DEVELOPMENT OF TRADE UNIONS

One of the first trade unions to act was the Order of the Knights of St. Crispin, machines began to take jobs that people used to work in, as business owners found they worked better and more efficiently. The workers were not happy about this and demanded that they get their jobs back and for the machines to not replace people workers. This did not work, and did not change anything, as machines continued to take the jobs which once belonged to people. Later on, trade unions did start to see more promise. The American Federation requested for better working conditions, meaning; better pay, shorter house and better working environment and the request was put forward. Working conditions finally began to improve.
During the 1900’s, trade unions became more powerful in the economy and politics. Today, trade unions are not as powerful as they were once before, although they continue to have an important role in various industries. A few of the large unions that are still around in this modern day include the National Education Associations (teachers), The Service Employees International Union and the Teamsters.