William Green: Biography of a Labor Leader

by Craig Phelan

William Green, president of the American Federation of Labor from 1924 to 1952, was a controversial figure whom historians invariably depict as bumbling, incompetent, vain, and ignorant; the cheerful servant of selfish and reactionary craft uinionists, and the person most directly responsible for the split in organized labor in 1935. This biography provides a social and political context for Green's actions in an attempt to vindicate one of the last heirs of a religiously inspired trade unionism that sought cooperation ... Read More

William Green, president of the American Federation of Labor from 1924 to 1952, was a controversial figure whom historians invariably depict as bumbling, incompetent, vain, and ignorant; the cheerful servant of selfish and reactionary craft uinionists, and the person most directly responsible for the split in organized labor in 1935. This biography provides a social and political context for Green's actions in an attempt to vindicate one of the last heirs of a religiously inspired trade unionism that sought cooperation between labor and capital on the basis of biblical precepts. Read Less