American Federation of Labor

LAmerican Federation off Ploughing (AFL - American Federation of Labor) was a North-American Syndicat founded in 1886. It was reunified in 1955 with the Congrès of the industrial engineering to form AFL-CIO.

History

The FOTLU before the AFL (1881-1886)

In the years 1880, the the United States know one important industrial period of growth, and thus an increase in the working population which a resumption of the Immigration supports. The English workmen create Syndicat S inspired by the model of the Trades Union British Congresses , even establishes sections of their federation of origin. In 1881, its trade unions found off the Federation Organized Trades and Labor Unions (FOTLU), with the example of the TUC, it develops also an action of Lobbying near the Congrès of the United States. Like the TUC, the FOTLU gathers federations of trade and not federations of industry. The FOTLU, must however deal with the competition of the Knights off Labor having much more members than it, and who are very attached to the American republican ideal and wish the intervention of the federated States, or even of the Union in the economic life and social. This intervention of the public power feels reluctant particularly with Samuel Gompers, the strong man of the FOTLU, which defends the idea of a powerful trade unionism, speaking only with employers, without interventionism of the State. Agitation for the day 8 hours and which culminates on May 1st, 1886, but gives place to the massacre of Haymarket Square with Chicago will reverse the reports/ratios of power between the Knights of Work and the Trades-Unions . The leaders of the main confederations of trade, members of the FOTLU, decide to structure of advantage their federation, they convene a congress for December 1886.

Presidency of Samuel Gompers (1886-1924)

In December 1886, the federations of trades found the American Federation off Ploughing and elect at its head Samuel Gompers, this last is then perpetually re-elected until its death (except for the year 1895).

The trade-union development

The first decision of the new federation is to prohibit dual membership to break the interprofessional regroupings of the Chevaliers of work and to thus limit the influence of the socialist which saw in the Knighthood of work a tool of unionization of the not-qualified workmen. the AFL defends on the contrary a trade unionism of trades, refusing any political influence. After several years of slow progression, because of anti-trade-union repression and the economic crisis, the AFL launches in 1898 a vast effort of unionization which enables him into 1910 to gather 120 unions of trades organizing 2 million members, that is to say 10% of the not-agricultural active population. But it is in the building and the current consumer goods (clothing), where the skilled workers are numerous that the unions of trades can really act. They organize by the means of the trade-union monopoly at the time of recruitment, a solidarity without faults of the workmen of these sectors, enabling them to defend their rights, whereas there does not exist any social legislation and that employers utlise services of the police force and militia deprived to fight against the trade unions. But the AFL develops also a powerful hostility towards the political agitators, and the trade unions " politiques" , as the Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance which creates Daniel Of Leon in 1896, which divides the working class.

The setting with the step of the Canadian trade unions

Simultaneously with its development with the the United States, the AFL develops with the Canada, at the same time as American industry invests there. John Flett is member of the trade union of the carpenters is named as organizer for all Canada in 1898. It déploit a very great activity and grants nearly 700 charters of affiliation, which ensures the complete domination of the AFL within the Congrès of the trades and the work of Canada (CMTC). In 1902, to still reinforce the weight of the AFL, the conference of the CMTC with Berlin (today Kitchener (Ontario) decides to prohibit the double affiliation between the international organizations ( i.e. dominated by the AFL) and the organizations, purely Canadian, where the Chevaliers of Work were majority. To make sure fidelity of Canadian, John Flett becomes even president of the CMTC, he remains it until 1925.

The inflecting of the apolitical attitude of the origins

With time and an appeasing of the political climate and social, the AFL gives up little by little its radical apolitical attitude of the origins. That is marked since 1901, with the participation of Samuel Gompers and other trade union leaders in work of the National Civic Federation (NCF - national civic Federation), an organization of dialog between employers and the trade unions, supported by the president Theodore Roosevelt. It reinforces also its capacity of Lobbying near the democratic Congrès of the United States and the parties and republican. The success of the Industrial Workers off the World, which strongly criticize the refusal of any intervention in the fields policy, pushes the AFL to be begun of advantage. In 1908, the AFL even clearly makes to countryside for William Jennings Bryan the democratic candidate with the presidency of the United States. Besides some reproaches him for not supporting the socialist candidate Eugene V. Debs, but the AFL preferred to support the candidate who was likely the most to make succeed his claims. The AFL obtains besides in 1917 the obligation of a test of elimination of illiteracy of the new immigrants to limit the degradation of the work conditions by the surge of a little qualified labor.

The First World War and its consequences

Dice 1914, Samuel Gompers gives an opinion for the Alliés, while at the same time the president Woodrow Wilson is still wait and see, and than part of its base, of Germanic origin, is clearly favorable to the central Empires. This position makes it possible the AFL to take part in the National War Labor Board created in 1918, which recognized the trade-union fact, and pushed the employers to be negotiated with the trade unions. Carried by the Wilsonnien ideal, the AFL takes part even in the recasting of the international Trade union federation in 1919 with Amsterdam. However, very quickly after the end of the war, the AFL is victim of the Red Scare (Fear of the reds) and fights against the Communiste S and their attempts at coring, it undergoes also the employers' repression which tries to return on the projections obtained during the conflict. Lastly, it withdraws international Trade union federation under control of its new president William Green who replaces Samuel Gompers deceased in 1924.

Presidency of William Green (1924-1952)

The return to the defense of the immediate working interests

With its new president, William Green, the AFL which obtained the fixing of quotas of the Immigration by quotas in 1921, then in 1924 is folded up on the services with its members, in particular the Assurance S of which she refuses that the State takes a part in load. Obsessed by the fear of the Communism and wanting to be a rampart of the Capitalism, the AFL adopts very preserving positions. This position harms to him considerably with the Canada, where the trade unions, in particular catholic take their rise then. The Economic crisis of 1929 reinforces the AFL in its conservatism.

Trade-union New-Deal

The election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt for which the workmen massively voted changes gives it within the AFL, or the organization of federations of trade, and the claiming timidity of William Green does not correspond any more to the spirit of the New Deal. The Federal state sets up the beginnings of a system of public Social Security and especially the installation of the National Labor Relations Board by the Law Wagner of July 1935 makes safe and recognizes of advantage the trade-union organizations. But that also paradoxically opposes the most traditional currents of the AFL which sees a seizure of the State on the protection of the working interests, putting them at the thank you of a change of political majority.

Birth of the CIO

With the congress of 1935 of the AFL, John L. Lewis, the leader of the United Undermines off Workers America, the federation of the minors, creates with other trade union officials a Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO - Committee for the industrial engineering) which aims at widening the base of the AFL by also organizing the workmen not-qualified in federations of industry. The campaigns of unionization, financially constant by the minors and the workmen of clothing are real successes, particularly among the workmen of auto industry. With the autumn 1937, the organizations being recognized in the step of the CIO gather nearly 4 million workers. The direction of the AFL carries out a war of attrition against its unions and its trade unionists who upset his internal organization. In November 1938, the CIO becomes off the Congress Industrial Organizations (Congress of the industrial engineering).

The AFL in the Second world war

As of the release of the conflict, before even the engagement of the United States following Pearl Harbor, the AFL and CIO commits itself supporting the effort of support for the Alliés. The more so as it is accompanied by a rise of the industrial production. The trade unions at the base are reinforced and a wave of grêve makes yield the industrialists, as Ford which does not finish accepting the entry of the United Steelworkers in its factories. But as of the entry in war, the two trade unions agree to stop any action of strike not to harm the effort of war, and sit at the National War Labor Board which is set up again. The AFL which was the first trade-union organization still grows in this favorable context, and organizes 10 million workers in 1945. However, whereas CIO take part in the discussions which will lead to the creation of the world Trade union federation, the AFL refuses there by anti Communisme.

The entry in the Cold war

Since 1945, and the Conference of London preparing the world Trade union federation the AFL shows its mistrust towards what it perceives like a Soviet attempt at seizure of the S on the international trade union movement. On the internal plan, the elections of 1946, brings a republican majority to the Congrès which decides to reconsider the legislation of the New Deal, the Loi Taft-Hartley limit considerably the possibilities for the trade unions of being established in the companies. In addition the beginning of the Maccarthisme reinforces the fold of the AFL on the most preserving positions. Lastly, to the international level, the AFL leads with the creation of the international Confédération of the free trade unions in 1949 with London, where Irwing Brown her envoy for the Europe indicates the " totalitarianism soviétique" like the principal enemy. When he dies in 1952, William Green leaves a AFL stronger than ever by the number of its members, but folded up on the defense of the federations of qualified trades.

George Meany and trade-union reunification (1952-1955)

It is the former treasurer of the AFL, George Meany which succeeds William Green with the head of the federation. Like its predecessors, it is violently anti Communiste, but it also includes/understands that it is necessary to act on the political plan, like lobby, and is in favor of a trade unionism of mass, more adapted to modern times than a élitiste trade unionism of trade. The evolution of the american company, where a growing part of the working class reaches the consumer society, and changment to the head of CIO where Walter Reuther replaced Philip Murray open new prospects of dialog for an American trade unionism gathered. In 1955, the two power stations off reunify within the American Federation Ploughing - Congress off Industrials Organizations (AFL-CIO) whose George Meany assumes the chairmanship.

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