What organization aimed to unify workers across various industries during the labor movement?

The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was established in the 1930s with the specific goal of organizing workers across diverse industries, particularly in mass production sectors like steel and automotive. Unlike other labor organizations of the time that tended to focus on specific trades or skilled labor, the CIO sought to include all workers, irrespective of their specific job roles. This broad-based approach was crucial in advocating for workers' rights and better conditions during a transformative period in American labor history.

The CIO was instrumental in significant labor actions and helped push for key legislation that benefitted numerous workers, which helped to solidify the labor movement's influence in the United States. Their emphasis on industrial unionism played a pivotal role in shaping the labor landscape during the Great Depression and beyond. This contrasts with initiatives from organizations like the American Federation of Labor, which primarily focused on skilled labor within specific trades, or the Knights of Labor, which also aimed for broader worker unification but lacked the same industrial focus that the CIO later emphasized.