Reuben George Soderstrom (March 10, 1888 – December 15, 1970) was an American leader of organized labor who served as President of the Illinois State Federation of Labor (ISFL) and Illinois AFL-CIO from 1930 to 1970. A key figure in Chicago and Illinois politics, he also played a pivotal role in American labor history by helping to define national labor policy after the formation of the AFL–CIO in 1955. Soderstrom advised and was courted by multiple U.S. presidents seeking his endorsement and the votes of the over 1.3 million laborers he represented. The longest-serving state federation chief in American labor history, he passed seminal labor legislation and increased his organization's membership five-fold, transforming it into one of the most powerful labor bodies in the United States.
Early life
Reuben Soderstrom was born on March 10, 1888, on a small farm west of Waverly, Minnesota. He was the second of six children born to John Frederick Soderstrom and Anna Gustafava Erikson, Swedish immigrants from Småland, and Jämtland, respectively. John, a free church preacher and cobbler by trade, attempted to become a farmer. He leveraged the family's assets in 1886 to purchase land, seed, and equipment. His efforts met with failure, and within ten years, the Soderstrom family was mired in debt.
In 1898, John sent ten-year-old Reuben to work for a blacksmith in neighboring Cokato, Minnesota, to pay the family's arrears. Two years later, Reuben traveled alone to the mining town of Streator, Illinois, in search of better wages. He labored on the trolley lines and in the glass factories, which proved formative experiences. "People often ask me what moved him, what things in his life made him choose to devote his life to the Labor Movement," his sister Olga later wrote. "He knew poverty, firsthand, he experienced child labor. He knew the loneliness of separation from his family at such an early age. These were his formative years, and they were not happy ones."
Eventually, Soderstrom earned enough money to move his parents and siblings to Streator. At 16, he became a printer's devil at the Streator Independent Times, where he came under the tutelage of John E. Williams, a columnist and an early leader of the labor movement in Illinois. He introduced Soderstrom to the works of many organized labor theorists, economists, and activists including John Mitchell, Richard Ely, and William U’Ren.Soderstrom, Reuben. Interview by Milton Derber. Transcript, May 23, 1958. University of Illinois Archives. p.7.
Soderstrom pursued a career as a union linotypist, apprenticing throughout the Midwest from St. Louis, Missouri, to Madison, Wisconsin, to Chicago, Illinois. He returned to Streator in 1909, establishing himself professionally, and marrying Jeanne Shaw on December 2, 1912. He also assumed full financial responsibility for his mother and sister after his father's death that year.
Political career
Soderstrom joined Streator ITU Local 328 and soon became a fixture in the city's labor movement. In 1910, he was elected to his Local's Executive Committee and was nominated as a delegate to the city's Trades and Labor Council. In 1912, he was elected President of both his Local and the Streator Trades and Labor Council. After retiring from the Presidency in 1920 he became the Labor Council's Reading Clerk, a position that he held until 1936.
In 1914, Soderstrom made his first run for public office, campaigning for Illinois State Representative as a member of ex-President Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive Party. Although ultimately unsuccessful, Reuben was introduced to the state political scene. Four years later, he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives as a member of the Republican Party. After a 1920 loss largely attributed to his opposition to Prohibition, Soderstrom reclaimed the office in 1922 and held it without interruption for 14 years.
Soderstrom soon earned a reputation as organized labor's strongest advocate in the Illinois House. He authored and shepherded a series of pro-labor bills through the legislature, including the Injunction Limitation Act (1925), the Anti-"Yellow Dog" Contract Act (1933), the One Day Rest in Seven Act (1935), and the Old Age Pension Act (1935). He increased education funding, and helped found the University of Illinois Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations, known today as the Illinois School of Labor and Employment Relations. He also secured favorable amendments to the workmen's compensation, occupational disease, and pension laws.
In 1923, he led the campaign in Streator against the National Association of Manufacturers' anti-labor "American Plan." The historically-organized city became a central front in the NAM's bid to end unions in America, with Illinois Manufacturers' Association (IMA) chief J.M. Glenn leading the charge. Under his direction, the LaSalle County sheriff flooded the streets with deputized IMA-funded armed "patrols." While ostensibly charged with keeping the peace, the "imported thugs" were accused of intimidating striking workers and breaking up peaceful demonstrations by force. When Soderstrom and his fellow Labor Council members protested, they were issued injunctions and charged with conspiracy. While the sanctions and threat of prison were severe, Soderstrom's resistance earned him statewide and national attention. During the course of events he was introduced to American Federation of Labor leader Samuel Gompers, who encouraged him to persevere and counseled him, "Young man, you know you can climb the highest mountain if you've got the patience to do it one step at a time."Soderstrom, Reuben. Interview by Milton Derber. Transcript, May 23, 1958. University of Illinois Archives. p.13.
In 1936, Soderstrom threw his full support behind President Franklin D. Roosevelt. When polling showed Roosevelt losing Illinois to challenger the Alfred Landon 52% to 48%, he helped organize an unprecedented rally at the Chicago Stadium for Roosevelt that was later dubbed the "Meeting at the Madhouse." While Roosevelt won Illinois, Soderstrom lost his re-election, a defeat generally attributed to his support for the Democratic president. Though no longer a state representative, Soderstrom continued to serve as President of the ISFL and Illinois AFL-CIO.
From that point onward, he generally pursued the unaffiliated, non-partisan approach favored by the AFL founder Samuel Gompers (popularly known as "elect our friends") of endorsing both Republican and Democratic politicians throughout his tenure. Soderstrom became an advisor to several administrations on both the state and national level. He worked closely with Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins on President Roosevelt's National Conference on Labor Legislation during the Great Depression and World War II.Soderstrom, Carl; Soderstrom, Robert; Stevens, Chris; Burt, Andrew (2018). Forty Gavels: The Life of Reuben Soderstrom and the Illinois AFL-CIO. 2. Peoria, IL: CWS Publishing. pp. 127. . He focused on workplace and public safety during the Eisenhower administration and joined President Eisenhower's conference on highway safety during the planning of the nation's interstate system.Soderstrom, Carl; Soderstrom, Robert; Stevens, Chris; Burt, Andrew (2018). Forty Gavels: The Life of Reuben Soderstrom and the Illinois AFL-CIO. 3. Peoria, IL: CWS Publishing. pp. 81-82. . President John F. Kennedy aggressively sought Soderstrom's endorsement, inviting him to the white house.Soderstrom, Carl; Soderstrom, Robert; Stevens, Chris; Burt, Andrew (2018). Forty Gavels: The Life of Reuben Soderstrom and the Illinois AFL-CIO. 3. Peoria, IL: CWS Publishing. pp. 220–223. . In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson became the first U.S. president to address a state labor convention in person, at Soderstrom's request.Soderstrom, Carl; Soderstrom, Robert; Stevens, Chris; Burt, Andrew (2018). Forty Gavels: The Life of Reuben Soderstrom and the Illinois AFL-CIO. 3. Peoria, IL: CWS Publishing. pp. 234–238. .
Presidency
Miners' crisis In 1930, the Illinois State Federation of Labor (ISFL) faced a crisis when its largest union, the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), broke apart under the heavy-handed leadership of John L. Lewis. ISFL President John Walker, himself a UMWA member, was forced to resign after he and his Progressive Miners of America (PMA) withdrew from the UMWA and claimed to be the "legitimate" miners' union. As many as 85% of Illinois UMWA miners sided with Walker, and ISFL membership plummeted to under 200,000.
With no clear successor, the ISFL Executive Committee approached the 42-year-old Soderstrom in the hope that his political acumen could help stabilize the crisis. He accepted and was named interim president, pending a formal vote.Soderstrom, Reuben. Interview by Milton Derber. Transcript, May 23, 1958. University of Illinois Archives. p. 17. Soderstrom acted decisively against the PMA despite his friendship with Walker by refusing to seat it at the 1930 ISFL Convention. The move marginalized the PMA and helped to stabilize the UMWA at a critical moment. Soderstrom was formally elected ISFL President soon thereafter.
Great Depression Just as the miners' crisis began to abate, a larger threat emerged: the Great Depression. By 1933, one out of every four laborers were idle. Reuben combated the crisis with a mix of legislation, agitation, and recruitment. He fought for relief legislation, including unemployment insurance and a shorter work week and declared that every laborer had a "right to work which must not be taken away." He strengthened union efforts on the ground and traveled across Illinois to give support to strikes and organizing efforts.Soderstrom, Reuben Soderstrom. Interview by Milton Derber. Transcript, May 23, 1958, University of Illinois Archives. p. 34. He also ran a relentless recruitment campaign by focusing not only on unorganized workers but also on established unions not previously affiliated with the ISFL.Soderstrom, Reuben. “Essay: The Federation Is Growing,” August 1952. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. As a result, Soderstrom saw his membership surge despite the Great Depression and the formation of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), a rival to Reuben's American Federation of Labor (AFL).
Soderstrom also undertook efforts to combat organized crime and its influence on labor. Working closely with Chicago Federation of Labor President John Fitzpatrick, he sought to identify and arrest "labor racketeers," who falsely claimed to be representatives of organized labor to extort illegal "fees" from workers and businesses alike.Soderstrom, Carl; Soderstrom, Robert; Stevens, Chris; Burt, Andrew (2018). Forty Gavels: The Life of Reuben Soderstrom and the Illinois AFL-CIO. 2. Peoria, IL: CWS Publishing. pp. 237-238. . His efforts earned him the ire of Illinois gangsters, who sabotaged his car and attempted to kidnap him.Hodgson, Olga (1974). Reuben G. Soderstrom. Kankakee, IL. pp. 17.
World War II