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William Green (U.S. labor leader)

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American trade union leader For other people with the same name, see William Green.

William B. Green
William Green in 1919
Born(1873-03-03)March 3, 1873
Coshocton, Ohio, U.S.
DiedNovember 21, 1952(1952-11-21) (aged 79)
Coshocton, Ohio, U.S.
Resting placeSouth Lawn Cemetery
Occupation(s)Labor leader, coal miner

William B. Green (March 3, 1873 – November 21, 1952) was an American trade union leader. Green is best remembered as the president of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) from 1924 to 1952. He was a strong supporter for labor-management co-operation and was on the frontline for wage and benefit protections and industrial unionism legislation.

As president of the AFL, he continued the development of the federation away from the foundations of "pure and simple unionism" to a more politically active "social reform unionism."

Early life

Green was born March 3, 1873, in Coshocton, Ohio, the son of Welsh immigrants. His father was a coal miner. Green went to work himself in the coal mines in 1889, at 16.

Union career

He became involved in the trade union movement as a young miner and was elected as secretary of the Coshocton Progressive Miners Union in 1891. The Coshocton Progressive Miners Union later became a local of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA). In 1890, Green became the subdistrict president of the UMWA; he became UMWA Ohio district president in 1906.

In 1910, he was elected to the Ohio Senate, where he served as both Senate president pro tempore and Democratic floor leader. As Ohio state senator, Green drafted and got passed a model Workmen's Compensation Act in 1911. His accomplishments as state senator included Progressive Era legislation, including bills to limit the hours of women wage earners, institute a 1% income tax, elect Ohio's US senators by popular vote, and run judicial nonpartisan elections. Green's experience and accomplishments contributed to his appointment as the UMWA's international statistician in 1911 and then as promotion to secretary-treasurer in 1913. He was named to the AFL's Executive Council in 1914 and became Secretary-Treasurer in 1916. His intensive involvement in labor had him serve as one of five delegates to the Paris Peace Conference in 1918.

William Green (Right) with Illinois State Federation of Labor President Reuben Soderstrom, circa 1935

In 1924, he became president of the AFL following the death of Samuel Gompers, he held the position until his own death. In 1933, Green's endeavors persuaded President Franklin D. Roosevelt to appoint him to the Labor Advisory Council of the National Recovery Administration. The following year, Green served on the National Labor Board. Later, President Harry Truman appointed Green to the National Advisory Committee on Mobilization during the Korean War.

He is best remembered for having presided over the split in the AFL, which led to the founding of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).

Strategy

Under Green's presidency in the 1920s, the AFL changed its political strategy of confrontation to one of co-operation. Unlike Green, Gompers had frequently projected an independent and confrontational approach for the federation, despite his affiliation to the National Civic Federation and to the Wilson administration.

Green favored a more co-operative style for the labor movement. He won public support for legislating benefits for all workers and co-operated with employers in the name of mutual self-interest and the collective good. Green supported union-management co-operation in everyday functions at the workplace. He also supported reducing hours of labor, as it would increase the worker's living standards and participation for civic engagement. Ultimately, Green supported a voluntary incomes policy between labor and management, binding higher wages to productivity growth.

Accomplishments

Green's support was critical to winning passage of the Norris-La Guardia Act of 1932, which reduced the practice of labor restrictions and banned the yellow-dog contract. Green was also successful in acquiring federation support for a national unemployment insurance system, sponsored largely by employer donations.

In 1935, Green facilitated the passage of the National Labor Relations Act, aimed at empowering workers' rights to organize and take part in collective bargaining. In 1938, Green helped pass the Fair Labor Standards Act, becoming the first federal law in instituting minimum wages and the 40-hour workweek.

Death

Green died November 21, 1952, at 79 in Coshocton, Ohio. He was buried in South Lawn Cemetery.

Legacy

Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois named its library after Green and colleague Philip Murray in the 1960s to distinguish the functions that unions played in the university's founding in 1945. The library honored their service in American labor and their contributions in funding educational opportunities for everyone. The Chicago Housing Authority named the William Green Homes public housing project after Green. The state of Ohio's Bureau of Workers' Compensation is located in the Willam Green Building, named after Green, in downtown Columbus, Ohio. He is a member of the Labor Hall of Fame.

See also

References

  1. ^ "William F. Green (1873–1952)", AFLCIO.org; accessed February 19, 2016.
  2. Phelan, Craig (1989). William Green: Biography of a Labor Leader. Albany: State University of New York. p. 1. ISBN 0-88706-870-7.
  3. ^ "Biography of William Green". Roosevelt University Library. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
  4. Phelan, Craig (1989). William Green: Biography of a Labor Leader. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. ISBN 9781438416113.
  5. 1996 Labor Hall of Fame article, dol.gov; accessed February 19, 2016.
  6. "William Green". The New York Times. November 22, 1952. p. 22.
  7. "William Green Is Dead at 82. Headed A.F.L. Since 1924. He Succumbs in Ohio After Heart Attack. Meany Is Expected to Succeed Him". The New York Times. November 22, 1952. p. 1.
  8. "Green Is Buried As Town Mourns. Labor Leaders, U. S. Officials Join in a Final Tribute to President of A.F.L.". The New York Times. Coshocton, Ohio (published November 25, 1952). November 24, 1952. p. 22.
  9. Staff (July 30, 1970). "Cabrini-Green Public Housing Project: Chicago Police Officer's Nightmare". The Owosso Argus-Press. Chicago. Associated Press. p. 13. Retrieved May 9, 2023 – via Google News Archive.

Further reading

External links

Trade union offices
Preceded byEdwin Perry Secretary-Treasurer of the United Mine Workers of America
1913–1924 		Succeeded byThomas Kennedy
Preceded bySamuel Gompers President of the American Federation of Labor
1924–1952 		Succeeded byGeorge Meany
Preceded byHenry B. Perham Fifth Vice-President of the American Federation of Labor
1918–1919 		Succeeded byWilliam D. Mahon
Preceded byFrank Duffy fourth Vice-President of the American Federation of Labor
1919–1924 		Succeeded byThomas A. Rickert
Preceded byFrank Duffy Third Vice-President of the American Federation of Labor
1924 		Succeeded byThomas A. Rickert
Ohio Senate
Preceded byNation O. Mather President of the Senate
1911-1914 		Succeeded byCharles John Howard
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