The Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor were two major labor unions in the late 1800s. Both unions formed to represent workers. Workers had been treated poorly for many years. With the rise of factories, individual workers found it virtually impossible to improve working conditions, to increase pay, and to shorten the length of the workday. Only if workers acted collectively did they have a better chance of improving their overall working...
The Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor were two major labor unions in the late 1800s. Both unions formed to represent workers. Workers had been treated poorly for many years. With the rise of factories, individual workers found it virtually impossible to improve working conditions, to increase pay, and to shorten the length of the workday. Only if workers acted collectively did they have a better chance of improving their overall working situation. Both of these unions tried to accomplish these goals for the workers they represented. They also both used the strike as a way to accomplish their goals.
The Knight of Labor had several goals. The Knights of Labor was a union that represented skilled workers and unskilled workers. They wanted an eight-hour workday. They worked for equal pay for women. They also supported using arbitration to settle disputes and supported ending the practice of using child labor. The Knights of Labor had many strikes. Unfortunately, some of these strikes had violence associated with them. This gave a general impression that unions were connected to anarchists and revolutionaries. While the Knights of Labor had some success, the events at the Haymarket Riot in Chicago in 1886 led to their downfall. Violence and death occurred as a result of the riot. The Knights of Labor also focused on improving social conditions such as equal pay for women. This concept was considered quite extreme for this time period.
The American Federation of Labor also strived to help workers. The American Federation of Labor was a union for skilled workers. This union focused on the basic issues affecting workers. This union wanted unions to be recognized by businesses as the agent that represented the workers in their companies. They wanted to use collective bargaining to settle contracts. They support the closed shop, which meant a company could hire only union members. They also wanted an eight-hour day. The American Federation of Labor shied away from dealing with major social issues.
Both unions tried to help workers improve their working conditions.
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