History of Unions

During the early 1800s, U.S. workers were generally paid more than employees in Western Europe. Because of this, many employees from Britain and Germany moved to America, bringing along the ideals of their country's labor unions.

Early labor unions, such as the Knights of St. Crispin and the Knights of Labor, and the first federation of unions, The National Labor Union, grew fast but declined quickly because of poor organization and misconstrued messages. Fortunately, in 1886, Samuel Gompers established the American Federation of Labor (AFL), a federation of skilled worker's unions which outlined the organizational model that survived into the 21st century. From 1890 to 1917, the AFL saw unionized wages rise, the average work week decrease and the formation of United Mine Workers (UMW).

In the 1930s, John L. Lewis pushed for the idea of industrial unionism and founded the Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO) within the AFL. However, five years after its establishment, the Committee split from the AFL, until they merged together once more as AFL-CIO in 1955. Today, the AFL-CIO represents more than 11 million workers in a variety of industries.

Labor History Timeline

1866: National Labor Union founded
1877: National uprising of railroad employees
1885: Knights of Labor launch strike on the Southwest System
1886: AFL is founded
1890: Carpenters President McGuire and his union strike and establish an eight-hour work day
1903: Women's Trade Union League formed at AFL convention
1909: Female employees in New York strike against sweatshop conditions
1913: First Secretary of Labor, William B. Wilson of the Mine Workers, is appointed by President Woodrow Wilson
1919: One in five workers is involved in the great strike wave
1924: Samuel Gropers dies and William Green assumes AFL presidency
1926: Railway Labor Act is established
1931: Davis-Bacon Act provides for prevailing wages on publicly funded construction projects
1932: Norris-LaGuardia Act forbids federal injunctions in the majority of labor disputes
1935: National Labor Relations Act and Social Security Act are passed; John Lewis forms the Committee for Industrial Organization
1937: Auto employees strike against General Motors
1938: Fair Labor Standards Act is passed; minimum wage and a 40-hour work week are established
1941: A. Philip Randolph threatens a march to protest racial discrimination in defense jobs
1946: Largest strike wave begins
1947: The Taft-Hartley Act limits the activity of union members
1955: AFL and CIO merge
1959: Labor Management Report and Disclosure Act is passed
1962: JFK gives federal workers the right to bargain
1963: Equal Pay Act is passed
1964: Civil Rights Act prohibits racial discrimination in employment
1970: Occupational Safety and Health Act passed
1972: Coalition of Black Trade Unionists formed
1973: Labor Council for Latin American Advancement established
1974: Coalition of Labor Union Women formed
1981: AFL-CIO attracts 400,000 people in Washington for Solidarity Day
1989: Organizing Institute founded
1990: United Steelworkers of America Labor Alliance founded within the AFL-CIO
1992: Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance formed with the AFL-CIO
1997: A national coalition of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender) employees and supporters becomes an AFL-CIO constituency group
1999: Over 75,000 human service employees are unionized in LA County; 5000 textile employees in North Carolina get a union after lobbying for 25 years; Union movement coordinates the largest program of grassroots electoral politics in history