AMERICAN LABOR MOVEMENTS IN THE 1930s
Labor Unions started forming in the United States in the 1860s due to poor working conditions created by the Industrial Revolution. Strikes were common throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Many of the labor organizations listed below participated in important strikes that resulted in landmark changes. In the 1930s, labor conditions were extremely exploitative. There were long hours, no minimum wage, and no health and safety regulations. American volunteers who joined the fight in Spain against Franco’s military uprising often came from Unions and the labor movements that fought for social progress and rights.
Library of Congress. “Labor Unions during the Great Depression and New Deal.”
American Labor Party (ALP)
The American Labor Party (ALP) was a left-wing political party founded in 1936 by former leaders of the Socialist Party of America and supporters of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The party operated exclusively in New York and was active from 1936 to 1956. The ALP’s main goal, in their own words, was “sufficient planned utilization of the natural economy so that coal, oil, timber, water, and other natural resources that belong to the American people… shall be protected from predatory interests.” The ALP counted among its members Michael Sidorovich, one of the signatories of the fan. The ALP dissolved in 1955 due to low membership.
John Simkin. “American Labor Party.” Spartacus-Educational.
VCU Libraries. Social Welfare History Project. “American Labor Party: 1936.”
International Seamen’s Union (ISU)
The International Seamen’s Union (ISU) was a maritime trade union founded in 1892. It had a profound impact on the shipping industry in the United States and helped pass the Seamen’s Act of 1915, which dramatically changed the lives of American sailors. The Union also participated in the West Coast longshoreman’s strike of 1934, the San Francisco strike, the Auto-Lite Strike, and the Minneapolis Teamsters strike of 1934. Following internal strife, the ISU split into the National Maritime Union and the Seafarer’s International Union. The ISU recruited many volunteers who used their experience as sailors in the Spanish Civil War. Frank Madigan, one of the signatories of the fan, was probably a member of the ISU before he joined the Sailors’ Union of the Pacific (SUP).
Seafarers International Union, “SIU & Maritime History.”
Waterfront Workers History Project. “Maritime Workers and Their Unions”
American Federation of Labor (AFL)
The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was an alliance of craft unions in the United States from 1886 to 1955. It was the largest American union before merging with the Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO) in 1955. Members of the AFL went to Spain to fight Franco’s Nationalists. Among the signatories of the fan, at least two belonged to unions affiliated with the AFL: Bob Steffens (Warehouse Workers in San Mateo, California) and John Palu (Building Service Union in Brooklyn, NY.)
Ohio History Central. “American Federation of Labor.”
Sailors Union of the Pacific (SUP)
The Sailors Union of the Pacific (SUP) was an American labor union founded in 1885. It was highly successful in getting sailors more rights through strikes and legal victories. For example, the SUP was part of the movement that passed the Seamen’s Act of 1915, considered the “Magna Carta” for sailors. The SUP participated in the 1934 West Coast Maritime strike, which granted more rights to longshoremen. Many SUP members fought in the Spanish Civil War. Frank Madigan, John Stuivenberg, and Maurice Hawkins, three of the men who signed the fan, belonged to the SUP.
Sailors’ Union of the Pacific. “History.”
Waterfront Workers History Project. “Sailors Union of the Pacific.”
Maritime Federation of the Pacific
Maritime Federation of the Pacific was founded in 1935 between waterfront workers, seamen, and cannery workers. It had a visible presence in California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. The organization folded in 1942 due to ideological differences within the organization. Harold Dean, one of the signatories of the fan, was a member of the Maritime Federation of the Pacific.
ArchiveGrid : Maritime Federation of the Pacific Coast records, 1935-1942.
ILWU. Local30. “Voice of the Federation.”
Waterfront Workers History Project. “Maritime Workers and Their Unions”
Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO)
The Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO) was founded when it split from the American Federation of Labor in 1935. It participated in the 1936 Rubber Strike and the 1937 Steel Strike. The CIO eventually merged again with the American Federation of Labor in 1955. CIO members also joined the International Brigades in Spain. Michael Sidorovich, a signatory of the fan, belonged to a union affiliated with the CIO: the Federation of Architects, Engineers, Chemists, and Technicians, in New York.
Mapping American Social Movements Project. “CIO Unions History and Geography.”
Ohio History Central. “Committee for Industrial Organization.”
United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE)
The United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) was founded in March 1936 by the Committee for Industrial Organization as a result of the merging of smaller unions. It was officially chartered in 1938. The UE won victories with a successful strike against the Radio Corporation of America and the successful organizing of union members in General Electric and General Motors. Harry Moshier, a signer of the fan, was a member of the UE.
UE GALLERY: “UE History. CIO Charter.”
Wisconsin Labor History. “United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America.”
Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC)
The Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC) was founded by the Committee for Industrial Organization in 1936. Since 1873, there were numerous attempts at organizing steel workers until the SWOC was successfully formed. It participated in the 1937 walkout known as the “Little Steel Strike” for better working conditions. However, this strike ended in defeat. The SWOC was also present at the “1937 Memorial Day Massacre,” in which ten people were killed and 67 wounded. In 1942, the SWOC was disbanded. Harry Moshier, a signatory of the fan, was a member of the SWOC.
United Steel Workers. “Our History.”
Minnesota Farm Labor Party (MFLP)
The Minnesota Farm Labor Party (MFLP) was a socialist-leaning political party that dominated Minnesota politics from 1918 to 1944. It produced three governors, four senators, and eight representatives. It emerged from the populist Farm-Labor movement and eventually merged with the Democratic Party in 1944. Some of its members became international volunteers in Spain. A signatory of the fan, Harry Moshier, was a member of the MFLP.
Tom O’Connell. “Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party, 1924-1944.” Mnopedia.
John Simkin. “Farmer-Labor Party.” Spartacus-Educational.
Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT)
Learn more about the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT), translated as National Confederation of Labor.