Why has the labor movement’s national impact been removed from history?

Question

Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
American Federation of Labor (AFL)
the Wobblies
the Free Speech Fights
the Southern Lumber Operators Association
Big Bill Haywood
Italian workers in the Washington Mills
the famed Lawrence Textile strike

All those who organized parades, where the slogan “Bread and Roses” appeared, signifying the demand for both food and respect.


The words of Ralph Chaplin remind us, “In our hands is placed a power greater than their hoarded gold, greater than the might of armies magnified a thousand fold, we can bring to birth a new world from the ashes of the old, for the union makes us strong!”

Answer 1

As corporate interests have gained total control in this country they have not had to pay any attention to workers' demands. The laws favor their unjust practices, so there is no recourse. During the cold war era, anything that suggested "communsim" or "socialism" was condemned. Currently, workers themselves often have no idea at all of how their meager remaining benefits were originally won--history is taught from the viewpoint of power after all, and in that view the unions are best forgotten. Now, people are so alienated from the political process they don't even see the possibility of mass movements having any effect. It is easier to bury oneself in consumerism than to try to mobilize your local community.

Answer 2

If I am understanding your question correctly, and sorry if I am not, I think it is because of the corruption and politic-ism of labor unions. They now seem more concerned with their connections to political parties and lobbies, or their own preservation. The connections with organized crime in the '60s and '70s do not help either. I was a 14 year member or a union myself, and would not have been had it not been required by my former company. And just as a side note, my union was composed primarily of former executives of the industry. Industry execs would semi-retire, then serve as union execs, so, you could imagine where my old unions loyalties were. How could former execs of an industry go on to represent the labor force of the industry? Unions are not even a shadow of their former selves.

Answer 3

The American Labour movement depended on Union Organizers, and the Management of unions depended on inside, home grown leadership.

Starting with Ronald Regan, the republicans have worked hard to repress Unions, and have repeatedly offered sanctuary and amnesty to illegal aliens with the deliberate intent on undermining the union class with what would have blatantly been called scabbs well up until the 80s.

Answer 4

That's a good question, since conservatives claim that the teacher's union controls the schools. But I went to school more than 20 years ago and I don't recall being taught about those subjects.

Answer 5

I guess corporations and the business world in general think that money just "grows" in consumer's pockets, right? That there's no other half to the equation. "What goes around, comes around" can and does apply to money, also.