I often think of the Knights of Labor, but especially on Labor Day. I’m a retiree member of the American Federation of Teachers who taught history at West Kentucky Community and Technical College in ...

Most Kentuckians probably have never heard of the Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor. It wasn’t a fraternal organization like, say, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. It was 19th ...

The most important labor bodies in the US in the 1860s were certain secret societies whose initiation rites were absurd, fantastic ceremonials conducted by magniloquent officers with high-sounding ...

Labor unions have long been a powerful force in shaping the American workforce and economy. Despite declining union membership in recent decades, their influence remains significant. The 2024 Gallup ...

First annual picnic of the Knights of Labor, 1882. (Niday Picture Library / Alamy Stock Photo / Joseph Keppler) “All men are created equal.” Today, it is difficult to appreciate the radicalism of ...

Here's a somewhat truncated timeline of U.S. labor history I wrote for an exhibit at the Hull House in Chicago. It lacks social and political context, but it does highlight a few of the most important ...

TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Full text is unavailable for this digitized archive article. Subscribers may view the full text of this article in its ...

Labor unions have applauded this year’s “summer of strikes” and an unusually high number of work stoppages as a sign of the resurgence of organized labor in the private sector. An August survey by ...