Featured Image Above: The Samuel Gompers Memorial. In 1886, Gompers formed the AFL, or the American Federation of Labor. From then until the late 1990s’, most American labor unions supported the basic ideas of individual liberty that created America. They rejected the communism, socialism, and May First holiday of most labor unions elsewhere in the world.
Communist and socialist leaders claimed that society was divided into privileged and non-privileged classes. To them, people who owned businesses, farms, and real estate were a privileged class, who they called the “bourgeoisie”.
Everyone else was part of an oppressed class of “proletarians” or “working families”. These people were employed by others and rented their homes.
Communists and socialists wanted unions to have political power and run the government and most businesses. Some wanted to do this by forming socialist, communist or labor parties to win elections. Others called for violence, riots and armed revolutions.
However, the ultimate goal for all of them was for government or big corporations to take wealth, property and power from the “bourgeoisie” who had “too much” and give it to “proletarians” or “working families” who had too little.
Until recently few Americans took these socialists or communists seriously. Everybody had friends and family members who began as “proletarians” with almost nothing and used talent, skill and hard work to achieve spectacular success and join the “bourgeoisie”. America had been a “land of boundless opportunities” for more than 300 years. For years, how much wealth or success a person had usually depended on his or her talent, skills, work and achievement. In communist and socialist countries, only a handful of insiders with political power and influence can achieve such wealth and success.
Our Declaration of Independence of 1776 recognizes this. We are all created equal and endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. To secure these rights, governments are instituted exercising their just powers with the consent of the governed. Our government promotes “the general welfare” by giving each individual opportunities to succeed and the freedom to take advantage of them.
In 1886, Samuel Gompers formed the AFL, the American Federation of Labor. Gompers rejected the socialist and communist ideas of most labor unions in the world. Gompers did not want his unions to run the businesses their members worked for. He didn’t want the government to run them or tax away their profits. Gompers wanted the private owners of these businesses to be free to succeed and make money. Gompers knew that this was the only way union members could get more pay, work fewer hours and have better working conditions. They know that if union members demanded and got too much, they would put their employers out of business and end up with nothing. At that time, most American unions supported limits on immigration to also raise wages.
On May 1, 1886, communists and socialists provoked deadly riots and attacked and killed police in Chicago. Their unions later created the May First holiday to show support for those riots and to celebrate their achievements. American labor unions rejected that holiday and celebrated Labor Day and its three-day weekend in September.
Above Image: On May 1 of 1886, Communists brought guns and bombs to a peaceful demonstration by union members at Haymarket Square in Chicago and attacked and killed police. Communist and socialist labor unions around the world then made May First a holiday to celebrate their achievements. Until recently labor unions in America rejected that May First holiday. They instead celebrate the success of American workers with Labor Day and a three-day weekend in September.
1. American labor unions did not want the government and politicians to run the companies they worked for. They wanted to work for successful, privately owned businesses. American union leaders knew that their members workers earned more, worked less, were safer and enjoyed better benefits and working conditions when they worked for successful companies that took care of their customers and earned profits. They also knew that Americans enjoyed and wide choice of high quality, affordable products when they were produced by private companies in a free market.
2. Until the 1960’s, American Labor Unions did NOT represent teachers or other government employees. Unions that represent government employees are different from unions that represent employees of private companies. Unions of government employees can demand and get whatever hikes in pay and benefits they want because the government can always raise taxes to pay for them. Private companies go out of business if their unions demand and get too much because private companies either have to raise prices or lose money. Most unions for companies that do construction work are very much like unions for government employees. That is because most big construction companies get most of their income from government contracts.
3. For years, America had the richest and most comfortable middle class in the world. American workers produced more, worked fewer hours, and had better pay, pensions, health care and working conditions than any other workers in the world. However, unions had nothing to do with this. All this came about during the 1920’s when unions were very weak and conservative Republicans ran the country. These Republicans did several things to create America’s unique middle class. First, they put new strict limits on immigration. Only 100,000 immigrants were allowed into America every year. At the same time, they cut taxes and regulations and paid down the federal debt from World War One. This created a shortage of labor that increased wages. This forced businesses to invent and invest in new machined and production system to make expensive workers profitable. This is what made Americans the most productive and best paid people in the world. All that changed when America dramatically increased legal immigration in 1965, and greatly increased both legal and illegal immigration since the 1980s. That caused widespread declines of real wages and the destruction of much of America’s middle class. Since 1995, most American labor unions have supported massive legal and illegal immigration, even though this hurts their members.
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