The Pros And Cons Of Craft Unionism

546 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Why unions are important today essay paper

In 1955, the AFL and the CIO merged to form the American Federation of Labour and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). The combination of these two previously rival unions made for the longest lasting and most significant labour federation in America. The AFL-CIO still strives to have workers receive fair rewards for their work including but not limited to; fair wages, reduced hours, benefits, improved conditions, and improved safety. The most significant change since the AFL’s founding in 1886 is that membership is not restricted to race, creed, sex or colour which although has changed alongside to modern day social views, this shows that a union, or a labour federation, can succeed without extreme restriction of membership – alternatively …show more content…

Unions and labour federations that organize their workers according to specific crafts like the AFL-CIO follow a structure of craft unionism, and this in combination with the AFL-CIO’s large population helps the organisation to work on a grander legal and political scale in comparison to previous labour federations in history as having significant union support can greatly increase the chances of winning in a case or argument. Craft unionism can however be criticized for this same reason as goals that the union attempts to achieve are often on a similarly grand scale and therefore does not represent some workers against individual or single employers. Craft unions also frequently represent critical skills that would be able to shut down an entire industry if workers were to strike. If this were to occur, it could lead to workers from the same industry, but represented under a different or no union, to be temporarily forced out of work and yet by the end of the ordeal, this group of unrepresented workers would receive none of the benefits that the craft union workers were originally striking to …show more content…

Union strikebreaking, although more common to craft unions, is not exclusive to this group and in some cases, industrial union workers will have signed a no-strike clause as well. It is very dependent on the issue and occupation at hand to say whether craft unionism or industrial unionism would be preferred, but either way being a part of a large union comes with many long term benefits as we can see through the history of the AFL¬ and its continued success and growth since 1886 and how conditions in American labour have changed since the Gilded Age due to Gompers’ effective foundations for labour federations and unions alike. Gompers’ original vision of fairly rewarded labour can be said to have been met and if anything exceeded of any initial expectations due to its current involvement in politics which during the AFL’s founding was mostly

Show More
Related

  • The White-Collar Union Organizer and The Frustrated Labor Historians

    2269 Words  | 5 Pages

    The paper will discuss minicases on ‘The White-Collar Union Organizer’ and ‘The Frustrated Labor Historians’ by Arthur A. Sloane and Fred Witney (2010), to understand the issues unions undergo in the marketplace. There is no predetermined statistical number reported of union memberships in this country. However, “the United Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) excludes almost 2 million U.S wages and salary employees, over half of whom are employed in the public sector, who are represented at their workplaces by a union but are not union members. Not being required to join a union as a condition of continued employment, these employees have for a variety of reasons chosen not to do so. Nor do the BLS estimates include union members who are currently unemployed” (Sloane & Witney, 2010, p.5). Given this important information, the examination of these minicases will provide answers to the problems unions face in organizational settings.

    Read More

  • Apush Dbq

    679 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is the first national organization raised by the American working class. Social Labor Party was founded in 1876 to form the center of the socialist movement in the United States, the decline of the late 19th century. In 1901, the American Socialist Party stead. 1919 suddenly decline. In the same year, the US Communist Labor Party and the Communist Party of the United States was born. In 1921 the two parties merged, said the US Communist Party. In the same year the rapid collapse after losing presidential campaign, only Minnesota agrarian labor longer exists, it is the history of the United States effective local third party. In the mid-1880s, it had a huge number of members. Later, due to the leadership class cooperation policy in the late 1980s it declined sharply. American Federation of Labor (the “AFL”) then took its place. Its predecessor was the trade unions and the Confederation of Labor of the United States and Canada organized. The organization was established in November 1881 in Pittsburgh. 1886, launched the “51” national general strike, the end of the restructuring is to AFL Gompers President. American Federation of Labor was founded in 1881 was a great influence of labor organizations. It was a loose coalition of various trade unions organized by industry for skilled workers. Because of the leadership’s extraordinary organizational skills and it lasted as long as 40 years, the AFL has absorbed many

    Read More

  • Knights Of Labor History Essay

    466 Words  | 1 Pages

    Workers have safer conditions, higher paying jobs to choose from, and better benefits negotiated for them by their collective bargaining unit. The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a national federation of labor unions in the United States. It was formed in 1955 by the merger of the AFL, an organization composed primarily of craft unions founded in 1886, and the CIO, a federation of industrial unions founded in 1938.

    Read More

  • Organized Labor Union of the late 1800s and its Impact Today

    1714 Words  | 4 Pages

    Modern democratic ideas were sprouting in America, especially within the organized labor movement from 1875 to 1900. During this period, blue-collar industrial Americans sought to abate their plight through the formal use of collective bargaining and the voice of the masses; seeking to use their strength in numbers against the pocket-heavy trusts. America’s rise in Unions can be traced back to 1792, when workers in Philadelphia formed America’s first union which instituted the avant garde method collective bargaining. It is because of these grass roots that America’s organized labor has continued to grow to this day, however not unchallenged. The challenges unions face today stem directly from the challenges faced in 1875. The organized labor movement from 1875 to 1900 is to blame for the problems unions face today as early labor unions crucified themselves politically, alienated themselves socially and failed to increase the socio-economic position of the worker, and in many cases only succeeded in worsening such positions.

    Read More

  • Labor Unions In The 1800's

    1440 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the history of the United States of America the continuation of misfortunes for the workforce has aggravated people to their apex, eventually leading to the development of labor unions.

    Read More

  • AP US DBQ

    1102 Words  | 3 Pages

    In their first attempt to get noticed, workers formed the National Labor Union in 1866. This union joined together various workers in order to create a group that would fight for what they wanted: higher wages and shorter workdays. As the years went by, the National Labor Union did their best in trying to achieve their goals, all while other groups took the matters into their own hands. In 1877, in what became known as the Great Railroad Strike, railroad workers from across America took part in a spontaneous strike on America’s railroads, an attempt that led to violence and, to their dismay, no changes to working conditions. In response to the strike, The New York Times published an article that stated “But if the strike on the Baltimore and Ohio Road is a foolish one, its history up to the present time shows that those who are engaged in it are not only bold and determined, but that they have the sympathy of a large part of the community in which they live…” (Document B). The editorial states that even if it wasn’t worth it, the Great Railroad Strike showed that there is something amiss in their daily lives, and whatever it is, they are trying to fix it for t...

    Read More

  • Decline of Union Membership

    2292 Words  | 5 Pages

    Union affiliation was first seen in the 1600’s when the roots of the United States were just being planted with skilled trade groups such as artisans, laborers, goldsmiths and printers. Over the next two hundred years, unions developed their desires for higher wages through the use of strikes and protests. The nation’s progress spurred the need for more labor and so began the Industrial Revolution. During the Revolution, many union members began to witness the power that employers had and as a result decided to make use of the concept of power in numbers. The National Labor Union formed in 1866 and worked to persuade congress to set a Federal eight-hour workday, which applied to government employees (Miller). Many large unions formed following in the NLU’s footsteps and uni...

    Read More

  • The Gilded Age: Unions and the Labor Movement

    1368 Words  | 3 Pages

    The craft workers were successful in organizing because unlike the unskilled workers, they could not be replaced easily. This union bargained for things such as 8 hour work days, higher wages and did not deal with social reforms. Women’s wages were not considered because the AFL dealt only with craftsmen. The labor movement was both successful in aiding the worker, but also ineffective in other cases. Its primary concerns were regulating wages and working conditions/guidelines but included many other desires that worked in favor of everyone in the union.

    Read More

  • The History of the American Labor Union

    2294 Words  | 5 Pages

    Beginning in the late 1700’s and growing rapidly even today, labor unions form the backbone for the American workforce and continue to fight for the common interests of workers around the country. As we look at the history of these unions, we see powerful individuals such as Terrence Powderly, Samuel Gompers, and Eugene Debs rise up as leaders in a newfound movement that protected the rights of the common worker and ensured better wages, more reasonable hours, and safer working conditions for those people (History). The rise of these labor unions also warranted new legislation that would protect against child labor in factories and give health benefits to workers who were either retired or injured, but everyone was not on board with the idea of foundations working to protect the interests of the common worker. Conflict with their industries lead to many strikes across the country in the coal, steel, and railroad industries, and several of these would ultimately end up leading to bloodshed. However, the existence of labor unions in the United States and their influence on their respective industries still resonates today, and many of our modern ideals that we have today carry over from what these labor unions fought for during through the Industrial Revolution.

    Read More

  • The History of Labor Unions

    1247 Words  | 3 Pages

    After the Civil War, many ideologies developed into the United States of America. Some of these ideologies included the free labor ideology and the producerist ideology. Free labor endorsed the belief that by removing slavery, or any other kind of barrier, everyone had an equal chance to try to get wealth (Farless). The producerist ideology tried to stay to the customary view of society and it stressed the importance of viewing the community instead of an individual (Farless). With these two ideologies, they had an impact on labor. By believing in the producerist ideology, people would be staying with tradition, and that leaves no change for our world. Many laborers wanted change, which led to problems for the laborers.

    Read More

  • Industrial Revolution DBQ

    448 Words  | 1 Pages

    Unions are voluntary associations joined by workers. The Combination Act of 1800, which hindered the growth of unions, states that every workman's goal, who are entering into any combination should not be obtaining an advance of wages, or to lessen or alter the hours, or influencing any other to quit his work. Any workman who did so shall be committed to jail (Doc 1). Although the Combination Act of 1800 prevented the growth of unions, Ralph Chaplin believes that a worker should join the union. He states that there can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun, but the unions, which makes it strong (Doc 2). Since there's so many workers working in bad conditions, the labor laws came to action.

    Read More

  • Labor Unions and Effects on the Lives of Factory Workers

    667 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Industrial Revolution that took place after the Civil War made for a more economically sound country. American workers, however, were becoming more and more dependent upon their wages; a fear of unemployment also stemmed from this. Workers didn’t share in the benefits that their employers reaped. In a chart representing the hours and wages of industrial workers, from 1875 to 1891, it shows that even though their wages were subtly increasing, their 10-hour work day remained the same (Doc. A). Factories were headed by large corporations; this, in turn, meant that new machines lessened the amount of workers in certain fields. As a result of these unsuitable conditions, labor unions were formed. The challenges that these unions faced weren’t easy. If the workers involved in organized labor got too far out of line, these corporations could get federal authorities involved. Moreover, these companies could enforce “ironclad oaths” upon their employees. In a Western Union Telegraph Company employee contract, in 1883, it states that the employee will not be affiliated with any societies or organizations (Doc. E). Despite such setbacks, by 1872 there were over 32 national unions.

    Read More

  • Labor Unions

    3061 Words  | 7 Pages

    Labor unions have been in America for a very long time. There are many unions in a myriad of different fields. Labor unions were and are used to allow for equal treatment of workers. Employers always want to maximize their profits and they try to give the least to get the most in return. For reasons such as this is why unions were formed. Generally a union boss is appointed or hired to protect the rights and privileges of the employees. The union boss is generally very representative of the demographics of the workers. The leader of the employees needs to know what they want and what is fair for them and this is why he tends to represent one type of work force, such as the teachers union. This type of representation is made easier when most of the workers come from the same background. Background meaning family size, education, race, etc. Labor unions have helped shape the American work force, as have the backgrounds of the men and women who have worked in them. America was founded on diversity and the freedom to choose. Many different backgrounds have found their way into America and labor unions. As stated earlier, labor unions have people of the same background in them. America’s first settlers were generally of the same background and because of that, so were the members of the first labor unions. As the United States expanded so did the work force and the diversity in it. Diversity and understanding the challenges and benefits is what enables America to be great. In the pages of this paper we are going to look at the change in the make-up of labor unions by the entrance of African-Americans and how they have influenced America and the labor unions for the better. This paper is and expansions on my paper “A Shield Against the Power of Industrial Capitalism”.

    Read More

  • Labor Unions

    1289 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout American history, labor unions have served to facilitate mediation between workers and employers. Workers seek to negotiate with employers for more control over their labor and its fruits. “A labor union can best be defined as an organization that exists for the purpose of representing its members to their employers regarding wages and terms and conditions of employment” (Hunter). Labor unions’ principal objectives are to increase wages, shorten work days, achieve greater benefits, and improve working conditions. Despite these goals, the early years of union formation were characterized by difficulties (Hunter).

    Read More

  • Managerial Prerogative

    1853 Words  | 4 Pages

    The laws and regulations surrounding Industrial Relations since the 1900’s have, at each reform, placed tighter constraints on the amount of power unions are able to exert. The reforms have also radically increased managerial prerogative, through an increased use of individual bargaining, contracts and restrictions imposed on unions (Bray and Waring, 2006). Bray and W...

    Read More

More about The Pros And Cons Of Craft Unionism

Open Document