High wages in America, in comparison to other countries, led to many foreigners, such as those from Britain and Germany, leaving their homes to work in America, so that they could be treated more fairly. These movements helped to give birth to the first labor unions in the United States of America. One early example of a union was Knights of St. Crispin, which formed in 1867, and gained 50,000 members in just three years, making it the largest of its kind in the country. These workers were against new, unskilled workers coming in to work machinery, thus taking away jobs from those who once did it by hand. Unfortunately, this union was unorganized and fell apart not too long after its creation. The Knights of St. Crispin gave way to the Knights of Labor, which came about in 1869. This group worked as a united front, seeking fairness for all laborers and producers. However, these Knights fell apart as well, when, during the Haymarket Riot of 1886, their strikes failed and were simply misunderstood and confused with bomb-making anarchists.
From the ashes of the Knights rose a new union, in 1886 - the AFL (American Federation of Labor). Founded by Samuel Gompers, this group set the organizational example for years to come as a national federation of skilled workers' union. Their ranks grew steadily over the years, increasing from 200,000 and 1,750,000 members between 1886 and 1904. This popular group focused on the rights of skilled crafts workers, rather than that of industrial workers. With an opposing view, the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World), started in 1905, worked on industrial unionism. At most, this group contained 150,000 members, but faced such opposition during and after World War one, that many of its members were killed, and nearly 10,000 of them imprisoned.The IWW still exists today, with around 2,000 members, but had its main impact during its first fifteen years, during which it showed unskilled industrial workers that they could be organized, and gave them self-worth.
Despite the effects that it had on the IWW, World War One was a time during which unions grew drastically - the number of organized workers jumped from 2.75 million in 1917, to 4.25 million in 1919. The Wilson administration encouraged this growth of unions, as a way to energize the working class behind the war effort. To recognize the role laborers played in winning the war, the International Labor Organization was formed in 1919. Work conditions improved considerably, with the standard work day lowering to about eight hours a day, and the hourly wages rising. Similar things transpired during the second world war, when all labor unions supported the war effort. In 1947, the Taft-Hartley Act came about, which placed restrictions on both unions and managements. This act was a response to the postwar strikes that were said to have damaged the economy. Unions fought this change bitterly, because it prohibited unfair labor practices on their part, such as jurisdictional strikes. Strikes were a large part of acquiring the safety that unions give, and made great impacts. One important strike in history, for example, the Postal Worker's Strike, of 1970, consisted of 210,000 out of 750,000 postal workers striking, and Nixon having to declare a state of emergency. In the end, after two weeks of striking, the workers received many of the things they asked for.
Labor Unions are still alive today, as a way to protect workers from unfair treatment and work. However, union membership is becoming less popular, and has dropped 8% in recent years - bringing the percentage down to one not seen since 1932. While they are still active, people are seeming less interested, and striking has become nearly non-existant. Will unions die off soon, as workers become interested, and find it unnecessary? Only time will tell.
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