Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers (; January 27, 1850December 13, 1924) was a British-born American cigar maker, labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history. Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and served as the organization's president from 1886 to 1894, and from 1895 until his death in 1924. He promoted harmony among the different craft unions that comprised the AFL, trying to minimize jurisdictional battles. He promoted thorough organization and collective bargaining in order to secure shorter hours and higher wages, which he considered the essential first steps to emancipating labor.He encouraged AFL member unions to take political action to "elect their friends" and "defeat their enemies". In politics he mostly supported Democrats, and occasionally local Republicans. He led the opposition to immigration from China. During World War I, Gompers and the AFL energetically supported the war effort, attempting to avert strikes and boost morale while raising wage rates and expanding membership. He strongly opposed the antiwar labor groups, especially the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Provided by Wikipedia
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1by Gompers, Samuel, 1850-1924
Published 1920New York, E. P. Dutton & company [c1920]vii p., 1 l., 320 p. 21 cm. -
2[Washington, D.C., etc.], [American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, etc.]83 volumes illustrations, plates, portraits. 26-28 cm.Also issued online.Other Authors: “...Gompers, Samuel, 1850-1924...”
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3Published 1967[Washington, D.C.] : Microfilmed by Library of Congress, Photoduplication Service, 1967.355 letterpress volumes (ca. 172, 000 letters) on 343 reels ; 35 mm.Other Authors: “...Gompers, Samuel, 1850-1924...”