Samuel Gompers (1850 - 1924)

Sun Jan 27, 1850

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Samuel Gompers, born on this day in 1850, was a founder of the American Federation of Labor, serving as its president for 38 years. Gompers expelled radicals from the AFL, promoted trade unionism, and advocated for racist immigration policies.

Although Gompers began his career sympathetic to socialist and Georgist thought, he became increasingly conservative throughout his career, making “peace” with capitalist labor relations rather than seeking to abolish them. This led to a split in the labor movement, with the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) representing the more radical advocacy of labor interests via industrial unionism.

As AFL President, Gompers promoted collaboration among the different craft unions that comprised the AFL and supported collective bargaining to secure shorter hours and higher wages for laborers.

Gompers also successfully promoted anti-immigrant and anti-socialist politics using the influence of the AFL, endorsing the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and supporting the U.S. government and its entry into World War I as the state arrested anti-war union leaders.

Gompers was particularly critical of the IWW, stating “the IWWs…are exactly what the Bolsheviki are in Russia, and we have seen what the IWW Bolsheviki in Russia have done for the working people.”