After so many years of craft unionism, what led to the rise of industrial unionism in the United States?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

There were two key factors leading to the rise of industrial unionism in the U.S. First, greater legislative protection for unions under the Wagner Act paved the way for a general rise in unionization. Second, production was being transformed from small, custom-manufacturing worksites to large, mass manufacturing plants. Craft unionism was ill-suited to mass manufacturing because rather than employing a small number of skilled craftsman, a company employed a multitude of unskilled and semi-skilled workers across many occupations. A craft unionism approach meant multiple unions were needed to represent workers within the same company. For this to be effective, the unions needed similar objectives and an ability to coordinate their representation efforts. By contrast, a single industrial union could represent all the workers within that company with less conflict, greater bargaining power, and greater efficiency. Their greater success in meeting the needs of a new workforce led to increased unionization in growing industries such as auto, machine, and rubber manufacturing.