The Order of the Knights of St. Crispin was an American labor union of shoe workers formed in Wisconsin in 1867. It soon reached a membership of 50,000 or more, largely in the Northeast. However it was poorly organized and faded away by 1874. They fought to prevent innovation, including the introduction of new machinery, and worked to keep immigrant labor out of the workforce. [1]
The first lodge of the Knights of St. Crispin was organized in 1867 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As a union of shoemakers, it took its name from the Catholic Saint Crispin, the patron saint of cobblers. The founding members were Newell Daniels, Samuel Wilson, W. C. Haynes, Albert Jenkins, Thomas Houren, F. W. Wallace and Henry Palmer. [2] [3] The Order spread throughout Wisconsin and the Northeast and even into Canada. By 1871 it claimed about 400 lodges with 50,000 to 60,000 members. Dues paying members were far fewer. In Milwaukee the Knights owned and operated three cooperative shops. In 1872 some eastern lodges went on strike and suffered a crushing defeat, after which the organization rapidly declined. [4] The order was revived in 1875 in Lynn, Massachusetts and defeated an attempt by the manufacturers to force their workers to sign a pledge not to join a union. [5] In its heyday the Knights fought against employment of Chinese workers and tried to stop the training of new workers so as to keep wages high. The Panic of 1873 caused heavy layoffs in the factories and the Knights lost members rapidly. [6]
One provision in its constitution explicitly sought to limit the entry of "green hands" into the trade. That effort failed because the new machines could be operated by semi-skilled workers and produce more shoes than hand sewing.
A trade union or labor union, often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages and benefits, improving working conditions, improving safety standards, establishing complaint procedures, developing rules governing status of employees and protecting and increasing the bargaining power of workers.
Craft unionism refers to a model of trade unionism in which workers are organised based on the particular craft or trade in which they work. It contrasts with industrial unionism, in which all workers in the same industry are organized into the same union, regardless of differences in skill.
A cordwainer is a shoemaker who makes new shoes from new leather. The cordwainer's trade can be contrasted with the cobbler's trade, according to a tradition in Britain that restricted cobblers to repairing shoes. This usage distinction is not universally observed, as the word cobbler is widely used for tradespersons who make or repair shoes.
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear.
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John Brophy (1883–1963) was an important figure in the United Mine Workers of America (UWMA) in the 1920s and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in the 1930s and 1940s. He was the last major challenger to John L. Lewis' power within the UMWA and, after Lewis hired him back, a key leader within the CIO.
The Trades and Labor Congress of Canada was a Canada-wide central federation of trade unions from 1886 to 1956. It was founded at the initiative of the Toronto Trades and Labour Council and the Knights of Labor. It was the third attempt at a national labour federation to be formed in Canada: it succeeded the Canadian Labour Union which existed from 1873 to 1877 and the Canadian Labour Congress which held only one conference in 1881.
The Bay View massacre was the result of a strike held on May 4, 1886, by 7,000 building-trades workers and 5,000 Polish laborers who had organized at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to strike against their employers, demanding the enforcement of an eight-hour work day.
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Trade unions in Germany have a history reaching back to the German revolution in 1848, and still play an important role in the German economy and society.
Selig Perlman was an economist and labor historian at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Labor federation competition in the United States is a history of the labor movement, considering U.S. labor organizations and federations that have been regional, national, or international in scope, and that have united organizations of disparate groups of workers. Union philosophy and ideology changed from one period to another, conflicting at times. Government actions have controlled, or legislated against particular industrial actions or labor entities, resulting in the diminishing of one labor federation entity or the advance of another.
John Catlin was an American lawyer, politician, public official, and officer within the railroad industry. Catlin served as acting governor of the Wisconsin Territory from June 23, 1848, until March 3, 1849.
Henry J. Ohl Jr. was a Wisconsin typographer and trade union leader, president for many years of the Wisconsin State Federation of Labor (WSFL). He also served one term as a Socialist member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from Milwaukee.
The Daughters of St. Crispin was an American labor union of female shoemakers, founded in Lynn, Massachusetts on July 28, 1869, and was the first national women's labor union in the United States.
The History of trade unions in the United Kingdom covers British trade union organisation, activity, ideas, politics, and impact, from the early 19th century to the recent past. For current status see Trade unions in the United Kingdom.
Trade unions in Pakistan are regulated under provincial industrial relations acts. Under the Constitution of Pakistan, labour is considered a shared responsibility of the federal and provincial governments. The latest Industrial Relation Act was promulgated on 12 March 2012 by President of Pakistan. National Industrial Relations Commission (NIRC) was established under Labour Policy, 1972 as a quasi-judicial authority to promote genuine trade unionism, setting up industry-wise federations of unions and at the national levels. According to NIRC, in 2016 there were 1,390 trade unions with registered 1.4 million members. There are 16 registered federations and the ratio of total union members to total employment is 2.2%.
The Amalgamated Society of Boot and Shoe Makers (AABS) was a trade union representing workers involved in shoemaking in the United Kingdom.
The International Federation of Boot and Shoe Operatives and Leather Workers was a global union federation representing unions of shoemakers and leather workers, principally in Europe.
Jack Barbash (1910–1994) was a labor economist best known for helping negotiate the merger of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) back into the American Federation of Labor (AFL) to form the AFL–CIO in 1955.
