Skilled Labor:
- Craft unions focused on representing skilled workers in specific trades or crafts, such as carpenters, plumbers, or machinists.
- Membership was often restricted to those who had undergone apprenticeships or demonstrated proficiency in their craft.
- Skilled workers were perceived as having greater bargaining power due to their specialized skills and knowledge.
Economic Objectives:
- Craft unions prioritized bread-and-butter issues such as increasing wages, reducing work hours, and improving safety standards in the workplace.
- They sought to negotiate collective bargaining agreements with employers to secure better terms of employment for their members.
Samuel Gompers:
- Samuel Gompers was a prominent leader of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), a federation of craft unions that he helped found in 1886.
- Gompers believed in collective bargaining, voluntarism (opposing government intervention in labor disputes), and cooperation between unions and employers.
- Under Gompers' leadership, the AFL grew into a powerful force in the labor movement, representing millions of skilled workers.
Trade Unionism:
- Craft unions employed a strategy known as trade unionism, which focused on improving conditions for their specific trade rather than advocating for broader social or political changes.
- They believed that by strengthening the position of skilled workers, they could gain leverage and achieve economic gains without resorting to radical or disruptive actions.
Limitations:
- Craft unions faced challenges in organizing unskilled or semi-skilled workers, who often lacked the same bargaining power and recognition.
- The narrow focus on skilled trades meant that craft unions were not always inclusive of all workers, particularly immigrants, women, and minorities.