farm work on land owned by more powerful
people, called lords. Unlike slaves,
serfs could not be sold. However, they
were not free to leave the land.
In the towns of Europe in the Middle
Ages, some products required special
skills to make. The people who made
and sold them were called craftsmen. A
group called a guild controlled each
craft. There were guilds for weavers,
blacksmiths, bakers, painters, and many
other types of craftsmen. A young person
learned a craft as an unpaid helper
called an apprentice. Adult workers,
called journeymen, got pay. A business
owner was called a master.
A great change in the way people
worked began in the 1700s, during the
Industrial Revolution. Inventors created
machines that made it easy to produce
many goods quickly in factories. Many
people went from working on farms and
in craft workshops to working in factories.
Factory workers did not need special
skills, so the guilds disappeared.
Factory workers usually worked long
hours in unhealthy working conditions.
Before 1833,
children as
young as 4
years old were
put to work in
Great Britain’s
cloth industry.
An illustration shows serfs working the land
during the Middle Ages.
96 Labor BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Their pay was very low. Many children
worked in factories, too.
Labor Movements
Workers soon began movements to
demand better treatment from their
employers. Many workers formed
groups called labor unions, or trade
unions. Unions often call for workers to
strike, or stop working, until employers
meet their needs.
United States
In the United States, skilled craft workers
formed the first labor unions. Several
nationwide labor groups started after the
American CivilWar. For example, trade
unions founded the American Federation
of Labor (AFL) in the 1880s.
In the 1930s the U.S. government
finally gave workers real help. The
National Labor Relations Act of 1935
gave workers the right to join a union.
Other laws stopped child labor, helped
unemployed workers, made wages
higher, and shortened working hours.
In 1936 several unions formed the Congress
of Industrial Organizations (CIO).
The CIO supported workers in big
industries like steel, automobiles, and
rubber. By the end of the 1930s, unions
represented almost 30 percent of U.S.
workers.
The AFL and the CIO joined together
in 1955. The new organization, called
the AFL-CIO, was a leading force in
U.S. politics. The AFL-CIO worked for
job safety, equal rights for women and
minorities, and bigger pensions (payments
to retired people).
In the last part of the 20th century,
union membership decreased in the
United States. This was partly because
companies were moving factory jobs
outside the United States. Early in the
21st century, only 8 percent of workers
for private companies belonged to
unions. However, more than 35 percent
of government workers were in unions.
Europe
European workers also had a long
struggle for better pay and better
working conditions. In Europe,
however, labor unions usually combined
with political parties, or groups, that
supported socialism. Socialism is a
political system in which the
government owns certain kinds of
businesses. The goal of socialism is to
spread wealth more evenly. In many
The first
nationwide
union in the
United States
was for printers.
It was created
in 1852.
In the past most people worked on farms or
in their homes. Today factories and other
businesses employ many people.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Labor 97
countries, socialist parties got
governments to provide generous
benefits to workers. Union membership
was higher in Europe than in the
United States.
AfterWorldWar II (1939–45), many
countries in eastern Europe had Communist
governments. Communism is a
political system in which the workers
share all property, based on their abilites
and needs. Labor unions actually had
little power in Communist countries.
The governments controlled the unions
completely.
However, in the early 1980s workers in
Poland formed a union that became very
powerful. The union was named Solidarnosc
(Solidarity). At first the government
banned the union. But the
workers continued to hold protests and
strikes. They asked for a role in the government
in addition to better working
conditions. Eventually the government
allowed Solidarity members to participate
in elections. This led to the end of
Communist rule in Poland.
Other Regions
In Asia and Africa, workers often
started labor movements during the
time their countries were fighting for
independence from European powers.
In South America, labor unions
sometimes joined with governments to
protect workers.
Several countries formed the International
Labour Organization (ILO) in
1919. It is now an agency of the United
Nations. The ILO protects the rights of
workers and unions. It also helps countries
to create fair labor laws.
#More to explore
Communism • Industrial Revolution
• Slavery • Socialism
Labor Day
Labor Day is a holiday that honors all
workers. It also signifies the end of summer.
The holiday is celebrated on the
first Monday in September in the
United States and Canada.Workers of
all kinds enjoy the day off. It is a time
