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The trade union movement represents the organized economic power of the workers… It is in reality the most potent and the most direct social insurance the workers can establish.

Samuel Gompers

There may be here and there a worker who for certain reasons unexplainable to us does not join a union of labor. That is his right. It is his legal right, no matter how morally wrong he may be. It is his legal right, and no one can or dare question his exercise of that legal right.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Certain Exercise Join Labor Reason Unexplainable Union Worker
Our mission has been the protection of the wage-worker, now; to increase his wages; to cut hours off the long workday, which was killing him; to improve the safety and the sanitary conditions of the workshop.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Cut Cutting Hour Increase Long Mission Now Protection Safety Wage Workday Kill Worker
It is impossible for capitalists and laborers to have common interests.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Capitalist Common Impossible Interest Laborer Struggle
To be free, the workers must have choice. To have choice they must retain in their own hands the right to determine under what conditions they will work.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Choice Condition Determine Hand Must Own Retain Right Under Worker
W.Z. Foster {head of the American Communist Party}, who had no money, went to Moscow and came back and announced that he was building a great secret machine to undermine the American labor movement and turn it over to the Red International, owned by Lenin.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Announce Build Communist Community Country Foster International Money Movement Party Red Secret
To free him from the tyrannies, petty or otherwise, which served to make his existence a slavery.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Existence Free Make Otherwise Serve Slavery Tyrannies
The right to say the things which convey the new and yet unexpected thoughts, the right to say things, even though they do a wrong.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Convey Life New Right Say Thing Through Unexpected Wrong
[The labor movement is] a movement of the working people, for the working people, by the working people, governed by ourselves, with its policies determined by ourselves.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Determinedlabor Governed Lace Movement People Policies Work
Doing for people what they can and ought to do for themselves is a dangerous experiment.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Dangerous Done Experiment Fads Ought People Themselves
The freedom of speech and the freedom of the press have not been granted to the people in order that they may say things which please, and which are based upon accepted thought, but the right to say the things which displease.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Been Freedom Granted Order People Please Press Say Speech Thing
What does labor want? We want more schoolhouses and less jails; more books and less arsenals; more learning and less vice; more leisure and less greed; more justice and less revenge; in fact, more of the opportunities to cultivate our better natures.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Arsenal Beautiful Book Labor Less More Nature Opportunity Revenge Schoolhouse
Our movement is of the working people, for the working people, by the working people. . . .
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Long Movement Order People Struggle Work
The man who has his millions will want everything he can lay his hands on and then raise his voice against the poor devil who wants ten cents more a day.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Cent Devil Everything Hand Lay Man Million Poor Ten Voice
You can’t weigh the soul of a man with a bar of pig-iron.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Bar Iron Man Pig Soul Weight
Labor Day is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race or nation.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Art Day Dead Devoted Labor Living Men Nation No Race
So long as there is one [person] who seeks employment and cannot find it, the hours of work are too long.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Employment Find Hour Long Seek Work

The trade union movement represents the organized economic power of the workers… It is in reality the most potent and the most direct social insurance the workers can establish.

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The trade union movement represents the organized economic power of the workers… It is in reality the most potent and the most direct social insurance the workers can establish.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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