American Federation of Labor

American Federation of Labor

The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was one of the first and largest federations of labor unions in the United States. In 1955, the AFL merged with the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) to create the AFL-CIO, which now represents around 12.5 million Americans.

Fast Facts

Founded on December 8, 1886 in Columbus, Ohio
Founded by Samuel Gompers
Dissolved on December 4, 1955 to form the AFL-CIO
56 national and international unions belong to the AFL-CIO
Since the end of World War II, union membership among Americans has seen a steady decline

Early Years

Many early members of the AFL were former members of the Knights of Labor, the largest and most influential American union organization during the 1870s. Unlike the Knights of Labor, the AFL sought to stay out of the political arena and encouraged peaceful negotiations, sanctioning strikes only as a last resort to resolve disputes. In the 1800s, the AFL actively discriminated against African-Americans and other visible minorities, unskilled workers and women by refusing to admit them to the federation. By 1920, the AFL represented over four million workers, but came under pressure during the next two decades to become more inclusive and allow formerly excluded people to join.

AFL-CIO Mission

"To bring social and economic justice to our nation by enabling working people to have a voice on the job, in government, in a changing global economy and in their communities."

Categories

News | Groups and Organizations

| View Note History

The Mahalo Top 7

Official Site: America's Union Movement
Wikipedia: American Federation of Labor
Ohio History Central: American Federation of Labor
WashingtonPost.com: "Labor's Global Push" (Dec 12, 2007)
CNN.com: Labor still has clout in political arena (Aug 7, 2007)
Time Magazine: "Unions Go Slow in Backing a Democrat" (Aug 7, 2007)
YouTube Video: 1952 American Federation of Labor AFL Unions TV Interview (Time: 00:45:00)

American Federation of Labor Recent News

The New York Times: American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations
Chicago Tribune: Organizing key to survival (Dec 28, 2007)
CNN.com: Labor still has clout in political arena (Aug 7, 2007)
The Economist: "Labour pains" (Mar 6, 2007)
CNNMoney.com: House bill aims to spur labor union growth (Feb 28, 2007)

American Federation of Labor Background and Articles

JFK Library: Remarks of Senator John F. Kennedy to the American Federation of Labor National Legislative Council on Tuesday, February 16, 1954 - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum

American Federation of Labor History and News Archives

Official Site: Culture & History
Google News Archives: News Archives
World History Archives: History of AFL-CIO leadership

AFL-CIO Split

Salon.com: Divorce, labor style (July 26, 2005)
USA Today: United Food and Commercial Workers leave AFL-CIO (July 29, 2005)
The New York Times: A.F.L.-C.I.O. Leader Says Split Hurts Labor (July 29, 2005)
SF Gate: Turning Point for Organized Labor (July 31, 2005)

American Federation of Labor Videos and Media

YouTube & Google Video: American Federation of Labor
Workers Independent News: A Multimedia Voice For Workers
Google Video: Pride at Work Convention Keynote by Linda Chavez-Thompson, AFL-CIO VP (Time: 00:32:00)

American Federation of Labor Blogs and Message Boards

Official Weblog: AFL-CIO Weblog
News Desk: AFL-CIO Launches Healthcare Drive
Marc Ambinder: The Massive Scope Of The AFL-CIO's Political Program

American Federation of Labor Timeline

1886: American Federation of Labor founded in Columbus, Ohio by Samuel Gompers
1955: American Federation of Labor merges with Congress of Industrial Organizations
1957: AFL-CIO expelled the Teamsters Union for failure to meet it's ethical standards
1961: AFL-CIO sets up mandatory arbitration procedure towards settling internal disputes
1968: United Automobile Workers withdrew from the union
1979: Lane Kirkland, elected president of the AFL-CIO
1981: PATCO, the labor union representing air traffic controllers went on strike
1981: United Automobile Workers rejoined the union
1988: The Teamsters Union rejoined AFL-CIO
1995: John Sweeney, elected president of the AFL-CIO
2003: AFL-CIO began debate over future of labor movement in US with creation of New Unity Partnership
2005: The Change to Win Federation splits from the AFL-CIO

American Federation of Labor Criticism

Organic Consumers Association: AFL-CIO Leaders Work to Derail Rank and File Drive... (Nov 9, 2007)
League for the Fifth International: AFL-CIO split: When the Kings of Labor fall out (Aug 1, 2005)
The New York Times: U.S. Warns A.F.L.-C.I.O. on Protests About Social Security (May 5, 2005)

Group Satire and Humor

TheSpoof.com: AFL-CIO Supports Intestinal Bacteria Strike Plan
The Onion: American Torturing Jobs Increasingly Outsourced
The Onion: AFL-CIO Split

Related Pages on Mahalo

ACLU | Labor Day | United Automobile Workers | Teamsters