed and by the end of the Civil War in 1865 there is a

post-1836 high of over 200,000 unionists—still virtually all skilled workers.

1873–1878: A new period of deep depression takes place and once again it (combined with

aggressive employer onslaughts on labor) severely crimps unionism, but this time 50,000 unionists

survive the bad years.

1947: The Taft-Hartley Act, far less friendly to labor than the Wagner Act and due in large

part to labor’s fall from public favor (because of its occasional strikes during World War II in the

1941-1945 period and especially to its huge wave of postwar strikes) is enacted.

1955: AFL and CIO leaders, culminating two years of intensive negotiations, merge into the

AFL-CIO. The new constitution respects the “integrity of each affiliate,” including both its

“organizing jurisdiction” and its “established collective bargaining relationships.”

1957: The AFL-CIO expels the International Brotherhood of Teamsters for “corrupt

influences.”

1959: The Landrum-Griffin Act further restricts labor’s freedom of action, especially in the

conduct of internal affairs.

2005: The original 15 million membership total of the AFL-CIO in 1955 is down to 13 million

and unions now represent just 12.5 percent of the labor force, down from 35 percent in the later

1950s.

New AFL-CIO leadership under John J. Sweeney, who is elected federation president in late

1995 in the face of general union unhappiness with labor’s stagnation since the merger, starts to

True/False # 1

1.

The first genuine labor unions in America date from the closing years of the

4.

Commonwealth v. Hunt was a decision within the jurisdiction of the state of

6.

By the mid-1830s, unions had been formed among the stonecutters, hatters, and

9.

Abraham Lincoln said that “labor and capital are co-equals in free enterprise and

13.

The labor injunction was first applied by the courts during a railway strike in the

15.

The Knights of Labor scored a major 1885 strike victory against the Burlington and

20.

In both the Homestead and Pullman strikes, the unions involved suffered crushing

21.

President Charles W. Eliot of Harvard University was an enthusiastic supporter of

22.

Under a yellow dog contract, employees would promise in writing never to attempt to

26.

The National Industrial Recovery Act was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme

27.

“Federal locals” are locals that are directly affiliated with the AFL rather than with

32.

The AFL-CIO expelled the Teamsters in the late 1950s for alleged domination by

33.

Of the original 15-million membership total for the AFL-CIO, two-thirds was

44.

In the 1990s, women increased their percentage of union membership from

45.

In 1995, the AFL-CIO executive council expanded to 18 members, from 12.

46.

Henry Rodriguez was, in 1995, elected to the new post of AFL-CIO executive vice

True/False # 2

2.

Strikes and slowdowns in colonial America were, without exception, spontaneous and

10.

The country’s oldest permanent national union is the International Brotherhood of

19.

The political base of Samuel Gompers was the International Brotherhood of Millinery

20.

Union membership growth in the 1897–1904 period constituted a rate of expansion

22.

In 1933, union membership in the United States was slightly less than it had been in

26.

The bipartite War Labor Board oversaw collective bargaining disputes during World

29.

The Taft-Hartley Act gave greater protection to both employers and individual

30.

Immediately after World War II, eighteen AFL unions were believed to be dominated

37.

The Landrum-Griffin Act guarantees union members a “Bill of Rights” that

43.

Lane Kirkland played a key AFL-CIO role in toppling communist regimes in Eastern

2005.

Multiple Choice # 1

1. The “Cordwainer doctrine” was first modified by

2. The nation’s oldest permanent national union is the

3. Associationists were instrumental in the establishment of a number of

4. Terrence V. Powderly was president of the

5. Samuel Gompers was at one time a

6. The LaFollette Act of 1915 dealt with

7. In the 1920s, many companies introduced what became known as

8. In the 1932 presidential election, the AFL

9. John L. Lewis was president of the

10. The AFL executive council suspended the leaders of the CIO for practicing

11. John L. Lewis’ successor as CIO president was

12. Slave labor act was an epithet hurled at the

13. The Teamsters were expelled by the AFL-CIO in

14. A Bill of Rights for union members is included in the

15. In 1995, the black membership percentage in unions was

16. The most successful of all U.S. unions in organizing between 1980 and 1995 was the

17. In 1995, John J. Sweeney and his supporters got the AFL-CIO to expand the executive

council

18. In 1995 the AFL-CIO announced plans to create a new

19. As a percentage of their budgets in recent decades most AFL-CIO member unions have spent

on organizing

20. Nationally in the 2004 elections labor spent about

21. John J. Sweeney’s successor as Service Employees Union president was

22. In 2004 the AFL-CIO endorsed for president

23. The statement “A good friend stabs you in the front” has been generally attributed to

24. Change to Win’s first board chairperson was

25. Labor’s successes have always emanated from

Multiple Choice # 2

1. There were no genuine labor unions in the United States until

2. Among the earliest trade unions was that of the

3. Commonwealth v. Hunt was decided in

4. In the early 1800s, craftsmen were unionized in

5. George Henry Evans preached the virtues of

6. The American Federation of Labor was originally entitled the

7. The attitude of Samuel Gompers toward national union autonomy was

8. Under a “yellow–dog contract,” workers must promise in writing

9. By 1917 some thirty states had introduced

10. The Norris-LaGuardia Act

11. Between 1932 and 1941, United States union membership

12. The War Labor Board was an institution of

13. During World War II the Mine Workers

14. In 1940, John L. Lewis endorsed

15. Sidney Hillman was president of the

16. The Taft-Hartley Act

17. In 1949 and 1950, the CIO

18. Specific ground rules for union elections are laid out by the

19. Walter Reuther was to Philip Murray as George Meany was to

20. The Teamsters were allowed to rejoin the AFL-CIO in

21. Linda Chavez-Thompson was in 1995 elected

22. When the AFL-CIO executive council was expanded to 53 members, 10 of the 18 new slots

were reserved for

23. John J. Sweeney once headed the

24. Lane Kirkland once headed the

25. The National Industrial Recovery Act was declared unconstitutional in the

Essay Questions

1. “The total absence of labor unions in this country for well over a century was a complete

fluke that defies any convincing explanation.” Discuss this statement.

2. “Almost from its inception, the American Federation of Labor was a highly realistic

organization.” Comment fully.

3. Is it possible that the several powerful factors that combined to make the 1920s a decade of

great failure for the labor movement will at some near-future date combine again to work

against unionism? Specifically cite the factors in your answer.

4. What is meant by the statement that “with the (1955) act of merger, the open warfare that

had first revitalized and then damaged the labor movement passed from the scene”?

5. “It has not been by sheer coincidence that all major periods of union growth, excepting only

wartime ones, have been marked by widespread job insecurity.” Discuss, with specifics.

6. “The Knights of Labor simply had too many built-in weaknesses to be anything more than a

very temporary success and its fate was really quite predictable.” Comment, with specifics.

7. “In the years of the Great Depression, the American Federation of Labor realized a

significant resurgence in spite of itself.” Discuss.

8. Who, in your opinion, was the greatest labor leader in American history? Why?

9. “Labor’s membership stagnation in the last half-century can be explained by several

formidable obstacles.” Discuss.

10. “Labor’s new leadership at least has the potential to turn union membership around,

perhaps in a significant way.” Comment, with specifics.

Term Paper Topics

1. The role of personality in American labor union history.

2. The role of violence in American labor union history.

3. The rise and fall of James R. Hoffa of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

4. An evaluation of organized labor’s relationship with the black community.

5. The female challenge to the Labor Establishment.

6. The earliest unions and their very limited successes: An attempt at an explanation.

7. Terrence V. Powderly: Why was this Knight different from all other Knights?

8. The 1935 AFL Atlantic City convention: A critical turning-point for American labor.

9. Samuel Gompers and John L. Lewis: A comparison of two labor giants.

10. The Teamsters and the AFL-CIO: Divorce and reconciliation.

11. The 1995 changing of the guard at the AFL-CIO.

12. The 2005 formation of the “Change to Win” Union Coalition, and its record to date.