Amalgamated Union of Upholsterers

Last updated

The Amalgamated Union of Upholsterers (AUU) was a trade union representing upholstery workers in the United Kingdom.

The union was founded in Liverpool in 1891, with the merger of local trade unions based in Belfast, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and Liverpool itself. There were also upholstery unions in London, but they did not affiliate. Initially, the union operated as a federation, with each branch deciding its own policy on welfare benefits for sick or unemployed members. [1] The union was certainly well established by 17 September 1892, when an illuminated scroll was presented to the President, Mr W D Lyons by the members of the "Society". This was in thanks for "the able manner in which you have discharged your duties as President during the past year." There follow twenty names of Union members, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, etc. This scroll is now in possession of a descendant of Mr Lyons.[ citation needed ]

Membership grew steadily, from 480 on formation to 681 in 1892, with four new branches formed including one in London, and by 1901 it was able to employ Lewis Leckie as its first full-time general secretary. Under his leadership, the union joined the Labour Representation Committee. He also tried to arrange a merger between it, the National Amalgamated Furnishing Trades Association (NAFTA), the Amalgamated Union of Cabinetmakers and the Amalgamated Society of French Polishers, but discussions in both 1909 and 1913 failed as agreement could not be reached on levels of membership fees and benefits. [1]

The union became involved in demarcation disputes, but these were resolved by 1915, when it was permitted to rejoin the Trades Union Congress and affiliate to the Federation of Engineering and Shipbuilding Trades. From 1918, it ceased to act as a craft union by admitting all workers in the trade, regardless of their perceived level of skill. It also began admitting women for the first time. [1]

By 1946, the union had only 900 members. [2] The following year, it finally agreed a merger with NAFTA, which formed the National Union of Furniture Trade Operatives. [1]

General Secretaries

1891: W. Watson
1897: Lewis Leckie
1923: E. W. Wilsdon
1936: Jock Shanley

Related Research Articles

Canadian Labour Congress

The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC is a national trade union centre, the central labour body in Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated.

Australian Workers Union

The Australian Workers' Union (AWU) is one of Australia's largest and oldest trade unions. It traces its origins to unions founded in the pastoral and mining industries in the 1880s and currently has approximately 100,000 members. It has exercised an influence on the Australian trade union movement and on the Australian Labor Party throughout its history.

Queensland Council of Unions

The Queensland Council of Unions (QCU) is a representative, peak body of Queensland trade union organisations, also known as a labour council, in the Queensland, Australia. As of 2020, 26 unions and 13 regional branches were affiliated with the QCU. The QCU represents unions covering around 350,000 Queensland workers. It is affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). Its offices are located in the suburb of South Brisbane, Queensland. As a peak body for the Queensland trade unions, the objective of the QCU is to achieve industrial, social and political justice for Queensland workers. The management structure of the QCU is made up of a committee of management and an executive of representatives comprised from affiliated unions.

Community is a UK trade union which formed in 2004. The union represents workers in a diverse range of sectors, including iron and steel, domestic appliance manufacturing, clothing, textiles, footwear, road transport, betting and gaming and call centres, as well as workers in voluntary organisations, workshops for visually impaired and disabled people, community-care providers and housing associations. Although the former trade unions which amalgamated to form Community were all craft unions or industrial unions, Community is now a general union. Community has merged or transferred engagements with a number of smaller unions, some of which have become sections within Community. These include the National League of the Blind and Disabled (NLBD), the National Union of Domestic Appliance and General Operatives (NUDAGO), the National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades (KFAT), the British Union of Social Work Employees (BUSWE), the Prison Service Union and the UFS.

General Federation of Trade Unions (UK)

The General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU) is a national trade union centre in the United Kingdom. It has 35 affiliates with a membership of just over 214,000 and describes itself as the "federation for specialist unions".

The National Amalgamated Coal Workers' Union was a trade union in the United Kingdom which existed between 1889 and 1922. It represented coal porters and carmen.

The Altogether Builders' Labourers and Constructional Workers' Society was a trade union representing labourers in the construction industry in the United Kingdom.

The National Amalgamated Union of Labour (NAUL) was a general union in the United Kingdom.

Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions Confed

The Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions (CSEU), often known as the Confed is a trade union confederation in the United Kingdom.

National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives

The National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives (NUBSO) was a trade union in the United Kingdom which existed between 1873 and 1971. It represented workers in the footwear industry.

The Amalgamated Society of Engineers (ASE) was a major British trade union, representing factory workers and mechanics.

The Amalgamated Society of Textile Workers and Kindred Trades (ASTWKT) was a trade union representing textile workers, principally silk manufacturing, in the United Kingdom.

Alexander Gossip was a Scottish trade union leader and political activist.

Printing and Kindred Trades Federation

The Printing and Kindred Trades Federation (P&KTF) was a trade union federation in the United Kingdom.

The United Builders' Labourers Union was a trade union representing labourers in the construction industry in the United Kingdom.

The Postmen's Federation was a trade union representing postal workers in the United Kingdom.

Peter Joseph Tevenan was an Irish trade unionist and politician.

The Notts Trades Council, formally known as the Nottinghamshire Nottingham and Mansfield Trades Council, brings together trade unionists in Nottinghamshire, in England.

Leeds Trades Council is an organisation bringing together trade unionists in Leeds, in northern England.

Lewis Leckie was a British trade union leader.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Arthur Marsh and Victoria Ryan, Historical Directory of British Trade Unions, vol.3, p.353
  2. ↑ Labour Party, Report of the Forty-Fifth Annual Conference of the Labour Party, p.78
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.