The lull in the trade union movement was broken by a new concerted eight-hour movement managed by the Federation, which culminated in 1890.

Although on the whole the eight-hour movement in 1886 was a failure, it was by no means a disheartening failure.  It was evident that the eight-hour day was a popular demand, and that an organization desirous of expansion might well hitch its wagon to this star.  Accordingly, the convention of the American Federation of Labor in 1888 declared that a general demand should be made for the eight-hour day on May 1, 1890.  The chief advocates of the resolution were the delegates of the carpenters, who announced a readiness to lead the way for a general eight-hour day in 1890.

The Federation at once inaugurated an aggressive campaign.  For the first time in its history it employed special salaried organizers.  Pamphlets were issued and widely distributed.  On every important holiday mass meetings were held in the larger cities.  On Labor Day 1889, no less than 420 such mass meetings were held throughout the country.  Again the Knights of Labor came out against the plan.

The next year the plan of campaign was modified.  The idea of a general strike for the eight-hour day in May 1890, was abandoned in favor of a strike trade by trade.  In March 1890, the carpenters were chosen to make the demand on May 1 of the same year, to be followed by the miners at a later date.

The choice of the carpenters was indeed fortunate.  Beginning with 1886, that union had a rapid growth and was now the largest union affiliated with the Federation.  For several years it had been accumulating funds for the eight-hour day, and, when the movement was inaugurated in May 1890, it achieved a large measure of success.  The union officers claimed to have won the eight-hour day in 137 cities and a nine-hour day in most other places.

However, the selection of the miners to follow on May 1, 1891, was a grave mistake.  Less than one-tenth of the coal miners of the country were then organized.  For years the miners’ union had been losing ground, with the constant decline of coal prices.  Some months before May 1, 1891, the United Mine Workers had become involved in a disastrous strike in the Connelsville coke region, and the plan for an eight-hour strike was abandoned.  In this manner the eight-hour movement inaugurated by the convention of the Federation in 1888 came to an end.  Apart from the strike of the carpenters in 1890, it had not led to any general movement to gain the eight-hour work day.  Nevertheless, hundreds of thousands of workingmen had won reduced hours of labor, especially in the building trades.  By 1891 the eight-hour day had been secured for all building trades in Chicago, St. Louis, Denver, Indianapolis, and San Francisco.  In New York and Brooklyn the carpenters, stone-cutters, painters, and plasterers worked eight hours, while the bricklayers, masons, and plumbers worked nine.  In St. Paul the bricklayers alone worked nine hours, the remaining trades eight.