You looked at five different organizations in this class: The Knights of Labor from 1870 to about 1893; the American Federation of Labor from 1886 to 1955; the Industrial Workers of the World from 1905 to around 1925; the Congress of Industrial Organizations from 1935 to 1955; and the AFL-CIO from 1955 to the present.
These organizations differed in many ways. Tell me about their differences by addressing these questions, one at a time. For each question, discuss all five organizations.
1. Who is welcome to join in terms of skilled and production or unskilled workers?
2. Who is welcome to join in terms or race, ethnicity, or gender?
3. How does a worker become a member? Can anyone join? Can you walk in an office and join the union, or must you work at a worksite to be a member?
4. How moderate or radical was the labor organization? What was their ultimate goal? What was their relationship with state governments and the federal government? For the IWW and AFL which were active at the time, what was their attitude toward U.S. entry into World War I?
5. What were their primary tactics to achieve their goals? What was their stance toward more radical tactics like non-violent civil disobedience, plant occupations, or citywide general strikes?
Finally, looking just at points four and five, how would you compare the goals and tactics of the Chicago Teachers Union in their 2012 contract campaign and strike with these organizations?