28 dic 1869 año - KOL founded

Descripción:

The Knights of Labor (KOL) was one of the first labor unions in the US. Though founded by Uriah Stephens, it is most closely associated with Terrence Powderly. They were most powerful during the mid-1880s, with 800,000 members by 1886 (20% of all workers).

Their main platform was for an 8-hour workday, but also pushed for an end to child labor and a graduated income tax. They would accomplish this by way of strikes, as well as a "cooperative commonwealth" between workers and companies. The KOL was unique in that it was open to almost all groups of people, including blacks, women, Catholics, and immigrants (though not the Chinese, as they feared their jobs would be taken by them). However, their main demographic was to the working class. Because of this, the union was very diverse and contained many different perspectives. However, they were often the scapegoat for attacks by radicals, as the KOL contained an anarchist sect. The Haymarket Square Riot dealt a huge blow to their movement, as several KOL members were convicted for starting the incident. Ultimately, they were seen as too radical, and were quickly losing members to their rival union, the AFL. In 1890, there were only 100,000 left, with membership quickly declining thereafter. The group persisted with about 50 members until 1949, when it officially disbanded.