Part three of our series examining the origin of paid staff and paid union officers looks at the connection to union contracts and insurance plans in the early AFL.
The First Union Bureaucracy: Paid Officers and Staff in the Knights of Labor, 1869 – 1917
Robin J Cartwright explores the rise of paid officers and staff in the Knights of Labor and the corruption that ensued. The second in a multi-part series exploring the history of paid officers and staff in labor unions.
Unions Before Union Bureaucracy: Paid Officers and Staff in American Labor Unions, 1799-1878
Robin J Cartwright delves into the history of the use of paid officers and staff in labor unions. The first in a multi-part series.
Union capacity at the expense of worker power: A critique of Dimick
Robin J. Cartwright responds to Matt Dimick’s “Counterfeit Liberty.”
When and Why Did Unions Start Signing Contracts?
Robin J. Cartwright explores the historical origins of “workplace contractualism” in the U.S. — the predominant model of unionism, whereby workers and employers negotiate a contract. He notes that employers themselves pushed for the contract […]