The American Federation of Labor’s predecessor was founded in Pittsburgh in 1881.
The organization was originally called the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions of the United States and Canada. Representatives of several craft unions met in Pittsburgh to create a national federation that could coordinate their efforts.
The federation was reorganized and renamed the American Federation of Labor in 1886. Samuel Gompers became its most influential early president and shaped its focus on wages, working hours, collective bargaining, and practical gains for union members.
Pittsburgh is a particularly fitting setting in American labor history because it was a major industrial and steel center. The city is also sometimes confused with Chicago, which hosted the founding convention of the Industrial Workers of the World in 1905.