In the 19th century, the labor system in the US made significant changes that would lead to empowerment of workers. These changes were made due to the bad state of the labor system, such as low wages, long hours of work, and unsanitary working place. There were many organizations and labor unions that were created to fulfill the dreams of creating a better system for laborers. Many attempts failed, but still, the passion to reach the ultimate goal never faltered. Finally, a nationwide federation, the American Federation of Labor (AFL), became the key to the declaration of a better labor system (Yellowitz). The AFL is considered the most successful nationwide federation that enabled and empowered the workers and labor movement, created a better worker-employer relationship, and demonstrated the power of the labor movement. And these accomplishments were made because of Samuel Gompers (Digital History).
Samuel Gompers was born in London at the 27th of January, 1850 to Jewish immigrants from Holland. Because of poverty, Sam were forced to work alongside his father as cigar makers when he was ten, terminating his formal education. When Sam was 13 years old, the whole family migrated to New York. Still, Sam and his father worked as cigar makers, and later, both of them joined a local cigar makers’ union (AFL-CIO).
Series of events during the 1870s and 1880s strengthened Sam’s beliefs on the power of labor movement. Around 1870, a technological innovation became a threat to the skills of cigar makers. The mold was introduced as a major step in the subdivision of work and simplification of the production process. Thus, he believed that technological advances were inevitable, and that the workers should have a well-planned response for these advancements (Yellowitz).
On 1871, an 8-hour strike was made to signify the protest to change the longer work hour, usually 10 hours, to a shorter 8-hour work. Sam joined the demonstration, and believed that lessening the work hour should be a primary advocacy of a labor movement. Gompers became a relentless advocate of the elimination of the longer work hour, and dissemination of the benefits of a shorter work hour (Yellowitz).
Sam was also known to be attending demonstrations and meetings of the socialists. Although he would later turn away from the principles of socialism, Sam acknowledged some of the basic principles of Marxism to be important. Later, he would be influenced by one other cigar maker, Adolph Strasser, to support trade unionism as a major force in empowering workers. Indeed, Sam believed that socialism was a major threat to trade unionism. Thus, the Cigarmakers’ Union was later reorganized with the principles of trade unionism. This reorganization focused on the interests and conditions of the members such as allocating funds for sickness or death payments, loans for travelling members, and other programs. Sam also maximized the success of the strikes by carefully giving approvals and funds. After the success of the local union, the national union was reorganized led by Gompers and Strasser using the same strategies. Not long after, similar craft unions adopted the same practices (Yellowitz).
The AFL was a great success because of its rapid growth during the 19th century. This growth is because of the tireless activity of Gompers in persuading many trade unions to join. These activities include extensive travelling, and submission of letters and articles promoting the advantages of the AFL. Also, he promoted pure-and-simple unionism to focus on economic reforms and not on political reforms, and encouraged “political nonpartisanship” to enhance the political leverage of labor. Moreover, the AFL managed to elect union members to political powers for the security of the rights of labor. At the end of his presidency, Gompers empowered the AFL to reach up to 3 million members (Heaven on Earth).
In the end, the AFL was a major power in the American labor movement. It helped the workers gain rights, and improve their lives by having shorter work hours, higher wages, and cleaner and safer facilities. Moreover, the AFL became a symbol of unification among trades and labor union. The success of AFL was mainly due to Samuel Gompers tireless advocacies, strategic ideas, and outstanding leadership. Indeed, Samuel Gompers is the hero of American labor.
Works Cited:
AFL-CIO. “Samuel Gompers (1850 - 1924)”. Key People in Labor History: AFL-CIO. 2014. Web. From (http://www.aflcio.org/About/Our-History/Key-People-in-Labor-History/Samuel-Gompers-1850-1924)
Digital History. “Samuel Gompers and the American Federation of Labor”. Np. 2012. Web. From (http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook_print.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3193)
Heaven on Earth. “Leaders and Thinkers: Samuel Gompers and Eugene V. Debs”. NEW RIVER MEDIA. 2005. Web. From (http://www.pbs.org/heavenonearth/leaders_thinkers_gompers_debs.html)
Yellowitz, I. “Samuel Gompers: A Half Century in Labor’s Front Rank”. Monthly Labor Review, p. 27-33. July 1989.
