Knights Of Labor Essay

The American Federation of Labor (AFL) has reigned as the primary labor federation to which the overwhelming majority of labor unions in the United States have historically belonged to, but this has not been without frequent contestation. Compare and contrast the AFL and 3 different competing labor organizations that we have discussed in class, including a discussion on leadership, policies, and organizing strategies (such as business unionism vs. social unionism). Use specific examples and cite your sources.
It’s no secret that the American Federation of Labor(AFL) is has been the dominant Union has unionized the most workers in the United States. The AFL was founded and lead by Samuel Gompers to help improve non the perceived shortcomings of the Knights of Labor(budd 72). The AFL and their affiliated Unions were a classic example of a business Unionism. The AFL believed that the best way the effect change was to do so through the idea of collective bargaining and the threat of a …show more content…
The Knights of labor is considered the main example of uplift unionism in the United States. Uplifting unionism “aspires chiefly to elevate the moral, intellectual, and social life of the worker”. (budd 71) The Knights of Labor unlike the AFL are inclusive to all including African Americans and women. The Knights of labor exemplify the the traits of social unionism with they ways that they want to effect change to the system. The ultimate goal of the Knights of Labor was to replace the current system of capitalism with completely new system instead of trying to lessen the negative effects that capitalism has on workers. The leaders of the Knights of Labor believed that in order to achieve these goals it should be done through education and cooperation. They did not believe in striking even though doing so would lead to higher wages and shorter hours that was not there