William B. Green | |
|---|---|
 Green in 1928 | |
| 4th President of the American Federation of Labor | |
| In office December 11, 1924 – November 21, 1952 | |
| Preceded by | Samuel Gompers |
| Succeeded by | George Meany |
| 6th Secretary-Treasurer of the United Mine Workers of America | |
| In office December 2, 1913 – December 11, 1924 | |
| Preceded by | Edwin Perry |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Kennedy |
| President pro tempore of theOhio Senate | |
| In office January 6, 1913 – January 4, 1915 | |
| Member of theOhio Senate from the 18th-19th district | |
| In office January 2, 1911 – January 4, 1915 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1873-03-03)March 3, 1873 Coshocton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | November 21, 1952(1952-11-21) (aged 79) Coshocton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Resting place | South Lawn Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Occupation | Labor leader, coal miner |
William B. Green (March 3, 1873 – November 21, 1952) was an Americantrade union leader. Green is best remembered as the president of theAmerican Federation of Labor (AFL) from 1924 to 1952. He was a strong supporter for labor-management co-operation and was on the frontline for wage and benefit protections andindustrial unionism legislation.
As president of the AFL, he continued the development of the federation away from the foundations of "pure and simple unionism" to a more politically active "social reform unionism."[1]
Green was born March 3, 1873, inCoshocton, Ohio, the son ofEnglish andWelsh immigrants. His father was acoal miner.[2] Green went to work himself in the coal mines in 1889, at 16.[1]
He became involved in thetrade union movement as a young miner and was elected as secretary of the Coshocton Progressive Miners Union in 1891. The Coshocton Progressive Miners Union later became a local of theUnited Mine Workers of America (UMWA). In 1890, Green became the subdistrict president of the UMWA; he became UMWA Ohio district president in 1906.[1]
In 1910, he was elected to theOhio Senate, where he served as both Senate presidentpro tempore andDemocratic floor leader. As Ohio state senator, Green drafted and got passed a model Workmen's Compensation Act in 1911. His accomplishments as state senator includedProgressive Era legislation,[3] including bills to limit the hours of women wage earners, institute a 1% income tax, elect Ohio's US senators by popular vote, and run judicial nonpartisan elections. Green's experience and accomplishments contributed to his appointment as the UMWA's international statistician in 1911 and then as promotion to secretary-treasurer in 1913.[1] He was named to the AFL's Executive Council in 1914 and became Secretary-Treasurer in 1916. His intensive involvement in labor had him serve as one of five delegates to theParis Peace Conference in 1918.[1]
In 1924, he became president of the AFL following the death ofSamuel Gompers, he held the position until his own death. In 1933, Green's endeavors persuaded PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt to appoint him to the Labor Advisory Council of theNational Recovery Administration. The following year, Green served on theNational Labor Board. Later, PresidentHarry Truman appointed Green to the National Advisory Committee on Mobilization during theKorean War.[1]
He is best remembered for having presided over the split in the AFL, which led to the founding of theCongress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).[4]
Under Green's presidency in the 1920s, the AFL changed its political strategy of confrontation to one of co-operation. Unlike Green, Gompers had frequently projected an independent and confrontational approach for the federation, despite his affiliation to theNational Civic Federation and to theWilson administration.
Green favored a more co-operative style for thelabor movement. He won public support for legislating benefits for all workers and co-operated with employers in the name of mutual self-interest and the collective good. Green supported union-management co-operation in everyday functions at the workplace. He also supported reducing hours of labor, as it would increase the worker's living standards and participation for civic engagement. Ultimately, Green supported a voluntaryincomes policy between labor and management, binding higher wages to productivity growth.[1]
Green's support was critical to winning passage of theNorris-La Guardia Act of 1932, which reduced the practice of labor restrictions and banned theyellow-dog contract. Green was also successful in acquiring federation support for a national unemployment insurance system, sponsored largely by employer donations.[1]
In 1935, Green facilitated the passage of theNational Labor Relations Act, aimed at empowering workers' rights to organize and take part in collective bargaining. In 1938, Green helped pass theFair Labor Standards Act, becoming the first federal law in instituting minimum wages and the 40-hour workweek.[1]
Green died November 21, 1952, at 79 inCoshocton, Ohio.[5][6][7] He was buried in South Lawn Cemetery.[8]
Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois named its library after Green and colleaguePhilip Murray in the 1960s to distinguish the functions that unions played in the university's founding in 1945. The library honored their service in American labor and their contributions in funding educational opportunities for everyone.[3] TheChicago Housing Authority named theWilliam Green Homespublic housing project after Green.[9] The state of Ohio's Bureau of Workers' Compensation is located in theWillam Green Building, named after Green, in downtown Columbus, Ohio. He is a member of theLabor Hall of Fame.
| Trade union offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Edwin Perry | Secretary-Treasurer of theUnited Mine Workers of America 1913–1924 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of theAmerican Federation of Labor 1924–1952 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Fifth Vice-President of theAmerican Federation of Labor 1918–1919 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Fourth Vice-President of theAmerican Federation of Labor 1919–1924 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Third Vice-President of theAmerican Federation of Labor 1924 | Succeeded by |
| Ohio Senate | ||
| Preceded by | President of the Senate 1911-1914 | Succeeded by |
