Labor unions have been around since the mid 1800’s, but the history and culmination of events leading up to the formation of the first labor unions is actually much further back in time. In this case, we will be analyzing main events between 1600-1900 and how they have affected the role of labor unions in society. First, let’s go over background information; labor unions are collective groups of workers of a similar industry who band together, each paying a labor union fee, in order to have the union represent the workers in negotiations and contracts. This allows for the workers to be represented by a singular force rather than every man and woman fighting for him or herself (“Organized” 1).
Covering 300 years, or 3 centuries, is a tall task, especially when covering something as comprehensive as labor unions and the labor movement. In the 1600s, the most prominent events were various strikes as well as Bacon’s Rebellion (Washburn 1). The 1600s were really the first 100 years in which the concept of organized labor truly surfaced and workers started to band together in order to negotiate better pay and working conditions. The first strike was the Jamestown strike of 1619 where Polish workers became upset because they could not vote due to their lack of English blood. This was the first strike that took place on North American soil, and many point to this as the origins of organized labor when truly looking back at America’s founding. Bacon’s Rebellion happened in 1676 where Virginia workers and settlers tried to overthrow the governor of Virginia. This was not a strike, and it was much more violent; one can make the argument that these two events do not reflect organized labor, but they do represent a collective gathering of settlers who have a common concern. This laid the groundwork for the start of the first labor union.
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The early to mid-1700’s were also filled with strikes but not much else. However, in 1792 the first local union was developed within the U.S., and this union did collective bargaining for Philadelphia workers. Two years later, the Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers was formed in Philadelphia (Orso 1). Philadelphia was truly the city that gave birth to collective bargaining in the U.S. In the 1800’s, we start to see more and more people gather in groups to form labor unions and lobby legislators to put in favorable clauses in state constitutions. Additionally, labor groups started fighting battles in the court. In 1806, Commonwealth vs Pullis was a case that was related to a labor strike. While the workers were found guilty and fined, it represents a move from the gathering of workers to protest and strike to a more lobby-focused campaign to influence public policy in support of laborers and workers.
In 1827, the Mechanics’ Union of Trades’ Association was made in Philadelphia, and this was really the major trade union formed in the early 1800’s in the United States. In 1829, a labor union in New York also formed because of the number of hours business owners were trying to implement into a workday. The Workingmen’s Party of NY was formed from this, and it marked the spread of organized labor from Philadelphia to New York. Additionally, in 1842 there was landmark court case in which the Justice in MA ruled that unions were indeed legal. This stamped out all of the efforts by businesses to argue that they were illegal (the federal Supreme Court wasn’t as powerful as it is today back then). In the later half of the century, we see more and more groups form in order to represent workers.
- “Organized Labor.” Ushistory.org, Independence Hall Association, www.ushistory.org/us/37.asp.
- Orso, Anna. “Labor Was Born in Philadelphia: How the City’s Unions Came to Power, and How They Use It.” Billy Penn, 7 Sept. 2015, billypenn.com/2015/09/07/labor-was-born-in-philadelphia-how-the-citys-unions-came-to-power-and-how-they-use-it/.
- Washburn, Wilcomb E. The governor and the rebel: A history of Bacon’s rebellion in Virginia. Published for the Institute of Early American History and Culture at Williamsburg by the University of North Carolina Press, 1957.
