Unions and Labor Leaders

Unions and Labor Leaders

                                                   By Collette

Following the Civil War and the tremendous influx of immigrants arriving on American soil, the population tripled, as did the need for workers. The coal industry was one of the first to unionize because of dangerous and horrible working conditions. The first union for coal miners was called the National Labor Union, and its existence was short-lived. The largest labor union was the Order of the Knights of St. Crispin. It was followed by the Knights of Labor in 1869. However, it was the American Federation of Labor formed in 1886 under the leadership of Samuel Gompers that proved the most successful.

The coal industry was known for its low wages, hazardous working conditions, ethnicity and difficulty to organize. Basically, those who fought for miners’ rights organized the workers mine by mine. There were leaders in each mining region, but one of the more interesting leaders was Mary Harris Jones. Emily might have come into contact with her, and she would have been interested in Mother Jones’s passion: ending child labor in the coal mining industry and factories.

The following provides interesting information about labor unions and leaders.

http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_coal_mining_in_the_United_States

http://www.coalcampmemories.com/unions.html

http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/the-early-labor-movement

http://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/1053