United Hatters of North America

The United Hatters of North America (UHU) was a labor union representing hat makers, headquartered in the United States.

19th Century American Advertising card

History

The UHU was founded and received a charter in the American Federation of Labor in 1896 through a merger of the International Trade Association of Hat Finishers of America and the National Hat Makers' Association of the United States.[1] One of its co-founders was John A. Moffitt, who served consecutively as UHU vice president, president, and editor of its official journal from 1896 to 1911.[2]

"Ask for the label" advertising card

In 1934, the UHU merged with the Cloth Hat, Cap and Millinery Workers International Union to form the United Hatters, Cap and Millinery Workers International Union (UHCMW), a founding member of the Committee for Industrial Organizations. Subsequent mergers led to the formation of the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU) in 1983, and the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE) in 1995.[3]

The UHU was the de facto defendant in the landmark 1908 United States Supreme Court Loewe v. Lawlor decision, which was found adversely for the UHU and, by extension, for all unions in the United States. Loewe v. Lawlor outlawed secondary boycotts and ruled that individual union members could be held personally liable for damages incurred by their union.[4]

Leadership

Presidents
1896: Frederick W. Schmalz
1898: John A. Moffit
1911: Simon Blake
1914: John W. Sculley
1918: Michael F. Greene

Secretary-Treasurers
1896: John Phillips
1904: Martin Lawlor

References
  1. "Individual Organizations". The Samuel Gompers Papers. Hatters. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  2. "Individual Organizations". The Samuel Gompers Papers. Moffitt. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  3. "United Hatters, Cap and Millinery Workers International Union Local 4 Records, 1945-1995". University of Massachusetts Special Collections and University Archives. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  4. Carter, Saalim A. (2006). Labor Unions and Antitrust Legislation: Judicial Activism vs. Judicial Restraint from 1890-1941 (PDF) (Honors Thesis). Pennsylvania State University. pp. 28–30. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.