John L. Lewis – Achievements in the labor movement

John L. Lewis

What where John L. Lewis greatest achievements as a labor leader? It is said that one of his greatest realization was in the securing of medical care for the coal miners. It was under his leadership, that an agreement was made between the government and the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) which resulted in the building of eight hospitals and various clinics around the coal mining regions. These facilities help give the much needed medical attention to the coal miners who often times suffered from black-lung disease due to their line of work. Lewis was a huge lobbyist on the behalf of workers’ compensation and mine safety legislation. Like so many other labor leaders fighting for recognition and better working conditions Lewis now led the largest and most influential union in the country. His tactics and measures like using the nation’s dependence on coal to maintain union membership proved to be effective in his efforts to achieve rights for miners. He also successfully organized a five-month strike to preserve the wage gains they had won during the war. However, something I found truly fascinating was how quickly he changed his political affiliation in attempts to gain support for his ideas. Lewis was raised Republican and even allied himself with the GOP during the 1920s however, when Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president in 1932 Lewis sought support from the Democratic party. In fact it proved to be the right move for him because the Democrats seem to be more receptive than the Republicans have been towards his ideas. And as a result of his efforts in 1933 he was able to the Congress pass the National Industrial Recovery Act. This act would ensure stable employment and guarantee workers right to organize and bargain collectively.

Here are a few links for more information on labor movements and where they originated from. This link provides some brief history on the United Mine Workers of America http://www.umwa.org/?q=content/brief-history-umwa

For more information on how John L. Lewis help shape the history of the united states visit : http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1625.html

Also for more information on other labor leaders and their history whether from the past or in the present and how they contribute or have contributed to the equality and justice in the working conditions visit http://history.osu.edu/publications/labor-leaders-america

A. Philip Randolph and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters

Another great labor leader who helped in the movement of change towards the justice and rights of working men was Asa Philip Randolph. Randolph played a part in the founding of the modern civil rights movement and was a persistent leader in the struggle for economic fairness and equality for the black American community. Randolph along with some of his followers together formed the first AfricanAmerican labor union the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. When the main form of long-distance transportation was through the railroad porters who would assist passengers aboard or handle baggage were for the most part almost all African- American men.

In 1925 Randolph began to organize workers even though the American Federation of Labor (AFL) at that time barred blacks from membership however he took his union into the AFL and built the first successful black trade union. After a fight with AFL due to their failure to fight against discrimination and thus the brotherhood to the newly formed congress of industrial organizations (CIO).  He then turned his attention to African-American employment in the federal government. “He warned president Franklin D. Roosevelt that he would lead thousands of blacks in protest a march on Washington, D.C.” (encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.) 250,000 man march on Washington for freedom and jobs in 1963.

As a result of this President Roosevelt issued an executive order barring discrimination in defense industries and created the Fair Employment Practices Committee.

It is amazing how dedication and persistence in what you believe can wield such great strength and as a result have astonishing outcomes.

You should visit the History channel to receive more great information regarding A. Philip Randolph as well as other historic moments.

 

 

 

 

 

Jimmy Hoffa

Probably one of the most controversial labor leaders of his day Jimmy Hoffa was a national power and president of an organization known as the Teamsters Union from 1957 to 1971. His feuds with John and Robert Kennedy made Hoffa a classic labor leader of his day.

First let us take a step back and see who Jimmy Hoffa was before he became a prominent leader of the Teamster organization and had ties with the Mafia or organized crime. In his early years Hoffa worked as a delivery boy after school but decided to drop out around the 9^th grade just as the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression brought massive layoffs and business failures. With the help of a friend Hoffa snagged a job at the Kroger Grocery and Baking Company. There he began his job of unloading produce from railroad cars for 32 cents an hour which was pretty good considering the massive loss of jobs and lines of food during this time. Although the pay was decent there was a downside to his new job. The problem was that workers were required to report at 4:30pm for a 12 hour shift, and here is where the downside came in with that time workers only got paid for the time that they actually worked (unloaded produce) therefore, for the rest of the time they would sit around idle and unpaid, waiting to be called but unable to leave the premises.

One day in 1931 after two workers were fired for leaving work for their midnight dinner, Hoffa and some of his associates acted and called for a work stoppage. Faced with perishable cargo that needed to be stored, Kroger management quickly agreed to meet and make a negotiation if workers would resume their duties. After several day of negotiating, Hoffa announced that he had a union contract. This contract included a raise of 13 cents an hour, the guarantee of at least a half a day’s pay per day, an insurance plan, and recognition of the union.

Next Hoffa would land a job as a full-time organizer for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. However, organizing a union in the 30s was often difficult and dangerous, activists would often times be labeled as “rebel outsiders, radicals, communists or anarchists.” However, power for the Teamsters grew as did Hoffa’s power. In 1952 he was appointed international vice president of the organization. And in 1953 Hoffa negotiated for all  drivers in 20 Midwestern and southern states and sought to bring more people into the unified Teamster bargaining network.

Around the 1950s is when things begin to unravel and Hoffa goes under investigation for running corrupt practices through his organization. It begins with McClellan Committee, who investigates improper labor practices by a convicted labor racketeer John Dioguardi. Dioguardi had said that Hoffa  had manipulated union funds for his own profit and had accepted payoffs from trucking companies however, no proof was found and charges were dropped.   Continuing on Hoffa later helped bring the nations trucking industry under one labor agreement, boosting members’ wages and paving the way for a comfortable middle class lifestyle.

Yet with Hoffas rise in power he could not shake law enforcement agencies for they charged that his empire thrived on violence, fraud and misuse of union money. It was during the Kennedy administration when a government investigation took place and resulted that the Teamsters Union was charged with fund fraud, jury tampering, and conspiracy being leveled against Hoffa. Hoffa was convicted and sentenced to prison for thirteen years. However, after only serving four years President Nixon had him released there was rumor that a deal was struck between the two. Following a meeting with Mafia bosses, Hoffa mysteriously disappeared it is assumed the Mafia ordered his murder and he was declared dead in 1982.

More information on Hoffa can be found on the Detroit news link The Day Jimmy Hoffa Didn’t Come Home    and for more on his disappearance check out this link The Disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa

Here is a brief video of the Kennedy trial I briefly discussed early about the accusations against Hoffa

 

 

Walter Reuther – United Autoworkers Union

Walter Reuther, president of the United Auto Workers union.

Reuther began his union career in the automotive industry around 1930. In 1933 Reuther joined the Ford Motor Company but due to his union activities it resulted in him losing his job. During this time the Great Depression had taken over and it was difficult for him to find work. Because of this he decided to the leave the United States to seek employment elsewhere. He eventually found employment in the Soviet Union working for an automobile factory. However, he found the lack of political freedom to be overwhelming and decided to come back to the United States. On his return he was able to find work at General Motors and there he became an active member of the United Automobile Workers(UAW).Gradually Reuther became a prominent figure in the UAW and was thus elected president in 1946.

As an executive board member of the United Automobile Workers association and a leading chief labor leader he was able to gain attention when he proposed using the automobile factories to produce military aircrafts. Apart from this he has led numerous strikes that helped to change the auto industry from insecure, low-paying, part-time jobs to secure, full-time, well-paying jobs.

Now in a leading position Reuther was strongly disliked by conservative parties especially concerning his support for civil rights and social welfare legislation. What is interesting about Reuther is he served as an advisor to Democratic presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. Together they worked to secure the civil rights for African-Americans, and to pass social welfare legislation that would improve the lives of poor Americans.

Here is a quick video of Walter Reuther taking part of the merger between  AFL and CIO :Join Forces 1955 Newsreel

I have included an additional link to the AFL-CIO American Union Movement. The site provides much information about the union movement and leaderships in those unions such as Walter Reuther. I’ve also include another great video just extra information on his position of the Taft Hartley Act

AFL-CIO

Taft-Hartley Act C-SPAN video

Cesar Chavez – American agrarian labor leader

“The love for justice that is in us is not only the best part of our being but it is also the most true to our nature.” (Chavez)

Early on Chavez new that he wanted a better life for not only himself but for his family. His thoughts were that if he worked hard enough and worked his way up then he could get out of the circle of poverty and even send his children to college. So he began by working the fields of California from Brawley to Oxnard, Atascadero, Gonzales, King City, Salinas, McFarland, Delano, Wasco, Selma, Kingsburg, and Mendota.

After some time Chavez found himself influenced by Father Donald McDonnell, when together they often talked about farm workers and strikes, which then led him to another very influential figure in his life Fred Ross. From this point on Chavez would be on his path as a union leader. And in 1962 Cesar founded the National Farm Workers Association, later to become the United Farm Workers – the UFW.

However, Chavez is best known for initiating a national boycott of table grapes to support his union’s efforts to unionize the grape industry. It was 1970 and the UFW got grape growers to accept union contracts and had effectively organized most of that industry. Through Chavez’s leadership and nonviolent tactics he was able to gain national attention on farm workers problems.  Cesar made sure to open the eyes of people and expose the struggles of farm workers in their efforts to receive better pay and safer working conditions. Cesar Chavez worked diligently with his union so that the importance and dignity of all farm workers be recognized.

What truly I find remarkable is how it does not take violence or piety tactics to gain attention to a cause he was able to achieve what he set out to do through his nonviolent strategy (boycotts, pickets ,fasts, marches and strikes). Like Cesar Chavez states:

“We have proved it before through persistence, hard work, faith and willingness to sacrifice. We can win and keep our own self-respect and build a great union that will secure the spirit of all people if we do it through a rededication and recommitment to the struggle for justice through nonviolence”

Here is a short video and link for more information depicting the dedication of a strong nonviolent labor leader Cesar Chavez enjoy!

United Farm Workers

Important U.S. Labor Leaders: Caesar Chavez

Labor Leader Mary Harris “Mother Jones”

A unique lady who never stopped crusading for the rights of laborers well into her death was Mary Harris.  She was a fiery speaker and organizer for the first two decades of the 20^th century for the Mine workers. Apart from being a fiery speaker she also embodied rather unusual organizational methods while welcoming all types of people, African-American workers, women, and children to join the strikes. One example is when she organized miners’ wives into teams armed with mops and brooms to guard the mines against outsides. She staged parades with children carrying signs that read, “We Want to Go to School and Not to the Mines.”

Another great example of her nontraditional ways of organization was in 1903, when she led a children’s march of 100 children from the textile mills of Philadelphia to New York City “to show the New York millionaires our grievances.” She led the children all the way to President Theodore Roosevelt’s Long Island home.

Mary Harris moved from town to town in support of workers’ struggles. In Kansas City, she did advance work for a group of unemployed men who marched on Washington, D.C. to demand jobs. While in Birmingham, Ala., she helped black and white miners during a nationwide coal strike. She also help organize a massive show of support for Eugene Debs, the leader of the American Railway Union.

It was 1897 when she was first being referred to as “Mother Jones”. It began after addressing the railway union convention that summer, when  9,000-members of Mine Workers called a nationwide strike of bituminous (soft coal) miners and tens of thousands of miners laid down their tools, Mary arrived in Pittsburgh to assist them. She became “Mother Jones” to millions of working men and women across the country for her efforts on behalf of the miners.

For more great information on Mary Harris “Mother Jones” and other great labor history visit the National Women’s History Museum http://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/biography/biographies/mary-harris-mother-jones/

Section 7 of the National Relations Act:

SECTION 7 of the National Relations Act:

Employees shall have the right to self-organization, to form, join, or

Assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through

Representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in other

Concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or

 Other mutual aid and protection.