Changing Norms in American Labor- AFL & IWW In American History

Abstract

The American Federation of Labor and the Industrial Workers of the World left a remarkable impact on the trajectory of the workplace in the United States. An understanding of the influence both these organizations had on the country can put future developments into perspective. There was a contribution by both radical leaning and more moderately oriented inclined parties whose efforts successfully culminated in a re-imagining of American labor. It has historically been the prerogative for many within the record of historiography to discount the radical leanings of the labor movement specifically, but the combination of the various involved groups played a part. This is reflected in the available source material pertaining to the activities of labor organizations. Additionally, the record mirrors that moderately inclined AFL and the more radical IWW were integral in American labor reform.