AFL conflicts with Brookwood Brookwood Labor College

1 afl conflicts brookwood

1.1 afl control of web
1.2 1923 afl attack on brookwood
1.3 1926 afl investigation of brookwood
1.4 1928 afl attack on brookwood

afl conflicts brookwood
afl control of web

since founding in 1886, american federation of labor had pursued highly conservative, pro-business, craft union approach labor policy. aligned pro-business national civic federation; largely excluded african americans, women, , immigrants unions; , through craft union system largely , purposefully excluded workers benefits of union protection. brookwood s assumption new social order not needed coming conflicted directly vision of afl.

the afl not opposed worker education, however. indeed, sought use worker education own purposes. improve communication among worker education units of labor unions , independent labor colleges, james maurer, john brophy, , j.b.s. hardman co-founded workers education bureau (web) on december 31, 1921. goal reform , liberalize labor policies of afl, popularize emerging concept of industrial unionism, , instill greater sense of militancy in worker-members of afl. maurer elected president of web.

afl policy subvert web. william green, afl s secretary-treasurer, hostile toward organization. in 1922, green began implementing plan burrow within , turn web afl s purposes. same year, afl convention approved cooperative agreement between web , afl, , in 1924 afl asked each of members unions contribute 0.5 percent of annual income web. conservative afl unions began join web, organization began shifting away progressive policy stands. in 1925, web revised constitution deny membership new york workers school, work people s college, rand school of social science, , other labor colleges outside traditional union , afl structure. in 1926, afl recommended unions double spending on adult education, , end of year more 500 international , local afl unions affiliated web.

by 1927, green s plan of burrowing within had succeeded, , majority of web s board of directors conservative afl labor union leaders. year, web had adopted resolutions , constitutional amendments prevented concerning in way trade union politicies , required function strictly educational , research organization . web s new goal educate workers of out of life, if economic system labored under poor one.

1923 afl attack on brookwood

the first afl attack on brookwood came in april 1923. afl president samuel gompers delivered reported speech in accused college of belonging interlocking network of more 50 pacifist , revolutionary organizations of more or less extreme character . gompers pointed large financial donation made brookwood american fund public service (the garland fund), gompers charged communist party-dominated organization trying violently overthrow government of united states. garland fund trustees gently pointed out third of donations had gone afl member unions or sponsored organizations. controversy died down.

for many years after gompers attack, afl officials largely ignored brookwood. in part because college independent, in part because afl believed dominate (and control) workers education efforts , turn them own purposes through workers education bureau.

the 1926 afl investigation of brookwood

samuel gompers died on december 13, 1924, , william green elected president of afl successor. green , afl executive council convinced if labor movement succeed, had market supporter of capitalist system , partner business. every element of progressivism had eliminated labor movement in order make strategy work. meant progressive criticism of afl had silenced.

brookwood s success proved threatening afl, however. on may 1, 1926, muste announced brookwood embark on major fund-raising campaign allow school expand enrollment 100 students per class. 1926 came close, muste said school looking raise $2 million, half of used expand facilities , enrollment , half of used create endowment enhance school s financial stability. brookwood s attempt raise $2 million alarmed afl. if successful, brookwood (which turning away many students accepted) begin graduating enough students flood labor movement staff begin challenging afl s conservative labor policies.

john brophy, insurgent 1926 mine workers presidential candidacy actively supported brookwood faculty , students.

brookwood proved controversial in 1926 in way, too. john l. lewis, president of united mine workers, had largely eliminated opposition leadership of union, , no longer fighting hard against coal mine owners. union contracts being broken, membership in steep decline, , income falling sharply. in june, john brophy, mineworker , brookwood director, forged alliance communists in , out of mine workers defeat lewis in upcoming union election. lewis turned union s allegedly neutral journal against brophy, used union dues pay low-level officials campaign against brophy, , red-baited brophy (who not communist himself) mercilessly. lewis defeated brophy vote of 195,000 85,000 in december 1926. several brookwood faculty , students assisted brophy in unsuccessful campaign against lewis.

these developments alarmed green. throughout 1926, made number of inquiries political beliefs of brookwood faculty , content of brookwood courses. particularly focused on beliefs , activities of faculty member arthur calhoun, avowed marxist. green s inquiries confirmed suspicion college hotbed of radicalism. in april 1927, green made veiled threat against brookwood in pages of afl s magazine, american federationist, arguing worker education should bulwark against rather fomenter of radicalism. events came head following month when martin ryan, president of brotherhood of railway carmen, showed green letter canadian official in union. letter made additional allegations of radicalism against brookwood. green wrote ryan in june 1927 acknowledging brookwood surcharged radical tendencies . later year, green received letters 5 students @ brookwood, claimed may day (then closely associated communist party) , not labor day (the working class holiday promoted afl) celebrated @ brookwood. students further claimed brookwood had formally celebrated anniversary of founding of soviet union; placed pictures of karl marx, vladimir lenin, , leon trotsky throughout school; , hung red banners (the symbol of communist party) on holidays. students claimed brookwood anti-american, anti-religious, , pro-communist. muste unwittingly provided green additional anti-brookwood ammunition in april 1928 when published article in left-wing journal labor age. in piece, muste said working-class people mentally sick, twisted, tied up. workers needed psychoanalyzed...to have thoughts , feelings laid bare before own eyes. know many things not so, living dream world, not real world, in world of fears, illusions, fairies, , bogey men . view of workers afl did not share.

the 1928 afl attack on brookwood

green acted on information collected secretly authorizing afl executive council member matthew woll investigate brookwood further. woll president of international photo-engravers union of north america, afl vice president, 1 of conservative of afl union leaders, , chairman of executive committee of web.

william green, president of american federation of labor, antagonistic brookwood.

woll s report delivered afl executive council in august 1928. report secret, , no full version has ever been released. historians have identified, however, report concluded faculty @ brookwood held left-wing political views, of faculty taught communist philosophies, 3 of them served on faculty of worker s school (which organized , supported communist party), , muste fervent communist. report accused brookwood of hosting pro-soviet demonstrations , teaching anti-religious doctrine , doctrines contrary american federation of labor policies . on august 8, afl leadership advised member unions withdraw moral , financial support brookwood.

the executive council formally ratified august 8 announcement on october 29. muste denounced executive council s action. said asked green hearing on charges many times, received no response. green countered afl asked brookwood respond charges, never did. executive council of teachers union, left-wing educational union led abraham lefkowtiz represented teachers in new york city public school system, voted denounce afl s october 29 action.

brookwood , afl agreed truce in war of words in mid-november. purpose of truce give school time respond charges contained in afl report. part of informal agreement, muste agreed not press overturn executive council s resolution on floor of upcoming afl convention. in return, afl executive council agreed not publish supplementary report contained additional charges against school.

the afl convention opened on november 19, 1928. on november 24, amalgamated association of street , electric railway employees of america asked executive council make august 8 report public unions judge truthfulness , severity of allegations made against school. executive council declined so. brookwood issue did not come before delegates again until november 27. there bitter debate on convention floor regarding accusations. green revealed existence of letter signed 5 students had received in 1927, inflaming delegates. benjamin schlesinger, president of international ladies garment workers union, defended school noting had donated $100,000 union during 1926 strike. james b. rankin, president of international union of mine, mill, , smelter workers, tried undermine woll report declaring brookwood convicted uncertain evidence , without trial or official charges .

the debate on brookwood lasted until november 29, final day of convention. day, executive council re-approved october 29 resolution. same day, in unanimous vote, delegates afl convention approved woll s unreleased report , executive council s october 29 resolution.

the afl convention s action denounced many. john dewey , author , workers education expert marius hansome defended brookwood publicly after convention. many afl unions tried time continue support brookwood, arguing school deserved full, public hearing on charges. in february 1929, 35 brookwood alumni—including several international union vice presidents, labor journal editors, heads of labor colleges, , state federation officials—wrote letter william green protesting afl s action. neither green nor afl executivge council moved. them, issue not academic freedom right of afl maintain control on own policies. brookwood, afl member support, had challenged policies, , afl s right force withdrawal of support.

in january 1929, brookwood labor college expelled web, , muste removed web s executive board. 3 months later, @ april 1929 convention, web adopted 2 new constitutional amendments aimed @ brookwood. first limited membership organizations directly affiliated afl , member unions. second amendment made goal of web partner on worker education solely established colleges , universities. goal of amendments, william green said, deny web s support organization ridicules our policy , undermines work of our leaders . in response these changes, james maurer stepped down president of web. succeeded thomas burke, secretary of united association of journeymen plumbers. delegates brookwood labor college walked out of web s convention after matthew woll led delegates in rejecting of recommendations maurer proposed, , enacting series of changes selection of executive committee, issuance of election calls, , selection of convention delegates intended establish tighter control afl on organization.