This publication attempts to explain, through historical description, the organizational structure of labor unions in the U.S. and the influence of major unions over the initiation of decision making policies governing their membership. Begun in 1792, with the unification of a group of Philadelphia shoemakers, labor unions spread from local to…

This booklet is part of a series of units designed to help students take and defend a position on public issues. The booklet is premised on the idea that the study of how various labor-related conflicts were resolved in the past can throw light on the problem of how they ought to be resolved here and now. That is why this particular unit looks at…