Working Women: Strong Unions

In some settings, women were able to form strong unions with the support of men. An example were the collar makers of Troy, New York. The city of Troy had two major industries: collar making and iron works. Women were generally employed in the collar making industry, while their husbands, brothers and fathers worked in the iron industry. Because of these working patterns, women were not considered a threat to the male union workers. The iron industry was unionized and the iron tradition was in the families of many of the collar workers. Collar workers had strong networks of friends, family, and co-workers, and many women of various ages and marital statuses became active in the union.




In 1881, the Knights of Labor began to recruit women, and in 1886 hired Lenora Barry as the first full time organizer. Yet, even she believed that men were meant to be the "breadwinner" and women should not have to work for wages, but the realities of the industrial age forced women to work, and these women's' lots would be improved by organizing.





Most locals of the American Federation of Labor refused to accept female members. But, in 1892, under pressure from women, they half-heartily hired Mary E. Kenny as an organizer. Between 1903 and 1923, there was a large increase in the number of working women, however, the AFL did not take the golden opportunity to unionize these women because the male leadership still had the view that a women's place was in the home, and organized women primarily when it was a benefit to male members.



Sources:


Blewett, Mary H. "The Sexual Division of Labor and the Artisan Tradition in Early Industrial Capitalism: The Case of New England Shoemaking, 1780-1860". To Toil the Livelong Day. pg 35-46


America's Working Women. "Union Organizing". pg 98-99, "The AFL View". pg 162-163.


Photos:http://www.teachersparadise.com/ency/en/media/a/a7/kollarge.jpeg, http://staff.harrisonburg.k12.va.us/~cwalton/USHistory/AFL.jpg