Samuel Gompers

Samuel Gompers (January 27, 1850 – December 13, 1924) is an English-born American cigar maker who becomes a labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history.

Gompers founds the American Federation of Labor (AFL), and serves as that organization's president from 1886 to 1894 and from 1895 until his death in 1924.

He promotes harmony among the different craft unions that comprise the AFL, trying to minimize jurisdictional battles.

He promotes "thorough" organization and collective bargaining to secure shorter hours and higher wages, the first essential steps, he believes, to emancipating labor.

He also encourages the AFL to take political action to "elect their friends" and "defeat their enemies".

During the First World War, Gompers and the AFL openly support the war effort, attempting to avoid strikes and boost morale while raising wage rates and expanding membership.

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