American Federation of Labour definition of American Federation of Labour in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

American Federation of Labor

(AFL), a trade union organization in the USA, in existence during 1881–1955. It was called the Federation of Organized Trade Unions of the USA and Canada until 1886, when it became the AFL.

The AFL primarily united the qualified upper stratum of the working class. The trade unions of the AFL were basically organized around a skilled handicraft which hindered the unification of workers in a particular enterprise or an entire industry. During its first years the AFL played an important role in the battle for the eight-hour working day. However, as a result of the politics espoused by right-wing professional leaders—S. Gompers and others—the AFL had already been transformed into an antisocialist, conservative organization by the end of the 19th century. The leaders of the AFL made it difficult in many ways for nonqualified workers, especially Negroes and also immigrants, to enter the trade unions. The right-wing leadership of the AFL pursued a policy of class collaboration with employers, opposed independent participation of the working class in political struggles, and supported the internal and external policies of the rulers of the USA on the most important issues. After the victory of the October Revolution in Russia, the leadership of the AFL adopted a position extremely hostile to Soviet Russia and encouraged the intervention of the USA against the Soviet republic. The leaders of the AFL opposed the creation of the World Federation of Trade Unions (1945) and then took an active part in organizing the dissident International Conference of Free Trade Unions.

In 1955 the AFL (with approximately 10 million members) merged with the Congress of Industrial Organizations to form a professional amalgamation, the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations.

REFERENCES

Lenin, V. I. “Sekretariu ‘Ligi sotsialisticheskoi propagandy,’ “ Poln. sobr. soch., 5th ed., vol. 27.
Lenin, V. I. “Detskaia bolezn’ ‘levizny’ v kommunizme.” Poln. sobr. soch., vol. 41.
Zubok, L. I. Ocherk istorii SSA. Moscow, 1956. Pages 90–93.
Foner, P. Istoriia rabochego dvizheniia v SSA, vols. 1–4. Moscow, 1949–69. (Translated from English.)
Askol’dova, S. M. Nachalo massovogo rabochego dvizheniia v SSA. Moscow, 1966.

L. F. KHITROV

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No references found	The threat is serious enough for Brendan Barber, the TUC general secretary, and Stewart Acuff, director of organising at the TUC's American equivalent, the American Federation of Labour and Congress of Industrial Organisations (AFL-CIO), to have announced this month that the two organisations were joining forces to "thwart employer efforts on both sides of the Atlantic to demonise trade unions and scare employees from joining up". Divide and rule by guardian.co.uk / guardian.co.uk In the US the American Federation of Labour and Congress of International Organizations (AFL-CIO) campaigns for legalization and rights of undocumented immigrant workers as does the Service Employees International Union and United Farm Workers. Act & Resist by New Internationalist The government of Mauritius has been warned that if working conditions do not improve in the EPZs, the American Federation of Labour and European trade unions might launch world-wide campaigns to alert consumers about the unacceptable working conditions. Trade unions bite back by Misser, Francois / African Business	American Bell American Bird Conservancy American Birkebeiner American bond American boreal faunal region American boring system American Bracketed style American Broadcasting Company American caisson American Canoe Association American Cave Conservation Association American Civil Liberties Union American Civil War American Colonial architecture American Colonial Revival American Colonization Society American concentration camps American Conservation Association American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac American explosive American Express Co. American Farmland Trust American Federation of Labor American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations American Federation of Labour American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees American Federation of Teachers American Film Institute American filter American football American Forests American Foulbrood American four-square house American foxhound American Fur Co. American Fur Company American Geographical Society American Gothic American Hiking Society American Historical Association American holly American hophornbeam American hornbeam American Indian American Indian Heritage Month American Indian Languages American Indian Literatures American Indian Movement American Indian religions, North American Indian religions, South	American Federalist Party American Federation for Aging Research American Federation for Clinical Research American Federation for Medical Research American Federation of Arts American Federation of Astrologers American Federation of Aviculture American Federation of Clinical Oncologic Societies American Federation of Express Workers American Federation of Fictitious Archaeologists American Federation of Film Producers American Federation of Government Employees American Federation of Grain Millers American Federation of Herpetoculturists American Federation of Home Health Agencies American Federation of Information Processing American Federation of Information Processing Societies American Federation of Jazz Societies American Federation of Labor American Federation of Labor American Federation of Labor American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations American Federation of Labor—Congress of Industrial Organizations American Federation of Labour American Federation of Martial Arts American Federation of Mineralogical Societies American Federation of Motorcyclists American Federation of Musicians American Federation of Musicians & Employers Pension Fund American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada American Federation of Muslims from India American Federation of New Zealand Rabbit Breeders American Federation of Old West Reenactors American Federation of Police & Concerned Citizens American Federation of Radio and Television Artists American Federation of Radio Artists American Federation of Railroad Police, Inc. American Federation of Railway Workers American Federation of School Administrators American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees American Federation of State Employees American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees American Federation of Strength Athletes American Federation of Teachers American Federation of Teachers American Federation of Teachers Communications Association American Federation of Teachers Educational Foundation

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The threat is serious enough for Brendan Barber, the TUC general secretary, and Stewart Acuff, director of organising at the TUC's American equivalent, the American Federation of Labour and Congress of Industrial Organisations (AFL-CIO), to have announced this month that the two organisations were joining forces to "thwart employer efforts on both sides of the Atlantic to demonise trade unions and scare employees from joining up".

Divide and rule by guardian.co.uk / guardian.co.uk

In the US the American Federation of Labour and Congress of International Organizations (AFL-CIO) campaigns for legalization and rights of undocumented immigrant workers as does the Service Employees International Union and United Farm Workers.

Act & Resist by New Internationalist

The government of Mauritius has been warned that if working conditions do not improve in the EPZs, the American Federation of Labour and European trade unions might launch world-wide campaigns to alert consumers about the unacceptable working conditions.

Trade unions bite back by Misser, Francois / African Business

American Bell

American Bird Conservancy

American Birkebeiner

American bond

American boreal faunal region

American boring system

American Bracketed style

American Broadcasting Company

American caisson

American Canoe Association

American Cave Conservation Association