www.knightsoflabor.org
The Official Website of the New Knights of Labor

"We are on the eve of organizing a living, breathing Labor Union and the computer will be our tool." S.P. July 22, 2009

 
    Last updated July 22, 2009  

Welcome to the Knights of Labor,

Our goal is to organize ALL workers into a single Union. We hope to offer a plan for workers to bring enthusiasm and creativity to their work, to promote the 6 hour day / 24 hour work week, and to champion the belief that "An Injury to One is the Concern of All."


We believe that the Knights of Labor [ KoL ] were on the right path of organizing Labor and in the justice of their economic and social demands. Three factors, uniquely distinguish the KoL from other labor unions. First, the Knights of Labor called for the creation of a SINGLE labor union for skilled and un-skilled workers alike to strengthen the Union against all opposition. Second, the Knights strongly opposed to the use of the strike. Strikes lead to misery and hardship for workers, and as history proves -- ultimate defeat. Thirdly, the Knights' goal was to establish co-operative businesses owned and operated by members of the union.

   
  Want to keep up with upcoming National Organization efforts, please email.     Above picture taken July 7, 1886  
The Old Knights
The Knights of Labor were founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Uriah Stevens and six other taylors in 1869. They began initially as a secret society structured after Free Masonry with the goal of promoting the organization of working people. The Knights rose to national prominence in the 1880's under the leadership of Terence V. Powerly, "General Master Workman" of the Knights of Labor for a period of 14 years which saw the end of secrecy in 1881 and the growth of the labor union from 10,000 workers to over a million by 1886. At that time the membership consisted of 50,000 African American workers and 10,000 women workers.
   
     
   
   

 
 

President Lincoln

by Terence V. Powderly

Read >

 
 
 
 
• T.V. Powderly on the 8 hour day.
   
"Song for the Knights of Labor" written by Lauren & Mark Arnest
 
• T.V. Powderly on the history & significance of Labor Day.
 
     
     
 

Knightsoflabor.org is happy to announce the recent publication of Knights Down Under on the subject of the Knights of Labor in New Zealand by professor Robert E. Weir, who has written two other books on the Knights of Labor.

 
 

In the United States, the Knights of Labor (KOL) is part of the wreckage of labor history, a nineteenth-century organization of great promise that flamed out quickly and completely. Many scholars (wrongly) see it as little more than a failed experiment that stumbled due to misplace idealism and antiquated notions of fraternalism. In New Zealand, the KOL's story was strikingly different, achieving tremendous success in a remarkably short time. Knights Down Under takes an in-depth look at the organization in New Zealand, and is the first thorough comparative study of KOL in a global context. It call into question assumptions about the newness of globalism, national exceptionalism, the uniqueness of socialist movements, how social movements develop, the nature of leadership, and the possibilities and challenges of transnational organizing.

Read more >

 
     
 

Knights of Labor will soon announce our new platform to the public. In the mean time, take a look at the original  Knights of Labor Platform of 1886.

Partner Website
 
 
www.6hourday.org
Official website for the 6 hour work day / 24 hour week
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