The American Federation of Labor (AFL) is a labor union organization in the United States. The spelling of the word "American" is pronounced as /əˈmɛrɪkən/ and "Federation" as /ˌfɛdəˈreɪʃən/. The word "Of" is pronounced as /əv/. Finally, "Labor" is spelled as /ˈleɪbər/. Therefore, the IPA phonetic transcription for "American Federation of Labor" is /əˈmɛrɪkən ˌfɛdəˈreɪʃən əv ˈleɪbər/. This organization has a noteworthy history in protecting the rights of American workers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was a national labor organization established in the United States in 1886. It was one of the most influential labor unions of its time and played a crucial role in shaping labor rights and working conditions in America.
The AFL was formed as a federation of skilled craft unions, encompassing workers from a variety of sectors such as manufacturing, transportation, and construction. Its primary goal was to protect the interests of its members and advocate for better wages, improved working conditions, and shorter work hours. The AFL believed in collective bargaining as a means to achieve these objectives.
Under the leadership of prominent figures like Samuel Gompers, the AFL focused on promoting the rights of skilled workers and organizing strikes and boycotts to exert pressure on employers. The federation also actively campaigned for legislative reforms to strengthen labor laws and establish protections for workers.
One of the notable features of the AFL was its commitment to trade unity and exclusivity. It was primarily open to skilled workers and excluded unskilled and semi-skilled workers from membership. This strategy aimed to uphold the value of craft skills and foster solidarity among skilled laborers.
The AFL's approach contrasted with the more radical and inclusive Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) movement, which sought to organize all workers in a single union. Despite ideological differences, both the AFL and IWW contributed to the advancement of workers' rights and significantly shaped labor relations in the United States. The AFL eventually merged with the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in 1955 to form the AFL-CIO, which remains a prominent labor federation in the United States to this day.