Samuel Gompers

American labor movement leader. Born in a poor area of ​​London to Dutch Jews, he immigrated with his family in 1863. He became a cigar-making worker and joined the union, where he was exposed to socialist ideas, but he became inclined to the idea of ​​improving the economic status of workers within the capitalist system. From 1881, he worked to form a national union federation, and five years later he launched the AFL (American Federation of Labor), serving as its president except for one year until his death. His position was "pure and simple" "business unionism" that promoted skilled workers-centered trade unions and obtained improved conditions from management through collective bargaining, while avoiding government intervention, being nonpartisan and relying on pro-labor forces within established political parties, and rejecting left-wing political parties. This was the representative idea of ​​the American labor movement until the establishment of the CIO (Congress of Industrial Unions), and although it achieved considerable results, it also tolerated racial discrimination and corruption within unions due to the respect for the autonomy of affiliated unions within the federation.

[Hideyo Naganuma]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

アメリカの労働運動指導者。オランダ系ユダヤ人の子としてロンドンの貧民街に生まれ、1863年に一家で移民した。葉巻作りの労働者となり、その組合に参加して社会主義思想に触れたが、資本主義体制内で労働者の経済的地位改善という考えに傾いていった。81年より全国的な組合連合体結成に努め、5年後AFL（アメリカ労働総同盟）を発足させ、その会長職を1年を除き死ぬまで務めた。彼の立場は、熟練工中心の職能別組合を推進し、団体交渉によって経営者から条件改善を獲得する一方、政府の介入を避け、無党派主義で既成政党内の親労働者勢力に頼ろうとし、左翼政党を拒否する「任意主義」の「純粋かつ単純」な「ビジネス組合主義」であった。これは、CIO（産業別組合会議）の成立までアメリカ労働運動の代表的な考え方であり、相当な成果をあげたものの、連合体内の加盟組合自治尊重から、人種差別や組合内腐敗を黙認するものでもあった。

［長沼秀世］

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