by Stephen Koppekin | Jun 6, 2018 | History of Labor Laws, Labor Laws, Organized Labor, Stephen Koppekin
For a movement that considers common interests above the desires of the few, one would struggle to find a single individual that has accomplished more than Samuel Gompers, founder and longest-serving president of one of the largest unions in American history: the...
by Stephen Koppekin | Jan 23, 2018 | Business, History of Labor Laws, Organized Labor, Political Climate, Stephen Koppekin
The nascent labor unions of the 19th century sought to rally workers in order to secure favorable wages and working conditions, but two divergent strategies emerged over how to best organize them. Advocates of craft unionism supported the belief that unions should...
by Stephen Koppekin | Oct 31, 2017 | Business, History of Labor Laws, Labor Laws, Organized Labor, Stephen Koppekin
At the turn of the 20th century, industrial expansion was the apple of America’s eye. Factories churned out products from silverware to guns to cars at a breakneck pace. A web of railroads tied the country together. Cities began to expand not just out, but up, with...
by Stephen Koppekin | Jul 12, 2017 | Business, History of Labor Laws, Organized Labor, Stephen Koppekin
While there had been scattered strikes in the Thirteen Colonies prior to the Revolutionary War, America’s labor movement did not take root until the mid-19th century. In fact, during the early years of the United States, labor unions were actually considered...