New Sign Lights the Way for Pioneer Valley Labor Movement

Sat, 03/20/2010 - 11:21am
Pioneer Valley AFL-CIO's New Sign
Pioneer Valley AFL-CIO's New Sign

After going years with a signless façade, the Pioneer Valley AFL-CIO erected a brand new electric sign over its doorway, proudly announcing the entrance to the region's labor movement headquarters.

The sign, measuring 44 inches across and weighing in at 40 pounds, was built and mounted by Back Bay Sign, a signatory contractor to the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, Local 391. The sign is a representation of the AFL-CIO's official logo.

History of the AFL-CIO Logo
The AFL-CIO's "hand-in-hand" logo has roots that date all the way back to 1881, when it was adopted by the newly formed American Federation of Labor (AFL) to represent the fundamental tenets of cooperation and mutual aid upon which the labor movement is built. The AFL's first president, Samuel Gompers, borrowed the symbolism of the clasped hands from the "Hand-in-Hand Society" which helped Jewish immigrants buffer themselves against social and economic hardships. In the 1950s, the symbol of the clasped hands was modernized and updated when the AFL merged with the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) to form the AFL-CIO. The logo was slightly revised in 1982 to embrace the ideas of racial cooperation and diversity by darkening the right hand.

More fascinating information about the AFL-CIO's logo can be found in 100 Years Hand-in-Hand: A Brief History of the AFL-CIO Emblem, written by art historian Kim Munson.