The American Federation of Labor was founded in 1886 in Columbus, Ohio. Samuel Gompers, who was the first president of the AFL from 1886 to 1924 (excluding 1895), was born in London in 1850 and emigrated to the United States when he was thirteen. The Gompers were a family of Jewish cigar makers, which they retained when they arrived in Manhattan during the Civil War. Samuel Gompers worked as a cigar marker, which led him to become the leader of the cigar makers union and turn it into one of the strongest unions in the nation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay In 1881, Samuel Gompers joined the Federation of Organized Trades and Unions of the United States of America and Canada. The members of these two groups were dissatisfied members of the Knights of Labor. In 1886, the reputation of the Knights of Labor suffered after the events at Haymarket Square. In December of that year, Gompers met with leaders of other craft unions to form the American Federation of Labor. The AFL was made up of groups of smaller craft unions, including the Gompers Cigar Makers Union. The purpose of the AFL was to organize skilled workers into unions made up of others in the same industry. The focus was on members' wages and working conditions rather than political objectives. The AFL only allowed skilled workers to join because Gompers believed that skilled workers had more bargaining power considering that entrepreneurs could not replace them as easily as they could with unskilled workers. In 1892, the AFL's affiliate in the steel industry protested against wage cuts. After the Homestead strike, the steel industry adopted a policy of openness. Craft unions were able to secure collective bargaining on the railroads, but their efforts failed in the Pullman boycott of 1894. Some unionization efforts were more successful (e.g., organizing workers in immigrant sweatshops). The International Ladies' Garment Workers and the Amalgamated Clothing Workers demonstrated that new immigrants could be organized effectively. Unlike the more radical Knights of Labor, the AFL avoided engaging with socialists and anarchists for political gain because it feared that doing so would offend business leaders and entrepreneurs. worsen the worker's chances of obtaining better conditions. By refusing to pursue a radical agenda of political change, Gompers maintained the support of the government and the American public. Gompers was a capitalist who favored trade unionism “pure and simple” and his strategy was to use strikes to force concessions from employers and seek economic gains, such as higher wages, shorter hours and better working conditions. Using this strategy, the AFL has managed to achieve major workplace improvements, such as reduced working hours. These advances made it the most important labor organization in the United States. He proposed that the agreements contain clauses specifying that employers hire only union members and that employees should pay union dues, but employers prefer the open shop, which could employ non-union members. During World War I, membership numbers peaked because the federal government granted numerous concessions to workers and unions. The government hoped to avoid strikes by intervening on behalf of workers with their employers. Please note: this is just one.