Western Hemisphere 1918

Synopsis

In 1918 labor leaders from Mexico and the United States created the Confederación Obrera Pan-Americana (COPA), or Pan-American Federation of Labor (PAFL). The goal of the PAFL was to promote and protect the rights of workers throughout the Western Hemisphere, although it was the Mexican and U.S. delegates that generally dominated the federation. In particular, the PAFL reflected the interests and ideology of Samuel Gompers and the American Federation of Labor (AFL). The PAFL held five congresses between 1918 and 1927. However, the death of Gompers and other founders, along with the Great Depression, led to a period of inactivity during the 1930s. By the end of the 1930s, Latin American labor leaders had created their own federation known as the Confederación de Trabajadores de América Latina (CTAL), which did not include the AFL or any...