In developing countries there has always been a difference in how companies and the people that worked for them agree about working conditions and salaries. This brought about what we now call labor unions, which today and in earlier years negotiated working conditions and other issues concerning labor.
The Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor were two of the unions formed during the time that labor issues were being debated. The Knights were considered to be secretive and more radical than the American Federation of Labor, which was considered to be a formal federation of labor unions.
Unlike the Knights of Labor, which was the first recognized labor that allowed almost anybody to join- blacks, women, but not Chinese, the
The Knights of Labor was the first major American labor union created around 1871. It was configured by all productive laborers from the factories to fields, whose leader was Terence V. Powderly. Their goals were to adopt a system that could which will secure the labor job and involve the government to protecting the workers. In addition they were fighting to obtain 8 hour work day, graduated income tax, cooperatives.
The labor union titled Noble and Holy Order of Knights of Labor, or Knights of Labor, was
According to many Americans and a few socialists, “greedy monopolists, in league with unscrupulous politicians, had seized control of the economy and bent it toward their own advantage.” (Keene, Cornell, O’Donnell, pg 494) Big corporations were at fault for using unjust business practices to get control, often at the expense of those most vulnerable to them. Americans became enraged with anger and resentful towards them. Various workers even resorted to joining the Knights of Labor group because they emphasized practical goals.
Nationality, race, and gender. Unlike the Knights, the AFL were more conservative. They were also business-oriented pragmatism in dealing with employers. They served as an institutional outpost of racist and nativist within the labor movement itself. The Wobblies was a movement that struggle to gain memberships because it had no system for collecting membership.
Three unions that are similar & different. The Knights of Labor was a powerful labor union in the United States in the nineteenth century which was founded by Uriah Stephens in 1886 and was also lead by Stephens but then Stephens got replaced by Terence Powderly. American Federation of Labor was started by Samuel Gompers in the mid-1800s the AFL had came into place after the The KOL had begun to fall. Industrial Workers of the World came up in the late 1800s their key leader was “Big Bill” Haywood. The similar things between the three were they wanted the best for workers and had a group that was made of workers.
At a time where communication in itself was difficult, the Knights were able to spread their message and as a result influence people to join their group like wildfire. “One of the best ways to recognize the growth of the group was from seeing the massive attendance at their general assembly meeting which took place in Richmond, Virginia” (Gourevitch 3). The aftermath of this meeting, in which a black worker named Frank Ferrell introduced the Knights’ white leader Terence Powderly, allowed the Knights to, “spread throughout Southern states like South Carolina, Virginia, and Louisiana, setting up cooperatives, organizing local assemblies, and agitating for a new political order” (Gourevitch 3). However, like all dangerous and pioneering activities, problems were not completely avoided. Not everybody agreed with the message of the union practices which stressed the inclusion of minorities and females.
Before the structured labor society that we live in today, America was a very different working world; one plagued with injustice and grievances from workers across the job sectors. Two organizations, the Knights of Labor and later the American Federation of Labor acted as activists for reform and demanded better standards for working, living, and life for workers. Their strategies and success in achieving their goals were as different as the organizations themselves. Coming from a time of segregation and social divide, the Knights of Labor stood out as one of the most accepting labor unions of the age, which largely accounted for their membership to reach almost 800,000 members during its peak. All workers in a trade were included, regardless of their skill level.
The Knights of Labor first started off as a secret society in 1869, the Knights had to continue representing the work force of America because the National Labor Union was not able to survive the great depression. The union united skilled and unskilled laborers in the countryside and cities in one group. The Knights allowed blacks and women among its ranks unlike the National Labor Union. The union was able to win a few strikes but had lots of difficulties because they represented so many different groups. The union did last that long though especially when they were accused of associating with the people behind the Haymarket Square Bombing in Chicago in 1886.
The feeling, shown in Nast's illustration after the railroad strike of 1877, that amalgamations simply lead to more " communistic values" and general uniformity made it very arduous to genuinely get anything done. Samuel Gompers, progenitor of the American Federation of Labor, argued that the right to strike was absolutely obligatory if any reforms were going to be made and not even this right had been officially granted to the people by regime (Document I). Gompers made it very pellucid that not even the very substratum of organized labor had been established and so up until this point the advances that had been made, were virtually frivolous. In conclusion, from 1875-1900 very few advances were made through organized labor in achieving better working conditions for workers.
The AF of L wanted “unionism” and opposed socialism. TheKnights of Labor, another labor union, was created in 1869 and enlisted in their ranks not only alllaborers but also everyone who could be truly classified as a producer. Labor unions, the two major depressions and the three “robber barons” were three of theforemost reasons the Gilded Age got its name. The “robber barons” invested in things that wouldultimately lead to a “Golden Industrial Age” but they didn’t achieve it totally legitimately, and thecreation of the labor unions sided with the workers, but at times, grew violent in their methods.
The topic of Labor Unions has been the focus of many political debates in recent years, with these discussions having people advocate for and against the unions. Labor Unions are an organization that represent a collective group of employees to protect and further theirs rights and interests. Labor Unions were first introduced in the eighteenth century with increasing numbers around the United States and the world, but unfortunately during the past decade these numbers have drastically decreased, resulting in less education and achievement of solidarity among employees. Solidarity is the unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest. Workers in the United States would benefit more through labor
In May of 1892 a disagreement between the Carnegie Steel Company and the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers broke out. The Amalgamated Association was one the largest and most effective unions in the country, mostly containing strong Americans, and men of decision and grit, who stood up for their beliefs and rights. On the other hand the Carnegie Steel Company was a very powerful company. The president of the corporation was Andrew Carnegie and the manager was Henry Clay Frick. Not to mention Frick was known for his hatred of workers.
The IWW, on the other hand, was founded by a group of socialists, trade union radicals, and anarchists, who sought to establish an open union in which any and all who wished to join would be welcome. The union would consist of blacks, women, poor white laborers, foreigners, and anyone else interested in joining. The AFL, on the other hand, was led by a man named Samuel Gompers, who, while professing to believe in equal opportunity for all American citizens, made no attempt to translate those ideals into action or ensure that all who wished to join the AFL were welcome. To the contrary, the union was exclusive and, by all accounts, racist and sexist, whose leaders catered to self-serving interests and concerns that did not extend beyond their personal agendas and preferences.
There are many simmaleritys and differences between the Knights of labor and the AFL this will explain only a few. The Knights were established in 1869 vs the AFL established in 1886 a few years later. This means the Knights are the predisesors of the AFL. Some made compromises others started boycotts, and the following explanes all. Both the AFL and the Knights had labor unions involved with them.
Eventually it got to the point where these workers were working so much, but barely made enough to support their family. The Knights of Labor was the first national labor group formed in 1869. This group wanted to gain an eight-hour workday, expel asian workers and immigrants from the far east, and stop child labor. Around the same time a new national organization named the American Federation of Labor (AFL) formed when the Knights of Labor union declined. The new organization was led by Samuel Gompers, a cigar maker that helped to form the union.