<P> Although much smaller compared to their peak membership in the 1950s, American unions remain a political factor, both through mobilization of their own memberships and through coalitions with like - minded activist organizations around issues such as immigrant rights, trade policy, health care, and living wage campaigns . Of special concern are efforts by cities and states to reduce the pension obligations owed to unionized workers who retire in the future . Republicans elected with Tea Party support in 2010, most notably Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin, have launched major efforts against public sector unions due in part to state government pension obligations along with the allegation that the unions are too powerful . States with higher levels of union membership tend to have higher median incomes and standards of living . It has been asserted by scholars and the International Monetary Fund that rising income inequality in the United States is directly attributable to the decline of the labor movement and union membership . </P> <P> Unions began forming in the mid-19th century in response to the social and economic impact of the industrial revolution . National labor unions began to form in the post-Civil War Era . The Knights of Labor emerged as a major force in the late 1880s, but it collapsed because of poor organization, lack of effective leadership, disagreement over goals, and strong opposition from employers and government forces . </P> <P> The American Federation of Labor, founded in 1886 and led by Samuel Gompers until his death in 1924, proved much more durable . It arose as a loose coalition of various local unions . It helped coordinate and support strikes and eventually became a major player in national politics, usually on the side of the Democrats . </P> <P> American labor unions benefited greatly from the New Deal policies of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1930s . The Wagner Act, in particular, legally protected the right of unions to organize . Unions from this point developed increasingly closer ties to the Democratic Party, and are considered a backbone element of the New Deal Coalition . </P>

Who was an important figure in developing the strength of labor unions in the united states