Question 1

True or false: The labor movement in the US saw the formation of the American Federation of Labor in 1886 under Samuel Gompers.

Accepted Answer

True. The AFL was founded in 1886 by Samuel Gompers and others, becoming the largest federation of craft unions in the United States.

Question 2

True or false: The labor movement in the US played a key role in the passage of the National Labor Relations Act of 1935, guaranteeing workers the right to unionize.

Accepted Answer

True. The NLRA, or Wagner Act, was a landmark law that established legal protections for collective bargaining, heavily pushed by the labor movement.

Question 3

True or false: The labor movement in the US was founded by the Knights of Labor in 1869.

Accepted Answer

False. The labor movement existed before the Knights of Labor, with earlier unions and strikes in the 1820s and 1830s. The Knights were a major but not founding organization.

Question 4

True or false: The labor movement in the US reached its peak membership of over 35% of workers in the 1920s.

Accepted Answer

False. Union membership peaked in the mid-1950s at about 35% of the workforce. In the 1920s, membership was much lower, around 10-12% after a decline from 1920.

Question 5

True or false: The labor movement in the US was instrumental in the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which established a minimum wage.

Accepted Answer

True. The Fair Labor Standards Act set the first federal minimum wage and was a major victory for the labor movement, which had long campaigned for wage protections.

Question 6

True or false: The labor movement in the US successfully banned child labor in all states by 1920.

Accepted Answer

False. Child labor was not banned nationally until the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Before that, many states allowed child labor, and earlier efforts were limited.

Question 7

True or false: The labor movement in the US achieved a national paid vacation law in 1945.

Accepted Answer

False. The US has never enacted a federal law mandating paid vacation. The labor movement did not secure such a law; paid leave remains voluntary for employers.

Question 8

True or false: The labor movement in the US included the Industrial Workers of the World, a union founded in 1905 that advocated for industrial unionism.

Accepted Answer

True. The IWW, or Wobblies, was a radical labor union formed in 1905 that organized unskilled workers across industries, distinct from craft unions.

The Labor Movement Trivia Questions