Explain the differences in the unionization goals of the AFL President, William

Question

Explain the differences in the unionization goals of the AFL President, William Green versus those of CIO president, John L. Lewis. Which would you side with if you were there? Why?

Explanation / Answer

differences in the unionization goals-->n the CIO, though national unions likewise possess autonomy, the control from CIO headquarters is greater. Some affiliates, such as the steel union, are still in the form of organizing committees, with appointed instead of elected officials. Others were organized only recently, and still lean heavily upon the CIO for advice and sometimes financial assistance. With them the prestige of John L. Lewis and Philip Murray is enormous, far greater than that enjoyed by William Green in most AFL affiliates. Further, regional CIO directors are controlled from Washington headquarters, whereas their closest AFL counterparts, heads of central labor bodies and state federations, are elected by the organizations they lead and are directly responsible only to them. A powerful speaker and strategist, Lewis used the nation's dependence on coal to increase the wages and improve the safety of miners, even during several severe recessions. He masterminded a five-month strike, ensuring that the increase in wages gained during World War I would not be lost. Lewis challenged Samuel Gompers, who had led the AFL for nearly forty years, for the Presidency of the AFL in 1921. William Green, one of his subordinates within the Mine Workers at the time, nominated him; William Hutcheson, the President of the Carpenters, supported him. Gompers won. Three years later, on Gompers' death, Green succeeded him as AFL President.

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