Final answer:
The CIO's success after 1935 was largely due to its ability to organize unskilled and semiskilled workers in mass production industries, differentiating themselves from the AFL, which focused on skilled craft workers. Aggressive tactics and negotiations led to improved worker conditions and benefits. Ultimately, the AFL and CIO merged in 1955, forming the AFL-CIO.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Congress of Industrial Organization's (CIO) remarkable success in organizing employees after its formation in 1935 can be attributed to its effective strategy of unionizing workers in mass production industries. Unlike the American Federation of Labor (AFL), which focused on organizing skilled craft workers, the CIO effectively brought together primarily unskilled and semiskilled laborers. Leaders like John L. Lewis drove the expansion of the CIO, and through aggressive tactics, such as the sit-down strikes led by the United Auto Workers, they were able to achieve significant gains for workers, including higher pay and benefits.
Further emphasizing the CIO's success, during the 1950s, industrial unions represented a significant portion of the workforce. The CIO, known for its effective organization of the labor movement and working tirelessly to improve the conditions and compensation for its members, contrasted with the AFL's reluctance to organize workers outside the realm of skilled crafts. The eventual merger of the AFL and CIO in 1955 to form the AFL-CIO brought together these different approaches within a single, more influential labor organization.