Knights of Labor Declaration of Principles
The alarming development and aggressiveness of great capitalists and
corporations, unless unchecked, will inevitably lead to the pauperization and
hopeless degradation of the toiling masses. The method of checking and
remedying this evil is, first, the organization of all laborers into one great
solidarity, and the direction of their united efforts toward the measures that shall,
by peaceful processes, evolve the working classes out of their present condition
in the wage-system into a co-operative system. This organization does not
profess to a political party, nor does propose to organize a political party but,
nevertheless, it proposes to exercise the right of suffrage in the direction of
obtaining such legislation as shall assist the natural law of development. It is true
that the demands are revolutionary, as it is the purpose of the Order to establish
a new and true standard of individual and national greatness.
From: Workingmen’s Democracy: The Knights of Labor and American Politics.
By Leon Fink
1. What is the context of the document (the author, the purpose and the
audience)?
2. According to the Preamble, what was the main concern of the Knights of
Labor?
3. According to the Knights of Labor what was the solution to the problem?
4. Why would the Knights of Labor make a point to state that they sought
peaceful resolution to this problem?
5. Why would the Knights of Labor specifically state that they had no intention of
forming a political party yet intended to use the power of the ballot to bring about
change?
From the Folks Who Brought You the Weekend
Most of us are familiar with the popular bumper sticker, “Labor Unions – The folks who brought
you the weekend.” And yes, unions did play a pivotal role in the creation of the five-day work
week. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Over the last 170 years, labor unions have done a whole lot more than just establishing the
weekend. We’ve effectively served as the first line of defense against the corporations and
politicians that seek to exploit working class families. We’ve fought tirelessly for better
treatment for workers from all walks of life. And we’ve won some major victories along the way
on issues that affect working families every day.
From improved wages to safer working conditions to fairness and equality in the workplace, the
policies championed by labor unions benefit all working families, regardless as to whether they
themselves belong to a union.
Most of Labor’s major accomplishments have become so engrained in our daily lives that it’s
hard to imagine a time without them. In honor of May Day, which is celebrated around the
world as International Workers’ Day, here are just a few of the hard-fought victories of the labor
movement that we often take for granted:
Child labor laws. Nowadays, the idea of young children working in dangerous and hazardous
conditions is uniformly appalling, but as recently as the early 20th century, child labor was all
too commonplace. In 1881, the very first American Federation of Labor (AFL) national
convention passed a resolution calling on states to ban children under 14 from all gainful
employment, which motivated states to take action and pass child labor policies, and that led up
to the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act – the first federal law in the nation to prohibit child labor.
Occupational health and safety. Prior to 1970, firefighters, mineworkers, those who work
around dangerous chemicals and just about everyone else had absolutely no health and safety
protections at work. But all that changed when labor unions successfully urged President Nixon
— a conservative Republican — to sign the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the first
comprehensive federal legislation that regulates safety in the workplace. OSHA has provided the
basis for more reforms in occupational health, including mine safety laws and standards for
workers who are exposed to toxic chemicals. Unions continue to work daily to enforce OSHA’s
regulations, and also to expand and refine safe protections for all workers.
The eight-hour day. During the industrial revolution of the late 1800’s, workers often toiled for
14 or 16 hours at a stretch with no overtime pay. In May of 1886, a labor strike for the eighthour day led to the now infamous Haymarket Square riot, where striking workers lost their lives
standing up for the core labor ideal of “eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, and eight
hours for what we will.” Workers and unions fought for decades for this basic right, and the
eight-hour day finally became reality for all workers in 1938 with the passage of the Fair Labor
Standards Act. Here in California, we succeeded in securing a strong daily overtime law, and we
continue every day to fight to protect this basic right.
Health care. Up until the mid-2oth century, employer-provided health care was incredibly rare,
but all that changed thanks to the labor movement. In 1943, the National War Labor Board (a
coalition of unions) declared employer contributions for health insurance to be tax free, which
encourages companies to offer health-insurance packages to attract workers. By 1950, “half of
all companies with fewer than 250 workers and two-thirds of all companies with more than 250
workers offered health insurance of one kind or another.” Today, most workers are covered
under employer-provided health care, and we’re a healthier nation because of it. But the fight
against greedy insurance companies is far from over. Unions are constantly advocating for more
affordable and accessible health care for all, and were instrumental in the passage of the
Affordable Care Act of 2009.
Minimum wage. Gone are the days of working for nothing.The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938
established a minimum wage (back then it was 25 cents an hour), and unions have fought year
after year to raise that minimum wage to a living wage that keeps workers out of poverty. Labor
is still fighting to reform the minimum wage so that it increases at the rate of inflation. In
California, labor lobbied for and succeeded in passing a two-step minimum wage increase, which
bumped California’s minimum wage up to $8/hour — $1.50 higher than the federal minimum
wage.
Workplace equality. Unions played a major role in the passage of the Civil Rights Act and Title
VII, which prohibits discrimination by employers or unions on the basis of race, national origin,
color, religion or gender. Fairness and equality in the workplace continues to be a focal issue for
unions in California and around the country, who continually fight for workplace fairness and
equal opportunities for minorities, immigrants, the disabled, members of the LGBT community
and others who are disenfranchised and discriminated against in the workplace.
Unemployment Insurance, Social Security and the Safety Net. As early as the 1830’s, unions –
not the government — first began the practice of providing unemployment assistance to jobless
workers. In the early 20th century, UI legislation started cropping up in dozens of states, and
served as the impetus for the Social Security Act of 1935, which established a uniform system of
unemployment insurance, and also provides aid to dependent children and rehabilitation for the
physically disabled. Labor is still on the front lines every day, defending Social Security and the
safety net from right-wing attacks.
Family and Medical Leave. Balancing work and family has never been easy, and as more women
enter the workforce, that balancing act becomes even tougher – which is why labor staunchly
advocates for new family-friendly workplace policies. In 1993, we passed the federal Family and
Medical Leave Act, allowing parents to take time off to care for a new baby without risking
losing their jobs. Here in California, we took the notion once step further and in 2005, we
became the first state in the nation to pass a Paid Family Leave law, which allows workers to
take that time off without losing all of their income. Never ones to rest on our laurels, we
continue to fight to pass Paid Sick Days legislation, which would allow all Californians to accrue
guaranteed sick leave.
Higher wages. Unions raise the minimum wage standard for all workers, and non-union
employers are compelled to offer comparable wages and benefits in order to attract the best
and brightest. In fact, at the time when most Americans belonged to a union — a period of time
between the 1940?s and 1950?s — income inequality in the U.S. was at its lowest point in the
history of the country. To this day, the labor movement continues to fight to raise the minimum
wage so it keeps up with the rate of inflation, which helps union and non-union workers alike.
when unions are strong, it forces other employers to match wages. So, they actually increase
the pay and improve benefits for non-union workers too. In that way, unions help
everyone…..blue collar, white collar, union and non-union.
Rebecca Band is the California Labor Federation Communications Organizer. She also serves as
blog editor and manages the Labor Federation’s social networks. Follow her on Twitter
@CaliforniaLabor and @becca_band.
Organize the rights gained by the Labor Unions into the following categories:
Rights Gained
Political
Economic
Social
The Disadvantages of Union Membership From an
Employer's Perspective
by Sam Ashe-Edmunds, Demand Media
While unions provide many benefits for workers, they create a variety of disadvantages for employers, including strict
federal labor laws governing the rights of employers in relation to unions. Just because your workforce may unionize
doesn’t mean your relationship with your employees must be adversarial. Understanding some of the disadvantages of
union for employers will help you avoid conflicts and work better with an organized workforce.
Higher Wages
One of the main disadvantages of having your employees unionize is that your labor costs will likely rise. Union
workers make approximately 22 percent more than their non-union counterparts, according to data provided at the
website of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. With collective bargaining, employees are free to talk with each other
before sending a representative on their behalf to negotiate wages, benefits and working conditions, all of which can
lead to higher production costs.
Strikes
If you do not agree to the wage, benefits or workplace rules requested by union members, they are legally allowed to
strike. Federal laws limit your ability to fire striking workers. A strike not only costs you money directly from lost
production, but causes other problems, as well. Publicity from a strike can cause a decrease in sales if sympathetic
customers boycott your products or services. Your vendors and commercial customers may stop working with you,
anticipating that you may not be able to pay your bills or deliver what they buy.
Decreased Human Resources Control
If you promote workers based on parameters such as merit, productivity or other objective means, you may lose this
opportunity with a union workforce. Many unions negotiate workplace rules that promote and protect workers based on
seniority, rather than merit. This means that if you need to terminate a number of workers, you must terminate those
workers you’ve hired most recently, not those workers who are the least productive. Your ability to discipline workers
will also decrease, as union rules and reactions to instances of employee discipline limit your options to deal with
workers you deem poor performers.
More Lawsuits and Arbitrations
With an organized labor force, you are likely to face more challenges to actions you take regarding an employee’s
status. While individual employees might not have the financial resources or will to contest such things as a
termination, a demotion, a lack of promotion, or alleged harassment or discrimination, a union worker may be
encouraged to file a suit or appeal your actions, and may be offered union support to do so.
Extra Accounting
If union members pay dues, they can request that those dues be deducted from their paychecks, adding an extra task for
your accounting department. After you deduct the dues from employees' paychecks, you must then disburse the funds
to the appropriate union account.
What are the most important negative effects of Labor Unions?
On balance, are labor unions beneficial?