Beneficiary Features of American Trade Unions

"Beneficiary Features of American Trade Unions" by James Boyd Kennedy is a scholarly exploration into the world of American trade unions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The book takes a close look at how trade unions in the United States developed systems to provide benefits to their members, especially focusing how they handled mutual insurance and other financial support programs. Kennedy compares how these programs grew in the U.S. to how they grew in England and Germany, where they were established more quickly. The book begins by explaining why American trade unions were slow to adopt these beneficiary functions, noting how limited resources and a focus on regulating trade made it difficult to prioritize member benefits. The text lays the groundwork for later chapters by dividing the history of union beneficiary activities into different periods, showing how unions gradually created more organized ways to support their members and that this support was very important in keeping members and making the trade unions more successful.