American Federation of Labor

Definition

The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was a national labor federation in the United States formed in 1886. It was the largest and most influential labor federation in the country for the first half of the 20th century, bringing together skilled craft unions to advocate for workers' rights, improved working conditions, and higher wages.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The AFL was founded by Samuel Gompers and other labor leaders who believed in a craft union approach, organizing workers by their specific trades or skills rather than by industry.
2. The AFL's primary goals were to improve wages, working hours, and conditions for its member unions through collective bargaining and political lobbying, rather than radical social change.
3. The AFL opposed socialism and communism, focusing instead on securing concrete, incremental gains for its members through negotiation and political influence.
4. During the Progressive Era, the AFL was a key voice advocating for workers' rights and helped pass important labor legislation like the Adamson Act, which established an 8-hour workday for railroad workers.
5. The AFL's conservative, craft-based approach was challenged in the 1930s by the rise of industrial unionism and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), leading to tensions and rivalries within the labor movement.

Review Questions

• Explain how the American Federation of Labor's organizational strategy of craft unionism differed from other labor movements of the time and how this influenced its approach to achieving workers' rights.
  • The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was founded on the principle of craft unionism, which organized workers based on their specific trade or skill set rather than by industry or workplace. This contrasted with the more radical industrial unionism approach championed by groups like the Knights of Labor. The AFL's craft-based strategy led it to focus on securing incremental gains for its member unions through collective bargaining and political lobbying, rather than pursuing broad, transformative change. This conservative approach was seen by some as limiting the labor movement's ability to address systemic issues, but it also allowed the AFL to maintain influence and relevance for decades as the largest labor federation in the United States.
• Analyze the role of the American Federation of Labor in the broader Progressive Era reform movement and its impact on key labor legislation of the time.
  • As a major voice for workers' rights during the Progressive Era, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) played a significant role in advocating for and shaping important labor reforms. The AFL leveraged its political influence to push for legislation like the Adamson Act, which established an 8-hour workday for railroad workers. This demonstrated the AFL's ability to secure concrete, incremental gains for its members through negotiation and lobbying, rather than relying on more radical tactics. At the same time, the AFL's craft-based approach and aversion to socialism limited its ability to address broader systemic issues facing the working class. Nevertheless, the AFL's advocacy helped advance the broader Progressive Era goals of improving working conditions, reducing exploitation, and empowering workers, even if its vision for reform was more modest than some other labor movements of the time.
• Evaluate the long-term impact and legacy of the American Federation of Labor, particularly in the context of the changing labor landscape in the 20th century as industrial unionism and the CIO emerged as a challenge to the AFL's approach.
  • The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was the dominant labor federation in the United States for the first half of the 20th century, but its influence and relevance faced increasing challenges as the labor movement evolved. The AFL's craft unionism strategy, while effective in securing incremental gains for its member unions, was criticized by proponents of industrial unionism as being too narrow and unable to effectively address the needs of unskilled workers. The rise of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in the 1930s represented a shift towards organizing workers by industry rather than craft, which threatened the AFL's dominance. While the AFL was able to maintain its position for many years, the tensions and rivalries within the labor movement ultimately led to its decline in the latter half of the century. The AFL's legacy, however, remains significant, as its advocacy for workers' rights and its model of collective bargaining continue to shape labor relations and influence the broader economic and political landscape.

Related terms

Craft Unionism: An organizational strategy in which labor unions represent workers based on their specific trade or craft, rather than by industry or workplace.

Samuel Gompers: The long-time president of the AFL who led the federation's focus on achieving incremental gains for workers through collective bargaining and political lobbying.

American Plan: An anti-union movement in the 1920s that sought to eliminate labor unions and collective bargaining through various legal and extralegal means.