American Federation of Labor Press Photo Archive Documenting Union Leadership and the Fight for Labor Representation from the Great Depression through World War II
- 1924
1924. AFL leadership press photo archive, documenting council meetings, conventions, White House visits, and interunion conferences by the American Federation of Labor, 1924-1943. William Green succeeded Samuel Gompers as AFL president in 1924 and led the federation through the Depression, the New Deal labor laws, and wartime price and wage disputes. The group documents the work of leaders including Green, George Meany, Matthew Woll, Frank Morrison, Anna Rosenberg, Philip Murray, Julius Emspak, and other labor figures inside hotel conference rooms, convention halls, and White House settings where union leaders negotiated federal access.
Photo archive of 15 silver gelatin press photographs, approximately 7 x 9 to 8 x 10 inches, Washington, D.C., Atlantic City, Miami, Cincinnati, New Orleans, and New York, 1924-1943. AFL executive council members sit at long tables, pose on hotel terraces, stand outside the White House, and gather at convention sessions packed with delegates. All with original press captions affixed to versos identifying the events pictured, including the 44th annual summer conference at the Ambassador Hotel in Atlantic City, the 53rd annual AFL convention at the Willard Hotel in Washington on October 2, 1933, labor leaders calling on President Roosevelt on February 11, 1935, the "Build America" program submitted on March 9, 1938, and the April 1, 1943 meeting asking Roosevelt for labor representation in food administration and firm price ceilings.
The National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 gave unions new federal visibility through Section 7(a), which guaranteed workers the right to unionize, and the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 changed union organizing by creating enforceable collective bargaining rights. During the Depression, the AFL pressed for shorter hours, public works jobs, unemployment relief, and wage protection, while its building trades, teamsters, machinists, printers, hotel workers, and craft affiliates shaped hiring rules and bargaining terms across major American industries. During World War II, AFL leaders fought for labor seats in federal agencies overseeing manpower, prices, food, and production, linking union wages directly to national policy. Some mild wear with minor loss to two photograph along upper margins, residue and markings on verso; else in good condition.
Photo archive of 15 silver gelatin press photographs, approximately 7 x 9 to 8 x 10 inches, Washington, D.C., Atlantic City, Miami, Cincinnati, New Orleans, and New York, 1924-1943. AFL executive council members sit at long tables, pose on hotel terraces, stand outside the White House, and gather at convention sessions packed with delegates. All with original press captions affixed to versos identifying the events pictured, including the 44th annual summer conference at the Ambassador Hotel in Atlantic City, the 53rd annual AFL convention at the Willard Hotel in Washington on October 2, 1933, labor leaders calling on President Roosevelt on February 11, 1935, the "Build America" program submitted on March 9, 1938, and the April 1, 1943 meeting asking Roosevelt for labor representation in food administration and firm price ceilings.
The National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 gave unions new federal visibility through Section 7(a), which guaranteed workers the right to unionize, and the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 changed union organizing by creating enforceable collective bargaining rights. During the Depression, the AFL pressed for shorter hours, public works jobs, unemployment relief, and wage protection, while its building trades, teamsters, machinists, printers, hotel workers, and craft affiliates shaped hiring rules and bargaining terms across major American industries. During World War II, AFL leaders fought for labor seats in federal agencies overseeing manpower, prices, food, and production, linking union wages directly to national policy. Some mild wear with minor loss to two photograph along upper margins, residue and markings on verso; else in good condition.
Details
Title
American Federation of Labor Press Photo Archive Documenting Union Leadership and the Fight for Labor Representation from the Great Depression through World War II
Author
American Federation of Labor
Condition
Unknown
Date
1924