The Erie Central Labor Union's Political Evolution 1892-1937

Abstract

Early in the twentieth century the United States witnessed radical economic, social and political changes. Industries, taking advantage of America’s plentiful resources, produced fortunes for men who “pulled themselves up by their bootstraps”. Successes, built on the back of cheap labor, raged through the nation, leaving a wake of devastating conditions for all but the business’s owners and managers. Laboring men, believing in the same American dream as the founders of industry, sought their piece of the proverbial pie, but their dismal lives were anything but equal. They lacked the money, property and political alliances to achieve parity. However their growing numbers would provide an unmatched advantage in their struggle, and once organized, this sleeping giant would awaken to establish a foothold for labor in American politics.