Knights Of Labor: The Knights Of Labor Union

How important are these unions in nowadays? Perhaps, there is the main controversy about the theory of union power. The author believes that the entire structure must change and the central principle of representation "quid and the quo" need renovation. Estlund believes the new century needs new ideas and different approaches. The current employees can’t rely on the laws and concepts, which created centuries ago for that time's specific needs.

The industrialist leaders were robber barons throughout the Gilded Age. The Gilded Age was a term coined by Mark Twain to label an era defined for its corporate and political greed and corruption; furthermore, monopolies created by industrial leaders grew to prosperity. For instance, John D. Rockefeller was an American businessman who dabbled in the oil industry. Rockefeller practiced horizontal integration where he would ally with, buy out, or undermine competitors to monopolize his business. This allowed him to acquire the vast majority of the oil industry thus empowering Rockefeller to control the latter by forcing his competitors into bankruptcy.

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 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.

During World War One, Labor Unions formed concessions for the war effort and wanted demands met after the war. Come the late 1880’s specifically 1869, the Knights of Labor were born. The Knights of Labor was the first major effort to create a Labor Organization in America. By 1890, the membership of the Knights shrunk from over 700,000 to about 100,000. Only a couple years later, the organization vanished all together after several damaging strikes and the organizations failure to restore their reputation.

It was also very unique as it was the first to utilize strikes, or refusal to work, to negotiate agreements with. It was highly successful if one sees the states, weekly wages increased by $7, and the amount of hours to work dropped to about 49. This organization would also influence the formation of many more labor unions, even though they would not be as

During Americas Gilded Age there were many different types of issues society had to work through. There were conflicts of many different shapes and sizes; including everything legal, political, social and anything that exists between these broad topics. On controversial topic that encompasses all of these subjects and echoes through out the whole were labor unions. How scandalous was in for the labor force of America to believe that they had the right to ask for a stake in the American dream? The immigrants starting there unions were seen as, “‘ great sticklers for high wages, small production and strikes”.

Workers banded together to form these unions to protect their rights. A speech by Samuel Gompers, the leader of the union American Federation of Labor, stated his union’s demands for reduced hours of work, “adequate wages”, and

For the part of the industrial workers, labor unions were formed to protect the interest of the working men in the factories of the Great Lakes region and the industrial northeast. The first

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.

The Knights of Labor included black and female members, unlike the American Federation of Labor. To get workers’ demands unions would hold negotiations with the boss or with the floor manager. If the negotiations failed the labor unions would hold walkouts and strikes. These strikes had to be strategic because the employees wouldn’t get paid while they protested. If a floor manager like Henry Frick, who watched over one of Carnegie's steel mills, doesn’t want to meet his employees' demands he can either hire temporary scabs to keep the factory productive, or he can hire the Pinkerton Detective Agency.

A labor union is a group of money earners that come together to promote and defend the interests of its members with respect to earnings and working conditions. Labor unions deal with employers on the behalf of its members through a process known as collective bargaining. In the United States, the first labor unions were on a regional level, when shoemakers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, organized in the 1790s. Terrible working conditions in the 19th century led to worker conditions. Employers fought back against the strikes by issuing demands, hiring private detectives and engaging in other dispositions.

The Knights of Labor included black and female members unlike the American Federation of Labor. In order of unions to get their demands they would hold walkouts and strikes. These strikes had to be strategic because the employees wouldn’t get paid while the protested. If a boss like Henry Frick, who ran a very large steel mill, doesn’t want to meet his employees ' demands he can either hire temporary scabs to keep the factory productive, or he can hire the Pinkerton Detective Agency. The Pinkerton Detective Agency was a groups of well armed and well trained mercenaries or soldiers for hire.

This was an excellent example of the Unions determination and

The first national labor union was the Knights of Labor (KOL) established in 1869. The Knights allowed all skilled and unskilled workers, including women and African Americans, to join the union while only excluding those deemed “unproductive” to society. While it was popular, the KOL worked to gain a national eight hour workday with higher wages and better working conditions, and all without the use of strikes or boycotts because the group did not want to hurt the economy. The Knights of Labor was a significant response to industrialization because the formation of the union showed that industrial workers were willing to fight for more rights. After the KOL lost popularity, another national organization formed called the American Federation of Labor (AFL).