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But the fact that the A. F. of L. is a loosely knit body means that Mr. Gompers still has to fight the battles he has waged from the very beginning. He will be faced at Portland by demands for one big union, for recognition of Soviet Russia and other radical measures. There will be two days for the presentation of resolutions, and the remainder of a two weeks' session will be devoted to committee hearings and the passage of resolutions. Among the questions to be dealt with will be restriction of immigration, labor schools, labor injunctions, compulsory arbitration, child and female labor legislation, labor banks.
About 500 delegates will be in attendance who will cast about 3,500 votes, one vote for each 1,000 members in the entire organization of about 3,500,000. Theoretically the functions of the Federation extend little beyond this annual passage of resolutions. Actually the Federation settles jurisdictional disputes between unions, issues charters and assists in the formation of local unions and trade unions which become its members. Over its member unions, especially the smaller ones, it exercises an effective, if unrecognized, general discipline.
Mr. Gompers may proudly survey his workâan organization with 3,500,000 members, which he helped to found with less than 50,000; an organization with a budget of over half a million dollars as compared to less than $200.43 years ago; a power in labor; a power in politics.