Samuel Gompers

Samuel Gompers was a prominent American labor leader who founded and led the American Federation of Labor (AFL) from 1886 until his death in 1924. He focused on improving conditions for workers through organized, pragmatic negotiations with employers, emphasizing better wages, hours, and working conditions. Gompers believed in collective bargaining and crafts-based unionism, advocating for labor rights while maintaining a cooperative relationship with business owners. His leadership helped strengthen the organized labor movement in the United States, making workers’ interests more effectively represented in the workplace.