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  3. Founded at the dawn of the modern industrial era, the nearly forgotten Women

Founded at the dawn of the modern industrial era, the nearly forgotten Women

游客2025-04-06  25
问题     Founded at the dawn of the modern industrial era, the nearly forgotten Women’s Trade Union League(WTUL)played an instrumental role in advancing the cause of working women throughout the early part of the twentieth century. In the face of considerable adversity, the WTUL made a contribution far greater than did most historical footnotes.
    The organization’s successes did not come easily; conflict beset the WTUL in many forms. During those early days of American unions, organized labor was aggressively opposed by both industry and government. The WTUL, which represented a largely unskilled labor force, had little leverage against these powerful opponents. Also, because of the skill level of its workers as well as inherent societal gender bias, the WTUL had great difficulty finding allies among other unions. Even the large and powerful American Federation of Labor(AFL), which nominally took the WTUL under its wing, kept it at a distance. Because the AFL’s power stemmed from its highly skilled labor force, the organization saw little economic benefit in working with the WTUL. The affiliation provided the AFL with political cover, allowing it to claim support for women workers; in return, the WTUL gained a potent but largely absent ally.
    The WTUL also had to overcome internal discord. While the majority of the group’s members were working women, a sizable and powerful minority consisted of middle-class and upper-class social reformers whose goals extended beyond labor reform. While workers argued that the WTUL should focus its efforts on collective bargaining and working conditions, the reformers looked beyond the workplace, seeking state and national legislation aimed at education reform and urban poverty relief as well as workplace issues.
    Despite these obstacles, the WTUL accomplished a great deal. The organization was instrumental in the passage of state laws mandating an eight-hour workday, a minimum wage for women, and a ban on child labor. It provided seed money to women who organized workers in specific plants and industries, and also established strike funds and soup kitchens to support striking unionists. After the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire of 1911, the WTUL launched a four-year investigation whose conclusions formed the basis of much subsequent workplace safety legislation. The organization also offered a political base for all reform-minded women, and thus helped develop the next generation of American leaders. Eleanor Roosevelt was one of many prominent figures to emerge from the WTUL.
    The organization began a slow death in the late 1920s, when the Great Depression choked off its funding. The organization limped through the 1940s; the death knell eventually rang in 1950, at the onset of the McCarthy era. A turn-of-the-century labor organization dedicated to social reform, one that during its heyday was regarded by many as "radical, " stood little chance of weathering that storm. This humble ending, however, does nothing to diminish the accomplishments of an organization that is yet to receive its historical due. [br] Each of the following is cited in the passage as an accomplishment of the Women’s Trade Union League EXCEPT______.
选项 A、It organized a highly skilled workforce to increase its bargaining power
B、It contributed to the development of a group of leaders in America
C、It provided essential support to striking women
D、It helped fund start-up union for women
答案 A
解析 短文中以下各项被引用为妇女工会联盟的成就，A(它将非常熟练的工人组织起来，以提高它的谈判能力。)除外。A描述的是美国劳工联盟(AFL)的成就，而不是妇女工会联盟(WTUL)的成就。
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