The Wisconsin State Federation of Labor (WSFL), affiliated with the

American Federation of Labor The American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL-CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutu ...

, was the largest federation of

labor unions A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, from its formation in 1893 at the behest of the Milwaukee Federated Trades Council to its 1958 merger with the smaller CIO-affiliated Wisconsin State Industrial Council to form the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. A number of WSFL leaders were also elected to public office in Wisconsin, in part due to its roots in and alliance with the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

, especially

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

's so-called Sewer Socialists.

Notable WSFL activists

Victor Berger Victor Luitpold Berger (February 28, 1860August 7, 1929) was an Austrian–American socialist politician and journalist who was a founding member of the Social Democratic Party of America and its successor, the Socialist Party of America. Born in ...

: editor/publisher of one of the WSFL's two official newspapers, and Socialist

Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

* Andrew Biemiller: professor, editor, Socialist (later Progressive) legislator, WSFL

union organizer A union organizer (or union organiser in Commonwealth spelling) is a specific type of trade union member (often elected) or an appointed union official. A majority of unions appoint rather than elect their organizers. In some unions, the orga ...

(hired to supplement his meagre legislative salary), Democratic Congressman, and union

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

Frederick Brockhausen Frederick Carl Brockhausen, Jr. (May 20, 1858 – June 16, 1929) was a cigar maker and trade union activist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who spent four terms as a Socialist Party of America, Socialist member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Backg ...

cigar maker A cigar is a rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco leaves made to be Tobacco smoking, smoked. Cigars are produced in a variety of sizes and shapes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made of three distinct components: the fill ...

, WSFL official and Socialist state legislator * Charles Burhop: cigar maker, WSFL delegate, and Socialist state legislator * William Coleman:

house painter A house painter and decorator is a tradesman responsible for the painting and decorating of buildings, and is also known as a decorator or house painter.''The Modern Painter and Decorator'' volume 1 1921 Caxton The purpose of painting is to imp ...

, union organizer, WSFL board member, and Socialist state legislator *

Arthur Kahn Arthur Kahn (November 9, 1875 or 1874 - December 31, 1930) was a baker, trade union activist and organizer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who served one term as a Socialist member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Background Born in Aussig, Bohemi ...

baker A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ha ...

union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

activist and organizer, and Socialist state legislator *

Frank Metcalfe Frank B. Metcalfe (December 26, 1874 – 1946) was a glassblower from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who spent four terms as a Socialist member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and was twice the Socialist nominee for Governor of Wisconsin. Background Met ...

glassblower Glassblowing is a glassforming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble (or parison) with the aid of a blowpipe (or blow tube). A person who blows glass is called a ''glassblower'', ''glassmith'', or ''gaffer''. A '' lampworke ...

, WSFL board member, Socialist state legislator and nominee for

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...

* Henry Ohl, Jr., WSFL official and Socialist state legislator *

Joseph Arthur Padway Joseph Arthur Padway (July 25, 1891 – October 9, 1947) was an American labor lawyer and politician. Padway, who was born in Leeds, England, went to Milwaukee in 1905. Admitted to the Wisconsin bar in 1912, he was appointed legal counsel for ...

labor law Labour laws (also known as labor laws or employment laws) are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship between employee, ...

yer, legal counsel for WSFL, Socialist state senator, and later first general counsel of the American Federation of Labor * L. W. Rogers: teacher, railway brakeman, union officer and organizer, Socialist political activist, and newspaper editor, one of the founders of the WSFL *

Carl Sandburg Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg ...

: reporter, writer, editor, poet, and WSFL delegate *

George J. Schneider George John Schneider (October 30, 1877 – March 12, 1939) was a U.S. Representative from Wisconsin. Born in the town of Grand Chute, Wisconsin, Schneider moved to Appleton with his parents, and attended the public schools there. He learn ...

papermaker Papermaking is the manufacture of paper and cardboard, which are used widely for printing, writing, and packaging, among many other purposes. Today almost all paper is Pulp and paper industry, made using industrial machinery, while handmade pape ...

vice-president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

of the

International Brotherhood of Paper Makers The International Brotherhood of Paper Makers (IBPM) was a labor union representing workers involved in making paper in the United States, Canada and Newfoundland. The union originated in 1884 as a social club, in Holyoke, Massachusetts. On May 19 ...

, WSFL board member and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

(later

Progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

) Congressman * David Sigman: pro-labor Progressive state legislator who was hired as a WSFL staffer to supplement his meagre legislative salary * Frank J. Weber: seaman, union organizer, first president of the WSFL, and Socialist state legislator

References

1893 establishments in Wisconsin 1958 disestablishments in Wisconsin Trade unions established in 1893 Trade unions disestablished in 1958 Statewide trade unions in the United States Trade unions in Wisconsin {{Wisconsin-stub

Notable WSFL activists

See also

References