The Growth of Unions in America

Labor unions are organizations designed to protect workers and advocate for better pay and conditions. Today there are many – but that hasn’t always been the case.

1790s – 1800s: Craft Unions

Before labor unions, people often worked long hours with little pay – and, since child labor protection laws did not exist, that even included children. In the 1790s, craft unions began. These were made up of skilled workers in particular trades, such as carpentry, printing, and shoemaking. During this time, the first known US strike was organized by the Philadelphia Shoemakers, also known as cordwainers, in 1794 over wages. However, that strike had some negative consequences. The employers took the issue to court in a case that later became known as the Philadelphia Cordwainers’ Conspiracy, and, in 1806, the striking workers were prosecuted and convicted for conspiring to raise their wages, which set a precedent that criminalized strikes and unions.

Some influential people of that time included Thomas Skidmore and Mathew Carey.

Thomas Skidmore was an advocate for workers’ rights and one of the founders of the New York Working Men’s Party in 1829, which was the first political party in the country to be organized by and for workers.

Mathew Carey was a publisher and economist who published pamphlets and other writings to demonstrate the struggles of American workers.

Unionization Grows

The 1820s and 1830s saw the beginning of more organized labor advancements. In 1827, the first and most noticeable labor organization formed: Mechanics’ Union of Trade Associations in Philadelphia. The was the first time workers from different trades joined together to demand better pay and conditions. In 1834, the National Trades’ Union formed. Its plan had been to bring together various craft unions from different cities; however, in 1837, an economic depression saw the end of that.

The next significant labor organization was established in 1866. The National Labor Union’s goal was to unite workers across different trades and to fight for an eight-hour work week. It dissolved in the 1870s, but it played a significant role in how unions would later be formed. By 1900, 7% of American workers were union members – and by the middle of the century, the number got as high as 32%. At the end of the 1900s, 14% of American workers belonged to unions. Today, there are more than 60 unions representing more than 14 million workers throughout the country. No matter the type of work, there’s probably a union to represent it. It’s a very different labor landscape indeed.

From the earliest craft unions of the 1790s to the powerful labor movements of the 19th and 20th centuries, these unions and the people who led them fought for workers’ rights. They standardized an eight-hour workday, inspired minimum wages and set industry pay standards, took children out of the workplace and advocated for the equal treatment of women and people of color. Today’s labor unions still hold strikes and lobby* for things like increased pay, more paid time off, a shorter work week, and, now, to protect human workers from being replaced or exploited by artificial intelligence.