Who was the founder of the first labor union?

Answer 1

The first American labor unions dated from before 1800. The first was founded in 1794 in Philadelphia, and called the Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers (shoemakers). Workmen's Associations became the backbone of Andrew Jackson's supporters. By the end of the Civil War, there were lots of "unions" but they were local and had little contact with each other. In 1866 that changed when William Sylvis organized the National Labor Union and worked to organize workers in many different states and of different occupations. Sylvis believed that labor needed to become political to gain worker's rights, better wages, and safe working conditions. In 1869, a group of tailors, led by Uriah P. Stephens, formed the Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor.