During the
period of War, they of course gladly accepted directly from the
government the basic eight-hour day and the high wages, which under
other circumstances they could have got only by prolonged and bitter
striking. But even more acceptable than these directly bestowed boons
was the indirect one of the right to organize free from anti-union
discriminations by employers. Having been arrested in its expansion, as
we saw, by anti-union employers and especially "trusts," the American
Federation of Labor took advantage of the War situation to overflow new
territory. Once entrenched and the organization well in hand, it thought
it could look to the future with confidence.
FOOTNOTES:
[84] For the developments which led up to this joint move see above,
182-184.
[85] Congress ignored the last-named recommendation which would have
introduced in the United States the Canadian system of "Compulsory
Investigation."
[86] See below, 283-287.
[87] See below, 238-240.
[88] The unions again lost their hold upon the packing industry in the
autumn of 1921.
CHAPTER 11
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
The Armistice with Germany came suddenly and unexpectedly.
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