The period between the 1870s and 1890s was characterized by increased labor unionism in the United States. Two workers’ unions rapidly gained root in the US; the Knights of labor and the American Labor Federation (AFL). The Knights of Labor were a secret society that was established in 1869 with the intent of organizing both skilled and unskilled labor (Dubofsky & Dulles 115). The AFL was formed in 1881 with the sole intent of concentrating on the organization of the crafts or skilled labor (Dubofsky & Dulles 136). There are some similarities and several differences between the Knights of Labor and the AFL.
Both the Knights of Labor and the AFL were both formed to agitate for the rights of workers. The two organizations wanted to have American worker paid higher wages and exposed to lesser working hours.
There are several differences between the Knights of Labor and the AFL. First of all the Knights of Labor was started as a secret organization aimed to push for a long term vision (Dubofsky & Dulles 115). According to Dubofsky and Dulles the movement spent ten years as a secret organization and they only ceased their secrecy in 1878 due to the growth in member numbers (117). The AFL on the other hand was formed devoid of secrecy and it had a short-term vision of what should entail labor objectives. The strength of the Knights of labor was the fact that they advocated for the rights of both skilled and unskilled workers. The fact that they maintained secrecy for a time also enabled them to overcome oppression from the Robber Barons who were rapidly gaining root in America. The triumph of the Knights of Labor is best evidenced by the successful confrontation of Robber Baron Jay Gould (Dubofsky & Dulles 119). The main weakness of the Knights of labor was poor organization, generality and lack of clear plans, structures and finances to oversee the achievement of their long-term visions.
The knights stressed on social reform through political means. They wanted a democratic system that was sensitive to the needs of both skilled and unskilled workers. The Knights of Labor were led by a philosophy that was anchored on long-term political objectives and visions of a worker-controlled production process (Dubofsky & Dulles 116). The AFL on the other hand concentrated its efforts to agitating for the rights of skilled workers. The AFL also avoided political involvement by adopting a philosophy known as “Business Unionism” (Dubofsky & Dulles 136). Through this philosophy the AFL practically pushed for American employers to pay skilled workers higher wages, allocate employees shorter working hours and improve general working conditions.
The operations of the Knights of Labor were contradictory while those of the AFL were well organized. The Knights of Labor sought to emphasize their industrial character but they agitated for an all-inclusive program of social reform. They also aimed to pursue peaceful means to conflict resolution but they became involved in strikes (Dubofsky & Dulles 137). The AFL on the other hand was highly organized and adopted a practical approach. Unlike in the Knights of labor, the AFL introduced initiation fees together with a system of sickness and death benefits to ensure they assisted their members in times of distress (Dubofsky & Dulles 137). The federation also introduced an equalization fund where locals assisted each other through transfer of reserves to those in distress.
The AFL strictly recognized the autonomy of each trade as opposed to the Knights of Labor who agitated for the collective good of all trades. The executive council of the AFL was to handle affairs on a national level and had no power to handle issues that fell within the jurisdiction of member unions (Dubofsky & Dulles 145). In the structure of the AFL, the unity of labor was to be promoted through moral persuasion and not through centralized controls that were characteristic of operations by the Knights of Labor (Dubofsky & Dulles 145). The strength of the AFL was that it was highly organized and it formed structures to collect revenue to finance strikes, take care of its member needs, pay it leaders and basically ensure smooth flow of activities. The weakness of the system was that it locked out the unskilled workers who still formed a large group of workers.
Works Cited
Dubofsky, Melvyn, and Dulles Foster. Labor in America: A History. Wheeling, Ill: Harlan Davidson, 2010. Print.
