ABSTRACT
The awful circumstances of the lives of most industrial workers alone do not explain the development and continuation of the labor movement over time. The growth of the labor movement was affected by a combination of external and internal factors. Externally, the strength of workers tended to be greater when there was a tight labor market; this gave them greater bargaining power. Strength also grew when economic opportunities were plentiful. The chances of a labor movement being successful also were enhanced when society allowed a variety of political and legal expressions and permitted greater access to resources ( Hogler 2015 ). This occurred, for example, during the 1930s after Franklin Roosevelt’s election and passage of the Wagner Act, which legalized the right to unionize. These events created alternate sources of power, and when the potential for political and economic power of labor was high, so was the solidarity of workers. The belief by workers that they would be spending a large part of their lives in their jobs and that they could make a political difference in society also increased their solidarity and the probability of a labor movement.
