Labor Unions
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The rise of unionism in the United States is an interesting working class social movement. Presently, the U.S. labor movement suffers from loss of membership, globalization of markets, the shift to a technological industrial base and an increasingly non-liberal political realm. However, unions have a long history in the United States. As early as the late 1800s, local craft unions existed whose members were comprised of carpenters, shoemakers and printers in cities such as Philadelphia, Boston and New York. Many of our modern union techniques and methods were developed in this era, including meeting between workers and employers to discuss labor demands, wage scales, and strikes. As unions continued to grow in membership and power during the 19th century, employers became more resistant to them. Unions suffered from erosion of membership in the early 19th century from the efforts of employers to undermine their power, but unions again rose in power during the 1820s and 1830s. Their ascension came about due to their inclusion in political activities since property qualifications for the right to vote were eliminated. These activities were significant in getting legislation passed that pertained to needs of workers, “These labor organizations were successful in electing their candidates to various public offices, but in general, they failed to attain their aims. Nevertheless, they called the attention of the regular political parties a
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ed, “If only the CIO had never formed, then perhaps a militant, grassroots unionism would have tapped the well-spring of workers’ anger and resulted in a genuine restructuring of American society” (McCartin 703).
The unions became instrumental in foreign policy because of their effect on American industry. They also developed an increasing reliance on the U.S. Government. After the Depression, many viewed the New Deal government as a favorable force with favorable polices, like protecting the right of unions to organize. Union members did not believe that government intervention might erode their power or compromise unionism in general. However, even though they were a powerful social movement, union leaders and members also understood that courage and solidarity were not powerful enough weapons to combat corporate power, Therefore, unions relied on the government and federal intervention in order to maintain a balance of power with corporate America. Because of this association, historians contend that the working class members of this social movement were contradictory in their associations and in their mood toward other social institutions in America, “Workers accepted some hierarchies of wealth and income even while th
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Approximate Word count = 1526
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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