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The American Association for Labor Legislation (AALL; 1906–1945) was an early advocacy group for national health insurance in the United States of America, conceived in 1905, established in 1906, active to 1943, and disbanded in 1945.
John Bertram Andrews John Bertram Andrews (1880–1943) was an American economist. Background John Bertram Andrews born in 1880 in South Wayne, Wisconsin, and was educated at the University of Wisconsin and at Dartmouth College. Career Andrews taught economic ...
ran the organization for three decades (1910–1942) as its secretary.


Mission

The AALL's purposes were to: serve as American branch of the International Association for Labor Legislation, promote uniform US labor legislation, and encourage study of labor legislation.


History

In 1905, the American Association for Labor Legislation was conceived by a small group of economists. Initially their goal was "the study of labor conditions and labor legislation in the United States." The AALL charter was drawn up and signed on February 15, 1906, by 21 charter members who included
Mary Van Kleeck Mary Abby van Kleeck (June 26, 1883June 8, 1972) was an American social scientist of the 20th century. She was a notable figure in the American labor movement as well as a proponent of scientific management and a planned economy. Of Dutch descen ...
. The AALL comprised three groups: a General Administrative Council, an Executive Committee, and General Officers. By 1909, however, under the leadership of
John Bertram Andrews John Bertram Andrews (1880–1943) was an American economist. Background John Bertram Andrews born in 1880 in South Wayne, Wisconsin, and was educated at the University of Wisconsin and at Dartmouth College. Career Andrews taught economic ...
, this "study" group took an activist turn and began actively promoting, lobbying for, and effecting major changes in worker's compensation,
occupational health and safety Occupational safety and health (OSH) or occupational health and safety (OHS) is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at work (i.e., while performing duties required by one's occupation). OSH is re ...
, and child labor laws." In a sense, the AALL was "proto-
think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...
":
The AALL was one of the first organizations that might be classified as a think tank. The appellation of first think tank is usually given to the Brookings Institute ecte Brookings Institution the forerunner to which was founded in 1916. Given the subsequent development of that region of the public sphere, it is probably correct to say so. The AALL, however, was a historical alternative to the Brookings model of the think tank. Organized as a quasi-professional association rather than a foundation entrusted by philanthropists or corporate interests, the leaders of the AALL viewed policy involvement as an aim and requirement of academic social science.
In 1912
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
included social insurance for sickness in the platform of his
Progressive Party (United States, 1912) The Progressive Party, popularly nicknamed the Bull Moose Party, was a third party in the United States formed in 1912 by former president Theodore Roosevelt after he lost the presidential nomination of the Republican Party to his former prot ...
. Around 1915 the group American Association for Labor Legislation attempted to introduce a medical insurance bill to some state legislatures. These attempts were not successful, and as a result controversy about national insurance came about. National groups supporting the idea of government health insurance included the
AFL–CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a national trade union center that is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 61 national and international unions, together r ...
, the
American Nurses Association The American Nurses Association (ANA) is a 501(c)(6) professional organization to advance and protect the profession of nursing. It started in 1896 as the Nurses Associated Alumnae and was renamed the American Nurses Association in 1911. It is b ...
,
National Association of Social Workers The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is a professional organization of social workers in the United States. NASW has about 120,000 members. The NASW provides guidance, research, up to date information, advocacy, and other resources ...
, and the
Socialist Party USA The Socialist Party of the United States of America (also Socialist Party USA or SPUSA) is a socialist political party in the United States. SPUSA formed in 1973, one year after the Socialist Party of America splintered into three: Social De ...
. The most prominent opponent of national medical insurance was the
American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is an American professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. This medical association was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was 271,660 ...
(AMA); others included the
American Hospital Association The American Hospital Association (AHA) is a health care industry trade group. It includes nearly 5,000 hospitals and health care providers. The organization, which was founded in Cleveland, Ohio in 1898, with offices in Chicago, Illinois and W ...
, the
US Chamber of Commerce The United States Chamber of Commerce (USCC) is a business association advocacy group and is the largest lobbying group in the United States. The group was founded in April 1912 out of local chambers of commerce at the urging of President Willi ...
, and the Life Insurance Association of People. The American Association for Labor Legislation continued to take part in the
health advocacy Health advocacy or health activism encompasses direct service to the individual or family as well as activities that promote health and access to health care in communities and the larger public. Advocates support and promote the rights of the ...
. For example, in 1917, they proposed a national health insurance act that included a provision for weekly cash allocations for pregnant women. In 1943, the AALL became inactive with the death of its three-decade secretary John Bertram Andrews and shut down in 1945.


Successes

The AALL was successful in helping to pass the following legislation: * Industrial Disease Legislation * Industrial Accident Legislation * Health Insurance Legislation * Unemployment Legislation


Funding

The AALL contributors included the Carnegie Foundation, the Milbank Fund, and the
Russell Sage Foundation The Russell Sage Foundation is an American non-profit organisation established by Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, Margaret Olivia Sage in 1907 for “the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States.” It was named after her re ...
as well as
John D. Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was one of the List of richest Americans in history, wealthiest Americans of all time and one of the richest people in modern hist ...
and
Thomas Chadbourne Thomas Lincoln Chadbourne (March 21, 1871 – June 15, 1938) was an American lawyer who played a key role in the establishment of multinational corporations during the 1920s and undertook efforts to restore commodity prices, particularly in t ...
.


People

;Presidents * Richard T. Ely (1906–1907) *
Henry Walcott Farnam Henry Walcott Farnam (November 6, 1853 – September 5, 1933) was an American economist. Background The son of railroad executive Henry Farnam, he attended Yale University graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1874, and then studied towards a M ...
(1908–1910) * Henry R. Seager (1911–1912) * William F. Willoughby (1913) *
Henry Rogers Seager Henry Rogers Seager (July 21, 1870 – August 23, 1930, Kiev, Soviet Union) was an American economist, and Professor of Political Economy at Columbia University, who served as president of the American Association for Labor Legislation. Inspired ...
(1914–1915) *
Irving Fisher Irving Fisher (February 27, 1867 – April 29, 1947) was an American economist, statistician, inventor, eugenicist and progressive social campaigner. He was one of the earliest American neoclassical economists, though his later work on debt de ...
(1916–1917) * Samuel Lindsay (1917–1919) * Thomas Chadbourne (1920–1926) * Sam Lewisohn (1927–1928) * Thomas Parkinson (1929) * Joseph Chamberlain (1930) * Ernest Draper (1931–1933) *
Leo Wolman Leo Wolman (February 24, 1890 – October 2, 1961) was a noted American economist whose work focused on labor economics. He also served on a number of important boards and commissions for the federal government. Early life Wolman was born in Ba ...
(1934) * Joseph Chamberlain (1935–1945) ; Secretaries * Adna Ferrin Weber (1906–1907) *
John R. Commons John Rogers Commons (October 13, 1862 – May 11, 1945) was an American institutional economist, Georgist, progressive and labor historian at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Early years John R. Commons was born in Hollansburg, Ohio o ...
(1908–1909) *
John Bertram Andrews John Bertram Andrews (1880–1943) was an American economist. Background John Bertram Andrews born in 1880 in South Wayne, Wisconsin, and was educated at the University of Wisconsin and at Dartmouth College. Career Andrews taught economic ...
(1910–1942)) Others involved included: * Irene Osgood Andrews, assistant secretary (1908) * Solon De Leon, field investigator, writer, researcher (1912–1920) * Juliet Stuart Poyntz, investigator (1914) AALL membership peaked in 1913 with 3,348 members but remained around 3,000 into the 1930s.


Publications

The AALL published ''American Labor Legislation Review'' from 1911 to 1943. "In addition to the Review, the Association published pamphlets, leaflets and reprints of magazine articles and editorials in large quantities for the use of its members and others interested in liberal social legislation."


See also

*
Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as Brookings, is an American think tank that conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics (and tax policy), metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, global econo ...
*
Think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...


References


External sources

* Organizations established in 1905 1905 establishments in the United States {{prof-assoc-stub