Future of UnionsFor the purposes of this paper, I have chosen to discuss the future of labor unions in regards to their initial perception of being strictly beneficial in providing better wages, hours, and working conditions for employees, to their recent decline of memberships over the last few decades. With the booming of technology and the outsourcing of jobs, unions have had a hard time convincing employees that their benefits are worth the union dues or fees that employees have to pay. To detail where unions currently stand in the workforce, its origination and some key facts regarding its past dealings must first be acknowledged.
For instance, one of the first major labor unions was the Knights of Labor (KOL) which was led by Terrence Powderly. According to the article “Labor Unions” by Eric Eichhorn, the main issues of the KOL were to “acquire equal pay for men and women, initiate an income tax upon the wealthy, dissolve the federal banking system, and enact prohibition”(2009). It even wanted to establish less working hours. Under the leadership of Powderly, the KOL reached its highest membership enrollment of a little more than 700,000 workers. However, because Powderly was opposed to organizing strikes, some of the more outspoken and aggressive members began to break away from his leadership and eventually formed their own union.
The Knights of Labor became one of the leading labor groups in the country to wage a civil war on behalf of women in the textile industry. In August 1892, Powderly, who was only 20 years old, joined the group and demanded that his daughter, Anne, and three of his family members should return the garment workers back to their factory. This led to the formation of the Brotherhood of Labor Workers, organized under the name of the Knights of Labor. But the Knights of Labor was led by the “Mighty Knights” ‮the “Redeemer of Labor,” who was the leader and chief of the Knights’ executive committee, who was the most anti-women the organization had ever had. This, however, also led to the formation of the Brotherhood of Labor Workers, which was the organization that was first formed in 1892 with the intention of gaining power for its members.
After the formation of the Black Knights, the KOL was largely replaced by the “Mountain Knights.” The Knights of Labor were a largely male-dominated group that included a handful of the most active workers (1892), many who did not have many others to fill the positions of their own. The Knights did not have any women members and lacked a high-ranking leadership figure such as some members of the Executive Committee of the Knights. The Knights was an organized and secretive group while the Knights were organized in the traditional capitalist way. It had several leaders (including women) including a group chief, and two other members who acted as committee members. But some could also change organizational affiliations with political leaders such as the Knights of Labor Workers or with the General Labor Council, as they did for the most part in the organization’s early days. The Knights also had very few women members. Despite the lack of any women members at the end of the organization, this meant that some of the more prominent Knights were male, such as the Grand Master of the Knights of Labor, Prince Charles, and his wife Lady Victoria, who was married to Prince Philip.
The Knights of Labor Workers were one of the many organizations that was organized as a “classical strike” with the intent of getting out the working-class masses of the United States. A class of strikes were conducted by workers living in low-wage workplaces as well as by those who were working below the minimum wage. While workers had to pay full wages to their employers for work, the majority of workers felt that they deserved more. When the Knights waged an strike to protest the unjust treatment of female workers, the movement began to grow. When the Knights took to the streets, they often chanted “Women, Men” in solidarity of those who were “stunned” by
There was a huge riot known as the Haymarket Riot, in Chicago, that some conclude to be the origination of the breakdown of Powderly’s leadership. Cops were injured and the union was viewed as being violent. A few of the KOL members were arrested and sentenced to death. During this time, Powderly gave a public speech acknowledging that there was no connection between the men charged for the crimes and the KOL. He again admitted that he was against strikes and violence of any kind. Many members were angry because they felt betrayed. This gave rise to the formation of other large union federations.