Welcome to the Knights of Labor,

Our goal is to organize ALL workers into a single Union. We hope to offer a plan for workers to bring enthusiasm and creativity to their work, to promote the 6 hour day / 24 hour work week, and to champion the belief that "An Injury to One is the Concern of All."

We believe that the Knights of Labor [ KoL ] were on the right path of organizing Labor and in the justice of their economic and social demands. Three factors, uniquely distinguish the KoL from other labor unions. First, the Knights of Labor called for the creation of a SINGLE labor union for skilled and un-skilled workers alike to strengthen the Union against all opposition. Second, the Knights strongly opposed to the use of the strike. Strikes lead to misery and hardship for workers, and as history proves -- ultimate defeat. Thirdly, the Knights' goal was to establish co-operative businesses owned and operated by members of the union.

President Lincoln

by Terence V. Powderly

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In the United States, the Knights of Labor (KOL) is part of the wreckage of labor history, a nineteenth-century organization of great promise that flamed out quickly and completely. Many scholars (wrongly) see it as little more than a failed experiment that stumbled due to misplace idealism and antiquated notions of fraternalism. In New Zealand, the KOL's story was strikingly different, achieving tremendous success in a remarkably short time. Knights Down Under takes an in-depth look at the organization in New Zealand, and is the first thorough comparative study of KOL in a global context. It call into question assumptions about the newness of globalism, national exceptionalism, the uniqueness of socialist movements, how social movements develop, the nature of leadership, and the possibilities and challenges of transnational organizing.

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Knights of Labor will soon announce our new platform to the public. In the mean time, take a look at the original  Knights of Labor Platform of 1886.