Producer co-operatives of the Knights of Labor: seeking worker independence

Abstract

ABSTRACT Currently, there is renewed interest in organizations providinggreater economic benefits to its members given the widening divideamong social classes. A major source of alternatives to capitalistorganizations in the U.S. was the co-operative movement sponsoredby the Knights of Labor during 1870–1889. This study examines cases of the Knights’ producer cooperativesto understand how they functioned and why they failed.The intent of the co-operatives was to restore worker independenceand control over their work in the emerging factory system. This study applies core frames of social movements to examinethe motivation and processes the Knights used to establish their cooperatives.Micro histories of selected co-ops in three regionsof the U.S. were developed from primary research conducted duringthe 1880s as well as contemporary journals and newspapers. Rather than being radical, the co-operatives were based on Americanrepublican ideals, and they borrowed governance structures similar to corporations, both of which contributed to their success. Reasons for the failure of the Knights and their co-ops areexamined. The legacy of the Knights’ producer co-ops is discussedalong with ideas for future research.