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First Unionization
Unions began to form in the year 1778, starting with the printers of New York City. They actually became the fist successful union to form in the U.S. Because union building was so new, this first union was broken up and were forced to disband only months after its creation. -
First Strike
A strike was when employees felt their rights in their occupation were being violated. Say they felt they worked in an unsafe environment, too low of pay, or was working too many hours then employees may go on strike. The first strike took place in Philadelphia when carpenters successfully held a strike that demanded 10 hour work days. -
National Labor Union
The National Labor union was the first national labor federation in the United States. Although developed in the year 1866 they were disbanded after only 7 years of action because of their conflict with Congress. They fought Congress to limit workday hours to 8 hours a day instead of 10-12. They were unsuccessful but they encouraged other unions to form later such as the American Federation of Labor and the Knights of Labor. -
Founding of American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was created in the year 1886. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio and was one of the first successful labor unions create in the United States. The AFL separated from The Knights of Labor and became its own federation. The AFL still benefits the United States people of employment. -
Founding of Knights of Labor
The Knights of Labor was another Union that was potentially the largest and most important American Labor organizations of the 1880s. Their job was to promote the social, cultural, and economic benefits of any employee. This federation supported labor unions in negotiating with employers for better working conditions. -
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 is also referred to as the Great Upheaval. The strike was held to increase wages. The strike began after wages were cut in Railroads for the third time in Baltimore and Ohio. After 45 days the strike was put down because it was interfearing with the import and export of goods. -
Merging of AFL to Create AFL-CIO
After years of conflict, the American Federation of Labor partnered with their rival, Congress of Industrial Organization became the AFL-CIO. They are now the largest and longest standing labor union in the country. -
United Farm Workers
The founding of the United Farm Workers took place in California during the year 1962. The UFW was a labor union specifically for farmers in the United States. They helped fight for fair wages and fair treatment of farmers. -
Obama's Presidency Election
Labor Unions around the word all pushed for Obama to become the president of the United States. During his campaign, he spoke about passing the Employee Free Choice Act. If this act passed then any citizen would be able to join the unions. This played a large role in the voting during the election in 2008. -
Women in the Workforce
Women in the Workforce has been a subject of interest for a quite a long time but still not addressed properly. This Modern phenomenon is that women are paid wages less than men for the same job. This issue is still yet to be resolved but is a growing topic.
