American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor or AFL was a confederation of trade unions in the U.S. It was founded in 1886 by Samuel Gompers (1850–1924), its longtime head. A group of industrial unions broke away in the 1930s to form the CIO. William Green replaced Gompers, but after 1940 the dominant leader was William Meany (1894-1980), former head of the New York State Federation of Labor.
The AFL was always hostile to Communists, especially as they were powerful inside the rival CIO. The AFL boycotted the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), formed in 1945, because of it for its decision to admit Soviet trade unions. Attacking them as creatures of the Soviet state, the AFL was instrumental in establishing a rival federation, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), which eventually won the allegiance of all labor federations save those of the Soviet Union and its satellites. The AFL hailed the Truman administration's Cold War policies and strongly supported American military intervention in the Korean War. Corruption in labor unions became a major political issues in the 1950s. Meany convinced the AFL expel the racketeer-influenced International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) in 1953, and several other corrupt affiliates, most notably the Teamsters union, several years later.
After years of bitter rivalry the two re-united in 1955 as the AFL-CIO. Another split took place in 2006, as the AFL-CIO steadily lost membership and influence in the private sector. However it has gained in strength with the public sector unions, and continues to be an influential force for liberal policies inside the Democratic party. --- See also
Bibliography
- Arnesen, Eric, ed. Encyclopedia of U.S. Labor and Working-Class History (2006), 2064pp; 650 articles by experts excerpt and text search
- Beik, Millie, ed. Labor Relations: Major Issues in American History (2005) over 100 annotated primary documents excerpt and text search
- Boris, Eileen, Nelson Lichtenstein, and Thomas Paterson. Major Problems In The History Of American Workers: Documents and Essays )2002)
- Brody, David. In Labor's Cause: Main Themes on the History of the American Worker (1993) excerpt and text search
- Browne, Waldo Ralph. What's what in the Labor Movement: A Dictionary of Labor Affairs and Labor (1921) 577pp; encyclopedia of labor terms, organizations and history. complete text online
- Commons, John R. History of Labour in the United States - vol 1 and Vol. 2 1860-1896 (1918) vol 2 online edition
- Dubofsky, Melvyn, and Foster Rhea Dulles. Labor in America: A History (2004), textbook
- Dubofsky, Melvyn, and Warren Van Tine, eds. Labor Leaders in America (1987) biographies of key leaders, written by scholars excerpt and text search
- Galenson, Walter. The CIO Challenge to the AFL: A History of the American Labor Movement, 1935-1941 (1960) online edition
- Greene, Julie. Pure and Simple Politics: The American Federation of Labor and Political Activism, 1881-1917 (1998) online edition
- Karson, Marc. American Labor Unions and Politics, 1900-1918 (1958)
- Kersten, Andrew. Labor's Home Front: The American Federation of Labor during World War II (2006) excerpt and text search
- Lichtenstein, Nelson. State of the Union: A Century of American Labor (2003) excerpt and text search
- Livesay, Harold C. Samuel Gompers and Organized Labor in America (1993), short biography
- McCartin, Joseph A. ’Labor's Great War: The Struggle for Industrial Democracy and the Origins of Modern American Labor Relations, 1912-1921 (1997) excerpt and text search
- McKelvey, Jean Trepp. AFL Attitudes toward Production, 1900-1932 (1952) online edition
- Mandel, Bernard. Samuel Gompers: A Biography (1963) online edition
- Mink, Gwendolyn. Old Labor and New Immigrants in American Political Development: Union, Party, and State, 1875-1920 (1986)
- Morris, James Oliver. Conflict Within the AFL: A Study of Craft Versus Industrial Unionism, 1901-1938, 1958 - 319 pages
- Perlman, Selig. A History of Trade Unionism in the United States 1922 - 313 pages online edition
- Zieger, Robert H., and Gilbert J. Gall, American Workers, American Unions: The Twentieth Century(3rd ed. 2002) excerpt and text search
- Zieger, Robert H. For Jobs and Freedom: Race and Labor in America Since 1865 (2007) excerpt and text search
Primary cources
- AFL, American Federation of Labor: History, Encyclopedia, Reference Book 1919 online edition
- Gompers, Samuel. Seventy Years of Life and Labor: An Autobiography (1925) online edition