Centro Journal ISSN: 1538-6279 [email protected] The City University of New York Estados Unidos Sanabria, Carlos Samuel Gompers and the American Federation of Labor in Puerto Rico Centro Journal, vol. XVII, núm. 1, spring, 2005, pp. 140-161 The City University of New York New York, Estados Unidos Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=37717107 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative Journal [ 141 ] 7 spring 2005 ABSTRACT Volume xv1i Number 1 xv1i Number Volume CENTRO CENTRO ANABRIA S This article focuses on the role that Samuel Gompers and the American This article focuses on the role that Samuel Gompers and during the early Rico of Labor played in Puerto years of the twentieth Federation association Libre’s the origins of Federación it traces Specifically, century. AFLto on the island. his views among workers promote and Gompers’ effort to the to Rico the relationship of Puerto also examines his thinking in regard to It of Labor provided the American Federation as well as States, the aid United AFL shows the It FLT. Libre important political, provided the Federación to the rights of island workers financial, and organizational support and protected and better hours of work, shorter for higher pay, organize labor unions and strike of Labor also American Federation Samuel Gompers and the labor conditions. their freedom safeguard of assemblycampaigned to free and their rights to speech AFL addition, the and a free press. In provided the FLT the services of paid labor the growth of it facilitated fund benefits. Organizationally, organizers and strike of local the work labor movement and monitoring by commissioning the island’s This assistance allowed the labor unions. organizers and by chartering volunteer FLT survive to of the hostile, and very in the context violent, opposition of often AFLThis essay proves that the local employers and government officials. played a significant part in the history but questions the Rico, of organized labor in Puerto labor history, words: its politics. [Key determined which this influence to extent colonialism] Rico, Libre, Puerto AFL, Federación Samuel Gompers, ARLOS Samuel Gompers and the American of Labor Federation in Puerto Rico C Fredericksen. G. 1904. Photographer Juan, taken in San photo of Gompers, Studio Archives. Memorial The George Meany by permission, from Reprinted, Sanabria(v5).qxd 6/6/05 7:46 PM Page 140 10 11 8 Anderson explained Matos Cintrón Matos reedom.” 7 12 On the other hand, Anderson On the other hand, 6 9 [ 143 ] 5 ederación Libre acted independently of the American Federation of American Federation independentlyederación Libre acted of the American political scientist Robert W. Anderson agreed with Lewis’ analysis of W. American political scientist Robert Blanca Silvestrini also stressed Samuel Gompers’ influence Rican historian Puerto who emphasized of was the influence Carrión another historian Arturo Morales views Samuel Gompers and its most extreme form, this line of interpretation In AFL Cintrón is among those who have claimed the Matos Wilfredo played a declared that while the AFL’s appeal for the extension of democratic rights to Puerto of democratic rights to appeal for the extension AFL’s declared that while the seemed progressive, it wasRico in fact reactionary that it played into the extent to front united that might the anticolonial by weakening interests the hands of U.S. on the island and corporations by U.S. exploited have workers been forged between policies in colonial farm owners who opposed U.S. the commercial local hacendados, Ángel Silén is another Juan interests. their economic as Rico detrimental to Puerto of Labor played in American Federation who emphasized the crucialwriter part the the of political annexation to the process to Rican workers subordinating Puerto the to affiliation Libre’s addition, he argues that the Federación In States. United Santiago Iglesias’ brand of socialism. He viewed Iglesias as a pragmatic leader viewed Iglesias brand of socialism. He Santiago Iglesias’ by the subtleties of European Socialism.” “untouched She acknowledged that the participation movement Rico. in Puerto on the workers’ of FLT an area of disagreement campaigns represented between unions in electoral AFLthe that she concluded Rican labor movement. and the Puerto Nevertheless, of Labor had a significant impact on organized labor in American Federation the by trades and the through its emphasis Rico on the organization of workers Puerto leadership. by its central of strikes control concluded He Rico. of Labor in Puerto American Federation Samuel Gompers and the from he received allies paid a heavy for the powerful and protection price that Iglesias began as a argued that although Iglesias Carrión AFL. Morales Gompers and the to socialist, he became Gompers’ faithful disciple and converted Marxist-influenced and the intricacies constitutionalism, trade unionism, the doctrines of U.S. “American spread its gospel.” of L. used to A.F. politics, and the propaganda the system of U.S. of Labor as agents of the imperialist bourgeoisie American Federation the AFLAs such, the Rico. policy in Puerto and its colonial States as is depicted United addition, Libre. In undermining the militancy and radical politics of Federación AFLGompers and the are portrayed as instrumental in furthering support for U.S. Rico. for Puerto citizenship and statehood on the island. primary imperialism” role in promoting “yankee claimed the AFLclaimed the did indeed strongly Rico. organized labor in Puerto influence “Gompers’s readily argued that at least until 1915 Santiago accepted Iglesias He theory of the political role and nature labor movement.” AFL, the F AFL, the Socialista as a deviation from the founding of Partido he cited As proof, Labor. as a way of “rewarding of using the labor vote friendsGompers’ strategy and punishing enemies.” Americanize Puerto an eager who sought to Gompers represented Carrión, tutor For at Rican labor attitudes, structures, believed and methods. Carrión that “with Iglesias Gompers’ call answer to willing labor] leaders were to the helm, many of [island’s the newaction and embrace strong fatherland and its promised f the establishment of the Partido Socialista, in contradiction to Gompers’ political to Socialista, in contradiction the establishment of Partido he attributed ideas, as the result of partisan nature of island politics. However, Rican political Puerto undoctrinaire and non-ideological politics to the PS’s and Samuel Gompers’ influence. personality, tradition, Santiago Iglesias’ Its membership Its 1 , British scholar 2 He characterized Santiago characterized Iglesias’ He he study of the organized labor 3 [ 142 ] T However, he maintained that although affiliated to the to he maintained that although affiliated However, 4 Puerto Rico, Freedom and Power in the Caribbean and Power Freedom Puerto Rico, Established by urban artisans in 1899, the Federación Libre became an affiliate of Libre became an affiliate Established by urban artisans in 1899, the Federación American Federation This essay focuses on the role that Samuel Gompers and movement in Puerto Rico as represented by the Federación Libre de los Trabajadores Libre de los by the Federación asmovement Rico represented in Puerto Socialista (PS) is of great importance due to and the Partido (FLT) Rico de Puerto Rican society and politics the prominent role these organizations played in Puerto the leadership of Santiago Under during the early century. decades of the twentieth Libre claimed a membership of some 18,000 by 1919 the Federación Pantín, Iglesias labor unions. local and central 143 chartered organized into workers the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in September of 1901. Thereafter, Samuel Thereafter, of 1901. of Labor (AFL) in September American Federation the AFLGompers and the served in Puerto as important allies of organized workers from the by trade, emigrated London to Samuel Gompers, a cigar maker Rico. labor served for the U.S. in 1863. He as States the major spokesperson United of he was the President movement for the year 1895, until his death in 1924. Except of Labor from when it was founded in 1886 until the year American Federation the AFL his leadership, the he died. Under emphasized the organization of skilled by trade and campaigned tirelessly for higher wages, day, work workers a shorter AFLThe for labor union members. conditions working and better functioned as a was a conservative organization that unions. It craft federation of autonomous fervently opposed socialism and the idea of a labor party. during the early century, Rico of Labor played in Puerto decades of the twentieth begins by surveying the controversy that exists It particularly in the years before 1915. labor movement had on organized the U.S. the influence among scholars in regard to AFL highlighting the usefulness of researching After on the island. workers documentary up with a close examination of the rest of article sources, is taken of Labor American Federation the ways in which Samuel Gompers and Rico. in Puerto intervened among organized workers political thinking as “an eloquent confusion of disparate and ill-digested ideas and ill-digested of disparate eloquent confusion political thinking as “an American labor gathered indiscriminately from Spanish syndicalism, and Marxism, of the Gompers style.” Differences of interpretation of interpretation Differences and other social scientists have expressed different interpretations Historians regarding the political ideology of early Rican labor movement Puerto and in American Federation that Samuel Gompers and the the role and influence respect to Trabajadores Libre de los and the Federación Pantín of Labor had on Santiago Iglesias In Rico. de Puerto early labor movementGordon K. Lewis in highly portrayed unflattering the island’s Lewis claimed that fromterms.