Trade Union Movement

Prior to the Trade union Movement in the Post-Civil War era, America had just finished the Reconstruction period and was leading in Industrial output. Eventually the relationship
Between Government and Business took on two forms. State and Federal courts were used to prevent regulation of business and Trade Unions were suppressed. A trade Union is an organization of workers who have banned together to achieve common goals. During the Post-Civil War era trade unions agitated for change within the working environment in areas such as the wages they were receiving. The Trade Union movement was not a phenomenal success but it did have its success. Four major trade unions were The National Labor Union(NLU), The Knights of Labor, the American Federation of labor(AFL), and the Industrial Workers of the World(IWW).
The National Labor Union was formed right after the end of the Civil War. The NLU was the first Trade Union to organize workers regardless of there race, gender, or skills. This is to be considers one of the successes of the Trade Unions. Goals of the NLU were higher wages, shorter workdays, and gender and racial equality. During this time a ten hour work day was very common but the NLU was able to achieve its goal of the eight hour work day. After this union came to an end the Knights of Labor stepped up. The Knights of Labor was organized in 1869 and led by Terence Powderly. The Knight of Labor had a more radical approach but often very modest goals. The Knights of Labor did not believe in strikes but this did not stop some radical members from going on strike when the railroads cut wages in 1884. By this time the Knights of Labors members peaked at nearly three-quarters of a million but at the time of the Haymarket riots its members started to decline and the Knights of Labor came to an end in 1886.
Unlike the NLU and the Knights of Labor the American Federation of Labor was not out to change the world but sought to achieve what it considered more realistic and attainable goals(Epstein pg.206). The AFL was open only to skilled workers. Its president Samuel Gompers used the power of his membership(1 million) to win concessions from management. Which at this time was more successful than the other major unions. The AFL’s goals were centered around improvements to the immediate work environment such as better wages, hours, and working conditions.
Industrial Workers of the World leaned towards the more radical approach. Founded in 1905, they represented mainly unskilled workers. They were not satisfied with simply increasing work wages. They wanted ownership of the means of production by the working class. Within the IWW many workers used violent means while others were victimized by the government. Few Unions could match the view of labor and social agitation.
Although the Trade Union Movement was not a phenomenal success it did have its successes through the NLU, Knights of Labor, AFL, and IWW. Strikes often influences the actions of the trade unions and some were more radial than others. Others were prejudice in areas such as race or skill level and many of their goals were not accomplished in that time. Trade Unions were more successful in organizing their workers than achieving their goals.