Robert F Wagner and John L Lewis History Paper

Ben Chaleki

ROBERT F WAGNER AND JOHN L LEWIS COMPARE AND CONTRAST

Robert F. Wagner was a key figure in the Labor movement. He served as state congressman, senator, and eventually U.S senator. He helped draft many acts that helped get people back to work during the depression and helped to pull America out of hard times. John L. Lewis helped to lead many labor strikes.

He was especially influential in the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) and eventually created the Congress of Industrial Organization (CIO). Both of these men are similar because they were hardworking and ambitious leaders. They were both prevalent in the labor movement and made a huge impact on worker’s rights, and they both advanced their initiatives because of the terrible national conditions of the Great Depression but they differed because John L. Lewis and Robert F. Wagner had very different childhoods and educations. They served different jobs and had different experiences, and Robert F. Wagner was more political. Both of these men, even though they had some differences, were overall successful in helping to fix this issue of worker’s rights.

Both Robert F. Wagner and John L. Lewis were very hard working and ambitious, made huge impacts on worker’s rights, and both were able to advance their initiatives due to the stagnant economic conditions. At a young age, Robert was forced to work several jobs as a newspaper boy and a grocery

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Ben Chaleki

ROBERT F WAGNER AND JOHN L LEWIS COMPARE AND CONTRAST

boy just to support the family (Wagner, Robert Ferdinand). This would also pay for his education in law. Soon enough in 1900 he was accepted to the bar and became a lawyer (Wagner, Robert Ferdinand). A lawyer wasn’t good enough for Wagner though. He dreamed of bigger things. Over the next few years Robert would make his way up the ranks. He became a state congressman, senator, and finally US senator (Wagner, Robert Ferdinand). It was not an easy journey. Over the span of the next few years, Wagner would help president Franklin D. Roosevelt draft many acts as part of the New Deal. John L. Lewis was also a very hard working man. His childhood was just as hard as Wagner’s.

He was born into a poor mining family in Lucas, Iowa (Lewis, John Llewellyn).

At a young age he became a miner and was forced to work in hazardous conditions. After seeing everything the miners went through first hand, he was inspired to join the union (Lewis, John Llewellyn). He would follow through at the age of 17 when he began to get involved with the union (Lewis, John Llewellyn). In fact he would do more than just be part of it. Within the next few years, he managed to climb his way to UMW president. Sadly, he came into the presidency at a difficult time because throughout the twenties, support dwindled, he had to work hard to keep the union together (Lewis, John Llewellyn). He wasn’t done yet, however. After bad relations with other unions,

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Ben Chaleki

ROBERT F WAGNER AND JOHN L LEWIS COMPARE AND CONTRAST

Lewis decided to form his own union. This union would be called the Congress of Industrial Organizations (Lewis, John Llewellyn). It was formed in 1936 (Lewis, John Llewellyn). The thing that made this union special was that it was for unskilled workers (Lewis, John Llewellyn). There were so many unskilled workers, that Lewis had no trouble winning strikes. Not only were both of these men hard workers, but they used their skill of hard work to support the labor movement and make significant advances in worker’s rights (Lewis, John Llewellyn). They were both very prevalent in the labor movement. Wagner quickly established himself as an advocate for worker’s rights by drafting many acts that would help workers unionize and gain more rights (Robert F. Wagner).

The first big act that Wagner helped to draft was the NIRA (National Industrial Recovery Act) which gave workers the right to collectively bargain (Robert F. Wagner). One problem with this act is that it was not enforced and therefore the owners of companies would blacklist strikers (Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum). This caused workers to avoid strikes. Soon though, the NIRA was found to be unconstitutional (Robert F. Wagner). Little did Wagner know that the pinnacle of his career would be formed off this unconstitutional law. Wagner took part 7a of the NIRA and formed the Wagner act (Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum). This act enabled

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Ben Chaleki

ROBERT F WAGNER AND JOHN L LEWIS COMPARE AND CONTRAST

workers to collectively bargain, but also enforced it with the National Labor Relations Board (Robert F. Wagner). This board forced leaders of companies to follow the act (Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum). This enabled the unions to become larger because there was no more fear of being blacklisted. Lewis served as UMW president for a few years before becoming AFL vice president (Lewis, John Llewellyn). The AFL was a union that would only accept skilled workers (The history of the AFL-CIO). An unskilled worker was somebody who worked in assembly lines. They were the ones that didn’t have to do anything “hard” or “complicated” (Lewis, John Llewellyn). Lewis didn’t really like that the AFL only supported skilled workers so he resigned as vice president to form his own union, the CIO (John L. Lewis). The CIO was a union that supported unskilled workers (John L. Lewis). His strikes basically overwhelmed the companies with their sheer numbers of strikers (John L. Lewis). Lewis formed the most powerful union of the time. But, most likely, these men would never have been able to accomplish what they did if it weren’t for the stagnant national conditions. People were desperate to get jobs and better pay (Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum). After the Depression, Roosevelt began to use Keynesian economics. “This was the idea that, especially during depressions or recessions, the government should begin

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Ben Chaleki

ROBERT F WAGNER AND JOHN L LEWIS COMPARE AND CONTRAST

to participate in deficit spending. Deficit spending is when the government spends more money than it takes in.” Roosevelt agreed with this idea and created the First New Deal where he began spending incredible amounts of money to form things like the Civilian Conservation Corps, Works Progress Administration, etc. He also began to pass many acts to get the economy going again. These acts passed included the NIRA and the Wagner Act (Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum). These probably would never have been passed if it weren’t for the terrible economic conditions and the New Deal (Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum). But it wasn’t just the Depression that caused Wagner to be successful in his efforts to pass his acts.

Even before that, during the “Roaring Twenties”, when there was a huge difference between the rich and the poor, was when Wagner actually began to get involved in the issue of worker’s rights (Wagner, Robert Ferdinand). He noticed the unequal distribution of wealth at the time and decided to take charge and change it (Wagner, Robert Ferdinand). So basically, It was the roaring twenties that got him involved. This time was also perfect for the union leaders including John L. Lewis. Right after the Depression, Roosevelt began his New Deal which included many acts like the Wagner Act that allowed workers to collectively bargain (Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum).

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Ben Chaleki

ROBERT F WAGNER AND JOHN L LEWIS COMPARE AND CONTRAST

These acts protected unions (Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum). This caused unions to gain support because workers no longer had to fear blacklisting and strike breaking (Lewis, John Llewellyn). This clearly shows that both men were hardworking and ambitious, they were both very prevalent in the labor movement, but for both of them, none of it would’ve been possible if it weren’t for the stagnant national conditions.

Robert F. Wagner and John L. Lewis can be contrasted because they had very different childhoods and educations, both had very different jobs and experiences, and John F. Wagner was more political than John L. Lewis.

Wagner was born in Germany, but immigrated to New York City (Wagner, Robert Ferdinand). That’s where he grew up. He was determined to get a proper education. His family didn’t have enough money for him to go to school, so he worked two jobs to raise enough money to go to school (Wagner, Robert Ferdinand). He went to the City College of New York (Wagner, Robert Ferdinand). He graduated Phi Beta Kappa (Robert F. Wagner). He then continued on to New York Law School (Wagner, Robert Ferdinand). In 1900 he graduated from New York Law School (Wagner, Robert Ferdinand). John L. Lewis grew up very differently. He grew up in the small mining town of Lucas, Iowa (John Llewellyn Lewis). He never really made enough money or had very

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Ben Chaleki

ROBERT F WAGNER AND JOHN L LEWIS COMPARE AND CONTRAST

much interest in going to school so he only received 3 years of high school (John Llewellyn Lewis). Part of the problem, was that his family always moved because his father was blacklisted and was always in search of work (John Llewellyn Lewis). He could never continue in any one school (John Llewellyn Lewis). This is why he never got the chance to graduate. Not only did these two men have very different childhoods, but they also had very different occupations and experiences. In 1904, after working as a lawyer for a few years, Wagner joined the NY State Assembly (Wagner, Robert Ferdinand). In 1908 he joined the New York State Senate. From 1919- 926, Wagner served as a New York Supreme court judge. Finally he joined the U.S Senate (Wagner, Robert Ferdinand). He was a political man from the beginning. John L. Lewis on the other hand began his career at the age of 15 by becoming a miner like his father (John Llewellyn Lewis). He did this to support his family. At the age of 17, Lewis became interested in worker’s rights. In 1909, Lewis gained control of the Southern Illinois local UMWA (John Llewellyn Lewis). He also served many positions such as AFL field representative and UMWA chief statistician (John Llewellyn Lewis). Finally in 1912 he became UMWA Vice President and later president of the UMWA (John Llewellyn Lewis). He wasn’t finished there though. He created his own union called the Congress of Industrial Organization

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Ben Chaleki

ROBERT F WAGNER AND JOHN L LEWIS COMPARE AND CONTRAST

(Lewis, John Llewellyn). He was head of the CIO. Finally John L. Lewis and Robert F. Wagner’s approach to fixing the issue of worker’s rights were very different and reflected their backgrounds and experiences. Throughout Wagner’s adult life, he never actually experienced first hand the working conditions in the mines, but somewhere along the way, as a politician he became passionate about workers rights. He probably noticed the large difference in wealth distribution throughout the “Roaring Twenties” and wanted to do something about it whereas John L. Lewis, being born into a mining family, became a miner at a young age. He got to experience first hand the working conditions in the mines (John L. Lewis). Not only that, but he also got to see what it was like to be blacklisted because his father was blacklisted (John L. Lewis). They were forced to move a lot due to the blacklisting and needed to find work. John L. Lewis actually got to experience what it was like to be blacklisted and work in the mines (John L. Lewis). This inspired him to join the labor movement.

Both Robert F. Wagner and John L. Lewis, although different, were overall successful in helping to advance the cause of worker’s rights in America. Not only were they similar in the way that they were both trying to improve worker’s rights, but were also similar because they were both

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Ben Chaleki

ROBERT F WAGNER AND JOHN L LEWIS COMPARE AND CONTRAST

hardworking and ambitious, both were very influential in the labor movement, and both were able to advance their initiatives due to the stagnant national conditions. They differed because they had very different childhoods, both had very different occupations, and Robert F. Wagner was more political than John L. Lewis.

Robert F. Wagner can be compared to Lech Walesa. Lech Walesa was born September 29, 1943 in Popowo, Poland. He graduated from vocational school and worked as a mechanic from 1961-1965. After a few years of being a mechanic, he served in the army. After finishing in the army, Walesa began work again. He worked as an electrician in the Gdansk Shipyards. Soon enough, he started to get involved in the labor movement. A year later, Walesa led a strike which caused the workers to clash with the government. He went to jail for a short time for being the leader of the strike. Even when he got out of jail, he was put under surveillance. After that first strike that Walesa lead, labor organizations started to notice him. He was sent to many countries through the international Labour Organization to speak about worker’s rights. Finally in 1981 he was elected solidarity chairman. Soon though General Jaruzelski, the leader of Poland at the time, imposed martial law, and suspended the Solidarity and arrested many of its leaders. In 1982, Walesa came back to work in the

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Ben Chaleki

ROBERT F WAGNER AND JOHN L LEWIS COMPARE AND CONTRAST

shipyards again. He secretly worked with the underground solidarity though. A few years later, in 1983 he won the Nobel Peace Prize. This raised the spirits of many of the Solidarity members. Soon Jaruzelski’s regime became so unpopular that he had to suspend martial law and negotiate with the Solidarity. Generally, communism itself was eliminated. In 1990, Walesa was elected to chairman and soon president of Poland. He still lives on today and teaches the young people of Poland.

John L. Lewis can be compared to Cesar Chavez. Cesar Chavez was born in Yuma Arizona on March 31, 1927. As a young boy, Chavez and his parents worked in the fields. He got to see first hand how the workers were treated.

Later in 1948 he married Helen Fabela. Soon after marrying, Chavez became more passionate about worker’s rights. He started a union called the National Farm Workers Association. In 1965 the NFWA had its first strike against grape growers where they teamed up with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee and won. Chavez and his new union led a few more strikes, the most well known being the grape strike which lasted 5 years. Chavez and his union would win many more strikes over time. On April 22, 1993, Chavez died. Some people think it might have been due to his hunger strikes.

Works Cited

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Ben Chaleki

ROBERT F WAGNER AND JOHN L LEWIS COMPARE AND CONTRAST

"Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum." Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.

"John Llewellyn Lewis." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004, "Lewis, John Llewellyn."

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed.. 2013, "Lewis, John Llewellyn." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S, and "Lewis, John Llewellyn." World Encyclopedia. 2005. "John Llewellyn Lewis." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 01 Jan. 2004. Web. 25 Jan. 2014.

"Wagner, Robert Ferdinand." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005, "Robert Ferdinand Wagner." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004, Robert F. "Wagner, and "Wagner, Robert Ferdinand." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed.. 2013. "Wagner, Robert Ferdinand." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 01 Jan. 2005. Web. 25 Jan. 2014.

"Lewis, John Llewellyn." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. 2000.

Encyclopedia.com. 2 Mar. 2014<http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"John Llewellyn Lewis." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 2 Mar. 2014<http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Wagner, Robert Ferdinand." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 2 Mar. 2014<http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Wagner, Robert Ferdinand." The World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago, IL: World Book, 2009.

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