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American Labor Unions: an Outline of Growth and Structure. INSTITUTION State Univ DOCUMENT RESUME ED 073 291 VT 018 997 AUTHOR Richardson, Reed C. TITLE American Labor Unions: An Outline of Growth and Structure. INSTITUTION State Univ. of New York, Ithaca. School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell Univ. REPORT NO ILR-Bull -30 11. PUB DATE 70 NOTE 25p.; 2nd Edition AVAILABLE FROM.Publications Division, New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850 (Single copy free, except for $.25 handling charge, additional copies $1.00 each; Out-of-State $1.00 each) EDRS PRICE MF-46:65-711C-$3.29 DESCRIPTORS Federal Legislation; *Labor Demands; Labor Legislation; *Labor Problems; *Labor Unions; *Policy Formation; Power Structure; Pyramid Organization; Union Members ABSTRACT This publication attempts to explain, through historical description, the organizationalstructure of labor unions in the U.S. and the influence of major unionsover the initiation of decision making policies governing their membership. Begun in1792, with the unification of a group of Philadelphia shoemakers,labor unions spread from local to national by 1860. Competition of products side by side in the same market or townas well as that experienced from immigrants entering the country in increasing numbers,soon led to the development of the American Federation of Labor (AFL),an organization which brought together national trade unions. The enactment of federal legislation in 1930 which protected the worker caused a tremendous increase in union membership. In 1938 the Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO), whichwas later changed to the Congress of Industrial Organizations was establishedas a result of confusion and differences of opinion within the AFL.A merger between the two groups produced the currently existing AFL-CIO from which state and city-wide organizations have emerged, each having a certain interdependence, yet maintaininga great degree of autonomy. (SN) FILMED FROM BESTAVAILABLE COPY American LABOR UNION-S- anoutline of growth and structure by REED C. RICHARDSON Ot,t.010 ,.r I It ILR BULLETIN NUMBER 30 s' r-4 U.S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEENREPRO OUCEO EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATIONORIG. INATING IT. POINTS OF VIEW OR OPIN IONS STATED 00 NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OFEOU CATION POSITION OR POUCY LJ American Labor Unions an outline of growth andstructure by REED C. RICHARDSON BULLETIN 30 SECOND EDITION NEW YORK STATE SCHOOLOF INDUSTRIAL AND LABOR RELATIONS CORNELL UNIVERSITY, ITHACA, NEW YORK A publication of the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations, a Statutory College of the State University, Cornell University, Ithaca, New. York 14850 q Fmsr Enrnorz: 1955 2nd printing, 1956 3rd printing, 1965 SECOND EDMON: 1970 There is a handling charge of 25¢ for each order unless accompanied by full payment. New York State orders: Single copy free (except for 250 handling charge) Additional copies $1.00 each Out-of-state orders: $1.00 per copy Bulk orders (5 or more) 10% discount Order from: PUBLICATIONS DIVISION, ILR School Contents `S&e and Significance of Organized Labor Today 1 Historical Evolution of Labor Structure 2 The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) 10 National and International Unions A.. 16 Local 19 General Summary 20 Organizational Charts 4, 6,8, 9 ifi lif About the Author THE author was born on December 3, 1917 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He received his undergraduate training at the University of Utah and the Utah State Agricultural College. After serving with the United States Army for nearly five years during World War II, he continued his education at the University of California in Berkeley, where he received the MA. degree. He joined the staff of the Economics Department of the University of Utah in 1947. On leave of absence from Utah, he completed the requirements for the Ph.D. degree in 1955 at Cornell University in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. His major field was Labor Union History and Admin- istration. A recent addition to his publications is The Locomotive Engineer, I863-1963 A Century of Railway Labor Relations and Work Rules. Dr. Richardson is now Professor of Economics and Management and heads the Institute of Industrial Relations at the University of Utah. ti SIZE- and SIGNIFICANCE of ORGANIZED LABOR TODAY FROM a role of obscurity, the laborof 19.1million in 1966. Numbers union movement advanced so rapidly alone, however, do not indicate the after 1935 that today no single inter-great infNence that organized labor est group is more important, eco-has in o ir lives today. Reference to nomically,politically,orsocially.the strikes= of the past twentyyears Professor Arthur M. Schlesinger ofis ample proof that organized labor Harvard University considered theunions, especially those located in growth of organized labor one of thesuch strategic industries as transpor- ten outstanding developments of the tation,steel,coal, maritime, and first half of the twentieth century,automobile, exercise a much great- sharing thisdistinction with sucher economic and social power over tremendous events as the two Worldcur lives than mere membership Wars, the Great Depression of the figures would indicate. For example, 1930's, and the harnessing of atomic when the Steelworkers go outon energy. strike, it affects not only the workers In1933,there were 2,857,000on strike and their families but it workers who belonged to unions.affects the users of steel, suchas the With the protection given to work-automobile industry, the appliance ers by the legislation of the 1930's,'industry,manufacturersoffarm membership climbed rapidly to aequipment, and numerous other in- peak of about 18 million workers in dustries.Themanufacturerslose unions in 1956. From 1956, becausebusiness, th, workers lose wages,re- of a decline in employment, particu- tail stores lose sales. larly in manufacturing, membership Organized labor's roleas an im- declined to 17.6 million in 1962. Sus- portant cog in our industrial ma- tained economic activity and organi-chine, its constant pressure for better zationefforts among governmentworking conditions, and itsmore re- workers resulted in a rapid increasecent role in the fields of health and in membership from 1964 to 1966,welfare and community service have bringing total membership toa highbrought benefits to workers andto the nation as a whole far beyond 1 Guarantee of right to organize with- out interference from the employer. Em- 2 This does not mean that strikesare ployer required to bargain collectively inalways caused by labor groups. Manage- good faith with authorized representatives ment, by its actions, may cause labor to of employees. strike. 1 the limits of the union group itself. We shall be concerned here with Although much' .publicized,theonly one aspect of the labor move- political power of unions- is still anmenthow it is organized. We trust unknown _quantity. For instance, dothat this study, along with others, workers vote for a certain politicalwill help to increase the reader's party because they are workers andability to understand what he reads members of a union, or do workersand hears each day about organized vote for a certain political party forlabor. Above all,itis hoped the any of a number of other reasons,reader will realize that in regard to such as family tradition, influence ofthe everyday, real affairs of unions, its the area in which they live, theiris very difficult to make general state- religiousbeliefs,or the economicments which are true of all unions or climate of the time? Until we caneven of large portions of organized definitelydeterminethat workerslabor. Unions are extremely varied vote for a particular party becauseand complex in their structure and they are members of a union, it re-operation. It simply is not possible to mains very difficult to say that theresay that because one union develops is any such thing as a definite laboror behaves in a certain, way this is vote. typical of all unions. HISTORICAL EVOLUTION of LABOR STRUCTURE DURING the period between the As long as the markets for the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, thegoodsproducedbylaborwere markets in which goods were sold chiefly local, organizations of local were mainly local. A primary reason nature were sufficient to protect the fOi--such a state of affairs was therights of the workers. lack of adequate and cheap transpor- As a result, beginning with the tation facilities to enable goods to beshoemakers of Philadelphia, organ- shipped and sold profitably from one ized in 1792, the labor organizations area to another. It is true that canalswhich developed between the Revo- were being built in several areas inlutionary and Civil Wars were al- the 1820's and that the railroad wasmost exclusively local in scope.' introduced in the 1830's, but it took Thus, the broad base and, to be time for the effect of these improve-sure, the backbone of labor organi- _ ments irA transportation to be felt. 1 A short-lived attempt was made in Not until the Civil War did markets 1834 to form a general organization of become nationwide in the full mean-all labor in the United States. A few national. trade unions were organized in ing of the term. the 1850's. 2 zationthe local unionwascon-petitivc advantage over another be- ceived and born early inour history.cause of wage differences. This base has broadened until bythe In other cases where the market end of 1966 there were 76,496 localwas still local, such as in the print- unions. ing trades, the need fora national National union was brought about by the competition of migratory workers As long as the marketswere local,coming into town and offering their the problems of laborwere also pri-services for less than the established marily local. But with the rapidex- town workers. A national union of pansion of transportation, especiallyprinters was formed, which then railroads, during and after the Civilattempted to control the actions of War, markets for many goods speed-these migratory workers by issuing ily became nationwide.
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