Samuel Gompers and Terence Powderly
Gompers Overview
Samuel Gompers was born into a very poor family and immigrated to the tenement slums of New York when he was 13 years old. Gompers went to work as a Cigar maker, joining a local Cigar-makers Union. During his time in the Cigar Industry he frequently supported his co-workers, who were in altercations with their employers Gompers came to represent the lower class, immigrants, who had skills in one craft. As technological advancement increased rapidly, machines began to take more and more of skilled workers jobs, leaving these skilled workers without out means to support their families (Radisson, 420-421).
In 1881 representatives of many different unions from different industries formed the Federation of Labor (AFL) lead by Samuel Gompers. The people involved in the AFL represented skilled workers. Specifically Gompers focused on three main issues associated with factory labor being wages, hours, and working conditions.(Brinkley, 446). Gompers wanted to improve these skilled workers day-to-day lives and give them jobs that reflected the level of their knowledge (Radisson, 420-421). One of the AFLs first actions was to demand an eight-hour workday, and called for a strike if this wasn't achieved by May 1,1886 (Brinkley, 446).
Powderly Overview
Terence Powderly was the son of Irish Immigrants who took interest in labor unions at a young age, by working at a railroad yard and apprenticing himself to a machinist. Through his work and support of a national labor union he became president of The Knights of Labor (Grilliparzer, 420). Membership was open to all workers regardless of their level of skill; this included women. The organization emphasized and eight-hour workday, and the abolition of child labor (Brinkley, 445-446). Powderly was focused on more long-term goals of getting rid of the wage system and adopting a cooperative society (Grilliparzer, 420).
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Reform
Samuel Gompers and the AFL worked to improve the day-to-day life of their workers, which was wages, hours, and working conditions (Brinkley, 446). Gompers believed the economic reform was the best way to secure workers' rights, rather than political reform. He believed that when there was no way around political involvement the union should be, "nonpartisan." Gompers sought to unite all US trade unions(America's Unions).Gompers believed that strikes are one of the most effective ways to convey these ideals, and they began on May 1, 1886 when the AFL lead a strike demanding an 8 hour work day for workers(Radisson, 421).
Powderly worked to strengthen the Knights of Labor and build a national, all-inclusive labor union (History). Powderly disapproved of strikes, considering them too costly for a little gain. He focused more on long-term goals, of getting rid of a wage system and institutional cooperative society. This differs from The AFLs goals of improving the daily lives of its workers(Radisson, 420-421).
Both of these reformers were focused on improving the lives of workers, but they went about their goals in different ways. Gompers supporting strikes and, working to provide a good life for skilled laborers; Powderly advocated for all workers, hoping for a system of shared wealth.
Justification
Powderly saw the labor union as a way to lead American workers of out the captivity that wage labor held them in (Britannica). Powderly had grown up working in labor unions and supported their cause (Grilliparzer, 420). Gompers also had grown up as a skilled worker, and had supported the skilled workers cause. Gompers was a strong opponent of Socialism, believing that a cooperative society in which wealth is shared was not fair to skilled workers, and it conflicts with democratic ideals (Radisson, 420-421).
Success or not
Overall both the AFL and the Knight of Labor collapsed, despite different approached to labor reform. Despite Powderly's effort to suppress strikes in the Knights of Labor, many members continued to participate in strikes. In 1886, in Chicago a group of strikes had gathered. When the rioters were ordered to leave one of them threw a bomb at the police, and the response was gunfire. Many Americans began to associate, "Anarchism" with the strikes fearing their radicalism. This provided intense problems for the AFL, and resulted in the demise of the Knights of labor (Brinkley, 446). These reformers addressed problems but failed to gather and maintain long-term support for their ideals.
Laws Affecting Gompers and Powderly
As the second half of the 19th century came to a close laws establishing an eight hour work day and providing compensation for workers injured on the job, were passed, but these laws really weren’t strongly enforced and made little gains on what Gompers, and Powderly had envisioned (Brinkley, 449).
Bibliography
Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation. New York: McGraw Hill, 2010. Print.
Grilliparzer, Ford. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998. Print.
"Knights of Labor." History. A and E Networks, n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2016. <http://www.history.com/topics/knights-of-labor>.
Radisson, Orozco. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998. Print.
"Samuel Gompers (1850 - 1924)." America's Unions. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2016. <http://www.aflcio.org/About/Our-History/Key-People-in-Labor-History/Samuel-Gompers-1850-1924>.
"Terence V. Powderly." Encyclopedia Britannica. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2016. <http://www.britannica.com/biography/Terence-V-Powderly>.
http://crooksandliars.com/2015/09/news-flash-labor-membership-boosts-incomes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_union