Solidarity or Survival?

?The title of this study accurately reflects the conflicting positions taken by members of the American trade union movement toward European immigration during the 19th and early 20th centuries. In line with their traditions of republican egalitarianism and international solidarity, skilled workers initially welcomed immigrants, especially those from Northern and Western Europe. As economic and technological change weakened the position of skilled craftsmen in the late 19th century and as the focus of immigration shifted to Southern and Eastern Europe, the labor movement increasingly supported efforts to limit and ultimately stop all migration to the US. Although some trade unionists maintained a commitment to the concept of working-class solidarity, most labor leaders opted to exclude newcomers from America as a means of guaranteeing the economic survival of their organizations. This volume is recommended to college libraries....?-Choice