American Federation of Labor

The American Federation of Labor was a federation of American trade unions founded in 1886 and led for decades by Samuel Gompers. It emphasized organizing skilled workers by trade and pursuing gains through collective bargaining and political action.

Samuel Gompers: An American labor leader who served as president of the American Federation of Labor for most of its first four decades. His leadership shaped the federation’s strategy and identity from its founding.
Trade union: An organization of workers formed to advance shared interests in wages, conditions, and workplace rights. The AFL federated unions organized around particular trades.
Industrial Workers of the World: A radical labor organization founded in 1905 that sought to unite workers across industries. The IWW challenged the AFL’s craft divisions with industrial unionism and revolutionary aims.
Clayton Antitrust Act: A 1914 United States law that addressed antitrust enforcement and limited some injunctions against labor activity. The AFL campaigned for protections against treating unions as illegal trusts.
William Green: An American labor leader who served as president of the American Federation of Labor from 1924 to 1952. He succeeded Gompers and led the federation through depression, war, and labor-law change.
Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions: A labor federation founded in 1881 that preceded the American Federation of Labor. The AFL emerged from this federation after its 1886 reorganization.
Craft unionism: Labor organizing that groups workers according to their skilled trade or occupation. It was the organizing principle that defined the AFL’s early membership.
Congress of Industrial Organizations: A labor federation formed in 1935 to organize workers by industry, including mass-production workers. Its industrial organizing contested the AFL’s established craft-union approach.
National Labor Relations Act: A 1935 United States law protecting private-sector workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively. The legal framework it created transformed the environment in which AFL unions operated.
John L. Lewis: An American labor leader who headed the United Mine Workers and helped establish the Congress of Industrial Organizations. His organizing drive challenged the AFL’s resistance to industrial unionism.

Linked from 19 pages