American+Federation+of+Labor+(AFL)



The AFL was one of the major labor union in the 1920s and many other unions were affiliated to it. The union was for the skilled workers and gradually replaced the Knights of labor after the bombing of the Haymarket Square riot in 1886, becoming the largest national labor organization. Their views were narrower and more realistic than the Knights, wanted to increase wages, lower work hours, and improve work conditions. Unlike the Knights, the union rejected the idea of strike and thought it was a negotiation tool rather than something that was effective. They mostly committed to a "bread and butter" unionism and in 1889, the AFL went to the International Labor congress in Paris, wanting to make May 1st an international Labor Day. As a result, workers marched a 8 hour day that represented democracy, the right to organize workers, and to memorialize the eight "Martyrs of Chicago".