Union Membership Organization View of View of View of Strategy Size and Structure Political Action Capitalis m Collective Bargaining Composition National ~ 500 000 National labor Preferred political Preferred legislative reform Labor Union Skilled and federation action over strikes over bargaining (1865) unskilled Worker'S Knights of ~ 700 000 Believed in Wanted worker Labor (1859) Shopkeepers , political education cooperatives to farmers, and replace laborer'S capitalism American 250,000 i 1892 Federation of Wanted to void Seen as a path Federation of Various trade ~ 100 national politics to improve Labor (1886) and international labor Industrial 25,000 by 1912 Opposed to Favoredrank and file over Workers of Inchided worrer, poltical affiliation leaders who would bargain, the World immigrants, refused to sign contracts Afri an (1905) Americans , and Congress of 4 million Affiliation of Industrial unions with Organizations unions both representatives skilled and from each union (1935) on the board