The Wisconsin State Federation of Labor (WSFL), affiliated with the American Federation of Labor, was the largest federation of labor unions in Wisconsin, from its formation in 1893 at the behest of the Milwaukee Federated Trades Council to its 1958 merger with the smaller CIO-affiliated Wisconsin State Industrial Council to form the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. [1] [2]
A number of WSFL leaders were also elected to public office in Wisconsin, in part due to its roots in and alliance with the Socialist Party, especially Milwaukee's so-called Sewer Socialists.
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a national trade union center that is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 60 national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million active and retired workers. The AFL-CIO engages in substantial political spending and activism, typically in support of progressive and pro-labor policies.
Samuel Gompers 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.
The Communist Party USA and its allies played an important role in the United States labor movement, particularly in the 1930s and 1940s, but wasn't successful either in bringing the labor movement around to its agenda of fighting for socialism and full workers' control over industry, or in converting their influence in any particular union into membership gains for the Party. The CP has had only negligible influence in labor since its supporters' defeat in internal union political battles in the aftermath of World War II and the CIO's expulsion of the unions in which they held the most influence in 1950. After the expulsion of the Communists, organized labor in the United States began a steady decline.
The American Federation of Labor was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL–CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutual support and disappointed in the Knights of Labor. Samuel Gompers was elected the full-time president at its founding convention and was re-elected every year except one until his death in 1924. He became the major spokesperson for the union movement.
John Joseph Sweeney was an American labor leader who served as president of the AFL–CIO from 1995 to 2009.
William George Meany was an American labor union leader for 57 years. He was the key figure in the creation of the AFL–CIO and served as the AFL–CIO's first president, from 1955 to 1979.
The Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions of the United States and Canada (FOTLU) was a federation of labor unions created on November 15, 1881, at Turner Hall in Pittsburgh. It changed its name to the American Federation of Labor (AFL) on December 8, 1886.
Andrew John Biemiller was an American politician and labor union officer.
The Department for Professional Employees, AFL–CIO (DPE) is a semi-autonomous "trade" department of the AFL–CIO, and serves as an advocate for professional workers within the federation, and before legislative bodies, the press and the public.
The Maine AFL–CIO is a federation of AFL–CIO-affiliated labor unions in the state of Maine.
Ben Rubin was a cigar maker, zookeeper, union activist and member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from Milwaukee who served four terms. He was elected in 1930 and served one term as a Socialist. He was later elected as a Progressive on a fusion ticket, serving for six years (1937–1942).
Charles Burhop was a Socialist cigarmaker and saloonkeeper from Sheboygan, Wisconsin who served one term (1919–1920) in the Wisconsin State Assembly.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. County Labor Council (MLKCLC) is the central body of labor organizations in King County, Washington. The MLKCLC is affiliated with the national AFL–CIO, the central labor organization in the United States, which represents more than 13 million working people. Over 125 organizations are affiliated with the MLKCLC, and more than 75,000 working men and women belong to Council-affiliated organizations. Not only does the MLKCLC support labor organizations, but it acts as a voice for the interests and needs of the working people in King County, WA.
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.
David Sigman was an American trade union staff member from Two Rivers, Wisconsin who served three terms as a Republican, then a Progressive member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 2nd Manitowoc County district.
The Pennsylvania AFL–CIO is a federation of labor unions in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania in the United States. It is an affiliate of the AFL–CIO. It was formed on June 9, 1960, by the merger of two predecessor bodies, the Pennsylvania Federation of Labor and the Pennsylvania Industrial Union Council. It can trace its history through its predecessor bodies to 1890.
Emil Antonio Costello was an American furniture worker and labor union activist from Kenosha, Wisconsin who served one term as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from Kenosha County. While he was elected as a Progressive, he was frequently accused of being a communist or fellow traveler who urged others to join the party.
Morris Iushewits or Iushewitz was a union activist and leader of the Newspaper Guild, the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO).
The Indiana AFL–CIO is the Indiana state affiliate of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO), the largest national trade union center in the United States. It was established by a merger between the state affiliates of American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations in 1955. The roughly 400 local affiliates collectively represent approximately 300,000 active and retired workers.
Alice Holz was an American union organizer. She was involved in the foundation of the Office Employees International Union (OPEIU) and served as one of the union's first regional vice presidents.