Page 118 - Appreciating Organization's Biggest Assets

established until later, as a result the labor movement who had an
of legislation and union activity, agrarian legacy of independence
many employees were dependent and self-sufficiency that offered
on the state of the economy in little in the way of an ideological
their respective sectors. Even the justification for negotiating for
industrial shifts in employment that security benefits. Samuel Gompers,
occurred in the early 20th century the American Federation of Labor’s
as a result of product demand president from 1886 to 1924, spoke
and technical advancements had with the sentiment of the moment.
little effect on how much people who claimed that mandatory
were paid. However, that does not benefits “...weaken independence
imply that actual wages remained of spirit, delegates to outside
constant. Manufacturing workers’ authorities some of the powers and
weekly wages grew gradually opportunities that rightfully belong
over the course of the majority of to wage earners, and breaks down
quinquennia, with notable growth industrial freedom by exercising
occurring during the difficult labor control over workers through a
market conditions of World War I. central bureaucracy,” in 1917.

Workers and their families For households and charitable
faced the financial risks of illness, organizations, the Great Depression
unemployment, and old age because would prove to be too much to
there were no modern benefits. endure. A greater percentage of
The primary source of security was the labor force was unemployed
household savings, with assistance than at any other point in modern
from charitable groups on occasion. American history; estimates of
As a result of their opposition annual average unemployment
to employers or the government approached 25%. In the end, the
interfering in such worker matters, severity of the Depression would act
labor organizations were actually as the catalyst for a shift in labor’s
hesitant to champion the cause attitude toward self-sufficiency,
of economic insurance benefits at which would then pave the way for
this time. American labor unions changes in how American workers
and their members favored a pro- were compensated.
labor capitalist strategy and upheld The New Deal laws passed by
freedom and independence. President Roosevelt brought about
The position of labor could be significant change. In 1935, the
traced to the many members of Federal Government enacted the
Social Security Act with support

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