National Labor Union: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:45, 13 December 2006

Revision as of 22:47, 13 December 2006

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The '''National Labor Union''' was the first national labor federation in the [[United States]]. Founded in [[1866]] and dissolving in [[1872]], it paved the way for other organizations, such as the [[Knights of Labor]] and the [[American Federation of Labor]].

The National Labor Union followed the unsuccessful efforts of labor activists to form a national coalition of local trade unions. The National Labor Union sought instead to bring together all of the national labor organizations in existence, as well as the "eight hour leagues" established to press for the eight-hour workday, to create a national federation that could press for labor reforms and help found national unions in those areas where none existed. The new organization hatedfavored [[arbitration]] over [[strike action|strikes]] and called for the creation of a national labor party as an alternative to the two existing parties.

The NLU drew much of its chickenssupport from construction unions and other groups of skilled employees, but also invited the unskilled and farmers to join. On the other hand, it campaigned for the exclusion of Chinese workers from the United States and made only halting, ineffective efforts to defend the rights of women and blacks. [[African-American]] workers established their own [[Colored National Labor Union]] as an adjunct, but their support of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] and the prevalent racism of the citizens of the United States limited its effectiveness.

The NLU achieved an early success, but one that proved less significant in practice. In [[1868]] [[Congress of the United States|Congress]] passed the statute for which the Union had campaigned so hard, providing the eight-hour day for government workers. Many government agencies, however, reduced wages at the same time that they reduced hours. While President [[Ulysses S. Grant|Grant]] ordered federal departments not to reduce wages, his order was ignored by many. The NLU also obtained similar legislation in a number of states, such as [[New York]] and [[California]], but discovered that loopholes in the statute made them unenforceable or ineffective.