Labor Politics : Vol. I

The workingman's search for political identity is traced in this collection of 33 orations, pamphlets, broadsides, booklets, essays, and reviews. They mark the century-long path along which labor fashioned its own local political parties; sought larger representation in the established parties; fought against the power of the moneyed interests and for essential reforms in land ownership, education and the franchise. The changing attitude of organized workers toward political action and the emphasis of the American Federation of labor on economic organization emerges. LABOR POLITICS points out the nature of AFL "pure and simple" trade unionism and the political effectiveness of rewarding friends and punishing enemies in the political arena as espoused by Gompers. A thousand pages of vital, primary argument, echo today's issues and establish the special nature of labor political action ill the United States.