Adolph Kummernuss (23 June 1895 – 7 August 1979) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

trade union leader. Born in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, Kummernuss found work in the city's port, and joined the youth wing of the

Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the ...

(SPD), then in 1912 became a full party member. That year, he also joined the

German Transport Workers' Union The German Transport Workers' Union (german: Deutsche Transportarbeiter-Verband, DTV) was a trade union representing transport workers in Germany. The union was founded in 1897 as the Association of Commercial, Transport and Communication Workers ...

. In 1915, he was conscripted into the army, serving on the Eastern Front and then after a serious injury, on the Western Front, before being invalided out in 1918. After the war, Kummernuss took a variety of jobs, and gradually rose to prominence in his union and in the SPD. He strongly opposed the Nazis, and when they forceably dissolved the unions, in 1933, he continued to organise illegal union meetings, working closely with the

International Transport Workers' Federation The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) is a democratic global union federation of transport workers' trade unions, founded in 1896. In 2017 the ITF had 677 member organizations in 149 countries, representing a combined membership ...

. He was arrested in 1935, and spent several months in the

Fuhlsbüttel is an urban quarter in the north of Hamburg, Germany in the Hamburg-Nord district. It is known as the site of Hamburg's international airport, and as the location of a prison which served as a concentration camp in the Nazi system of repression. ...

concentration camp, before being sentenced to two years in prison. He was released in 1937, and found work in a warehouse, later becoming a factory manager. As soon as

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

finished, Kummernuss began organising a trade union in the civil service of the British occupying force. In 1947, he was elected as chair of the new Local Committee of Greater Hamburg of the German Trade Union Confederation, which represented the trade unions in the region, and also became the founding president of the Public Services, Transport and Traffic Union of the British Zone. From 1946 until 1949, he also served on the Hamburg Citizen's Committee, representing the SPD. In 1949, Kummernuss' union established the national

Public Services, Transport and Traffic Union The Public Services, Transport and Traffic Union (german: Gewerkschaft Öffentliche Dienste, Transport und Verkehr, ÖTV) was a trade union representing transport and public service workers in West Germany. The union was founded in 1949, at a mee ...

(ÖTV), closely based on its structure - for example, not including railway workers - and Kummernuss was elected as its first president. He also played a prominent role in establishing the

German Trade Union Confederation The German Trade Union Confederation (german: Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund; DGB) is an umbrella organisation (sometimes known as a national trade union center) for eight German trade unions, in total representing more than 6 million people ...

(DGB), and served on the executive of the

Public Services International Public Services International (PSI) is the global union federation for workers in public services, including those who work in social services, health care, municipal services, central government and public utilities. , PSI has 700 affiliated ...

(PSI). He was sharply critical of former Nazi Party members re-entering public life, and was often spoken of as a possible future leader of the DGB. However, he decided to focus on the ÖTV and, from 1956, an additional role as President of the PSI. Kummernuss' term as leader of the ÖTV ended in 1961, and as he was above the age limit, he was due to retire. However, the union voted strongly to change the by-laws so he could continue. In 1962, he was appointed to the Economic and Social Committee of the

European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisb ...

. He retired from his trade union work in 1964, moving to

Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the stat ...

. In 1971, he was elected to the seniors' council of the SPD. He died in 1979, and was buried at sea.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kummernuss, Adolph 1895 births 1979 deaths German Army personnel of World War I German resistance members German trade unionists People from Hamburg Social Democratic Party of Germany politicians