Leather Union

Last updated

The Leather Union (German : Gewerkschaft Leder, GL) was a West German trade union representing workers in shoemaking, tanning, saddlery, and other work related to leather.

The union was founded in 1949 and affiliated to the German Trade Union Confederation. [1] The union was strongest in the cities of Kornwestheim, Erlangen, and Offenbach, where the leather industry was centred, and the local offices in these cities were important in the structure of the union. From the late 1950s, each workplace elected a union representative. This enabled the union to run with a relatively low number of full-time staff. [2]

Membership of the union peaked in 1953, and then steadily declined, halving to 52,719 by 1982. Although, following the reunification of Germany, leather workers in the former East German Textile, Clothing and Leather Union transferred to the Leather Union, this did not stall the decline, although the membership density in the industry remained stable. [2]

By 1996, the union had only 21,929 members. It considered a merger with the Textile and Clothing Union, but as that was also in decline, it rejected the idea. The following year, it merged with the Union of Mining and Energy and the Chemical, Paper and Ceramic Union, to form IG Bergbau, Chemie, Energie. [1] [2]

Presidents

1949: Philipp Mittwich
1959: Adolf Mirkes
1976: Gerhard Wilhelm van Haaren
1980: Helmut Teitzel
1983: Wilhelm Kappelmann
1985: Werner Dick

Related Research Articles

World Federation of Trade Unions International organization

The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade unions. WFTU was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions.

International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation


The International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF) was a global union federation. In 2005 it had 217 member organizations in 110 countries, representing a combined membership of over 10 million workers.

Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union

The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers' Union (SACTWU) is the biggest union in the South African clothing, textile, footwear and leather industry, with more than 100 000 members. It negotiates wages for the vast majority of workers in these industries in South Africa, with the collective bargaining agreements covering over 150 000 workers.

Community is a British trade union which formed in 2004. The union represents workers in a diverse range of sectors, including iron and steel, justice and custodial, domestic appliance manufacturing, textiles and footwear, road transport, betting, the third sector as well as the self-employed.

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 Australian Textile Workers' Union (ATWU) was an Australian trade union which existed from 1919 to 1987. The ATWU represented Australian workers employed in the manufacture of textiles, including the spinning, weaving, dyeing and finishing of all types of fibres. Later, the union also represented workers employed in manufacturing felt hatting.

The Trade Union International of Textile, Leather and Fur Workers Unions was a trade union international affiliated with the World Federation of Trade Unions.

The General Union of Loom Overlookers (GULO) was a trade union representing junior supervisors in textile manufacturing in the United Kingdom. While most members were based in Lancashire, it also had members in Yorkshire, East Anglia and Essex.

The Textile and Clothing Union was a West German trade union representing textile and clothing workers.

Karl Buschmann was a German trade union leader.

Berthold Keller was a German trade union leader.

The Chemical Union was a trade union representing workers in light industries in Finland.

The Textile and Clothing Workers' Union was a trade union representing workers involved in making textiles and garments, in Finland.

The Federation of Hides, Leather, and Kindred Trades was a trade union representing workers in various related industries, including shoemaking, in France.

The Industrial Union of Textiles, Clothing and Leather was a trade union representing workers in the textile, clothing, leather, and tobacco industries in East Germany.

The Swedish Shoe and Leather Workers' Union was a trade union representing workers in the leather industry in Sweden.

The Swedish Clothing Workers' Union was a trade union representing workers in the garment industry in Sweden.

The Swedish Textile Workers' Union was a trade union representing workers in the textile industry in Sweden.

The Association of Trade Unions was a national trade union federation in Poland.

Karl-Erik Persson was a Swedish politician and trade union leader.

References

  1. 1 2 Ebbinghaus, Bernhard; Visser, Jelle (2000). Trade Unions in Western Europe Since 1945. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 309. ISBN   0333771125.
  2. 1 2 3 Jürgen Hoffman, Marcus Kahmann and Jeremy Waddington, A Comparison of the Trade Union Merger Process in Britain and Germany
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.