Welcome to AFL-CIO : Origins and Divisions!
This exhibit serves to educate readers on the origins and divisions of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). Both organizations were created with the hope of uniting American unions into a single movement to better secure workers’ earnings. In 1955, the two organizations merged, creating the largest federation of unions in the United States.
This exhibit was created to provide greater context to the New York City Labor History Map. This map began as a joint project between the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives and the New York Labor History Association (NYLHA). This map documents the history of workers in New York City and their struggles to gain concessions including the eight-hour work day, better pay, improved working conditions, decent and affordable housing, collective bargaining rights, healthcare, and pension plans. It also documents aspects of the city’s political and social history, major union leaders and contributors, and their work to better conditions for workers.
The exhibit focuses on the AFL-CIO because of the contributions these organizations made to New York City’s labor history. While the AFL-CIO does not appear as a single point on the map, its logo can be seen in pictures and it is mentioned in other point texts. The AFL-CIO supported many other unions featured on the map in their movements and struggles including the Cigar Makers International Union, Associated Actors and Artistes of America, Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the Jewish Labor Committee, and many more. This exhibit will explain the history of the AFL and the CIO, starting from their origins to their division and finally to their ultimate reunification.