Knight Of Labor Essay

The Knights of Labor (KOL) and Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), both movements stressed that the existing wage and profit system needed to be reform. They both believed in “One big union.” The methods of achieving their goals were different, the KOL believed that employers and employees shared similar interests and that change should be peaceful and gradual; however, the IWW did not agree with that and believed in the use of any method that would result in a quick ‘destruction of capitalism’. The IWW's aim was to build an organization that would embrace all workers to fight for immediate demands as well as for a new industrial common wealth. The KOL’s main goal was long-range economic and social reforms.

The years following the Civil War and Reconstruction was an era somewhat gilded. The Second Industrial Revolution came about with new inventions, and revolutionized how factories and jobs were worked. Factory workers in this time period were working in poor conditions and had no power whatsoever. Often they were abused and their wages were cut very low. The mass immigration also did not favor laborers as it made them so easy to replace. In order to fight back laborers would join labor unions in order to protest; however, during this time the labor unions were not that affective during 1875 and 1900 because although they had their efforts many of them would not work to their advantage; efforts would give them a bad reputation, go out of

The 1800s is characterized with the rise of industrial America. As technological advances were introduced to industry, unskilled labor also rose in accordance to the rise in factories. However, this rise also introduced several labor unions such as the Knights of Labor, which organized a series of protests and riots. The labor unions had good intentions, aiming to lower the average work hours for workers, as well as increase their wages. However, their methods which involved riots and protests, were altogether not effective, and ended up being detrimental to their cause. Between 1875 and 1900, labor unions surged and were temporarily successful; however, their methods would prove detrimental to their cause overtime, leading to their

In the following years, the American Federation of Labor became very influential. The AFL did not attempt to overhaul the basic economic system but instead pressed for a better position within the existing system. Although the founders of the AFL were strongly against strikes, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), created by Eugene Debs, openly called for class aggression. Debs led the Pullman Strike, a nationwide railroad strike that pitted the American Railway Union (ARU) against the Pullman Company, which had laid off many union workers, and had reduced wages up to 30% for those workers that remained. Within four days, 125,000 workers on twenty-nine railroads went on strike. This strike and boycott provoked the federal government to intervene. They arrested Debs on conspiracy to obstruct the mail, as well as for disobeying an order directed to him by the Supreme Court to stop the obstruction of railways and to dissolve the boycott. Continued complaints of the laborers in the unions led to strikes and law suits filed not only by the labor unions, but also by the employers, who intended to prohibit strikes and other adverse actions by members of the labor

This site stood out more than the others due to the popularity and creditability of the History channel. With the rise of large corporations, the workers needed a fighting force to defend their rights. Even though in the end the Knights of Labor were eradicated, they laid the foundation for the modernized union. The History Channel’s website “The Knights of Labor,” praises the ambitions of this union as a great organization in history. The Knights of Labor started off as a small group of tailors in Philadelphia in 1869.

After years of harsh working conditions and low wages for many workers nationwide, the Knights of Labor was formed in 1869, but was most powerful during the 1870s/1880s. The Knights of Labor promoted social and cultural uplift of the workingman. In 1882, the Knights of Labor helped pass the Chinese Exclusion Act, which denied any additional Chinese laborers entry to the United States. Between 1885 and 1886, the Knights of Labor attempted to assist black workers, who were suspicious because the Knights of Labor was led by whites. In 1886, the Knights of Labor and workers around the country began to demand the eight-hour workday declaring “Eight hours to constitute a day’s work” as their slogan.

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) are two groups that merged in 1955 to become one of the largest labor unions in the United States (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005). Furthermore, AFL-CIO is an umbrella federation of the United States unions with 56 unions representing millions of working men and women (About AFL-CIO, 2015). It insures that all workers receive the proper rewards for their work (About AFL-CIO, 2015). AFL-CIO works hard to make the voices of working people heard in the White House, in the states capitol across the country, Capitol Hill, and in corporate boardrooms (About AFL-CIO, 2015).

The AFL was not a labor organization, but a federation of affiliated labor unions. (Dubofsky & Foster, 2004, p. 138). The AFL was exclusive, accepting skilled workers in crafts industries and skilled workers in industry. The AFL's goals were economic, they provided financial and political support for affiliated labor unions in contract negotiations with employers. (Dubofsky & Foster, 2004, p. 139). The political objectives they did pursue usually had to do with the nature of labor negotiations.

Unions were formed to protect and improve the rights of workers. Their first order of business was to establish the eight-hour workday and in 1866, the national labor union was formed. Labor movements were around before 1866, but few organized up until this point. Unions created an environment for workers with difficult tasks, creating better pay, safer work conditions, and sanitary work conditions. Unions made life better for many Americans in the private sector. Collective bargaining became the way in which employers and a group of employees reached agreements, coming to a common consensus. From 1866 to the early 1900’s Unions continued to make headways increasing membership and power. The real gains started in 1933 after several pieces of legislature, which saved banks, plantations, and farmers. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) proposed an important, and controversial, amendment to the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933. It insisted that language from the pro-labor Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932 be added to the simple declaration of the right to collective bargaining. The setbacks the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) suffered in Little Steel and textiles in the latter half of 1937, and in Congress from 1938 to 1940, despite the gains made by the AFL, by 1940 the amendment had stalled. WWII created a rapid buildup within the industrial complex, creating more work for women and African Americans, overshadowing the union’s inability to project their power

The Knights of Labor represented the pinnacle of the up lift labor movement. They, at one time, had membership that numbered in the hundreds of thousands and nearly hit a million members. This organization was unique in its time because it espoused many of the ideals we hold today as statutory for an ethical and equitable society as well as employee and employer relationships. The Knights of Labor did not begrudge industry or capitalism, moreover they were less of a concern than the organization’s larger goal to protect and promote social equity in labor and society, for the common man.

The formation of unions helped workers of similar nature band together and demand better wages for their work. Many workers went on-strike, demanding higher wages, but living paycheck to paycheck it was difficult to weather out an entire strike. With the onset of industrialization and the automation of many factory jobs, the amount of jobs available decreased and further dumbed down the jobs, requiring less education to operate effectively, and further increasing the market for competition. Immigrants just wanted to sustain a good job that can make them enough money to support their family and live comfortably, but had a tough time being affluent in America while working wage-labor shifts in poor working

During the Progressive Era of the Gilded Age, many laborers were being mistreated by the companies that they worked for. Because of this, workers started forming labor unions or organized association of workers, formed to protect and further their rights and interests. Many of these labor unions failed, while few of them achieved their goals and still exist today. Many factors contributed to the failure of these labor unions. The labor unions were given a bad image, the reason for this was the media, and they did this by publishing articles depicting the unions as violent, communist groups. The government supported big business during this time, since the government had a lot of power; this was a huge setback in the labor unions’ battles.

The labor union movement over the years has shaped the way individuals work and live for both the nicest and unpleasant. Some would think the unions influence has created a power struggle between management and union leaders. In today’s time, some citizens insist the existence of unions are a must to aid in employee freedom, while others view the labor unions as just another problem in the line of progress. The purpose of labor unions was for employed workers to come together and collectively agree on fundamental workplace objectives. The rise of the union came about after the Civil War- responding to the industrial economy. Surprisingly at the least unions became popular within the 1930-50’s and began to slowly decrease,

The American Federation of Labor was quite different from the IWW. The AFL was exclusive, letting only skilled workers join the union, but did not discriminate based on race or gender. Although the union was nondiscriminatory, they would turn the other way when blacks were excluded from the group. Similarly, women were treated the same way. Many times they were not the main focus of the group, and were only supported half-heartedly. The motives of the group were to have higher wages, and a shorter workday. The American Federation of Labor supported their causes for workers rights by boycotting businesses, and having businesses that were for union workers only. The AFL believed that capitalism was the way towards bettering the workplace. Supporting capitalism was one of the major reasons the IWW had conflicts with the group.

During the time period 1875 to 1900, the labor unions failed miserably in their efforts to amend the working conditions their workers were under. During the 19th century, the Second Industrial Revolution and The Gilded Age were taking place. These were transmuting the way society was viewed and how people lived their everyday lives. During the labor movement, there were many different organizations and groups that advocated change. Two of those specific groups were the Knights of Labor and American Federation of Labor. The failure of those labor unions between 1875 and 1900 in the U.S. was mostly due to the union's actions, followed by problems within the unions, and people's response to the union.