Alfred W. Bailey (1828 or 1829 – 22 September 1886) was an early British

trade unionist A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and Employee ben ...

. Living in Preston, Bailey came to prominence in the 1860s as an advocate of the establishment of a national

trade union federation A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national trade union center, and many have more than one. In some regions, such a ...

. He attended the

United Kingdom Alliance of Organised Trades The UK Association of Organised Trades was founded in Sheffield in July 1866. It was an important predecessor organization to the Trades Union Congress. The organisation was largely inspired by William Dronfield, who was elected as its secretar ...

conference in 1867, representing the Preston and

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...

branches of the newly founded

Amalgamated Society of Journeymen Tailors The Amalgamated Society of Tailors and Tailoresses (AST&T) was a trade union representing tailors in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1866 when Peter Shorrocks convened a conference in Manchester of local societies of tailors. The c ...

(ASJT). He was elected as vice-president of the ASJT and, later in 1867, was arrested along with the other leaders of the union, on a charge of conspiracy to impoverish business owners during a strike."The tailors' strike", ''

Glasgow Herald ''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...

'', 23 August 1867 Bailey was found guilty, and bound over to keep the peace. Soon afterwards, he was elected as President of the ASJT. Bailey was not discouraged from trade union activity and, in 1868, he attended the first

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...

, representing Preston Trades Council. At the congress, he read a paper by George Potter which made a forceful case for trade unionism, and has often been quoted as if it were his own words. Bailey thereafter attended the TUC each year. He was elected to its

Parliamentary Committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

more often than not, and served as its chairman in 1874 and 1883.

, "Death of Mr A. W. Bailey", ''Annual Report of the 1886 Trades Union Congress'', p.5 In 1883, he was one of three British delegates to the International Trades Union Congress in Paris, alongside

Henry Broadhurst :''See also Harry Broadhurst'' Henry Broadhurst (13 April 1840 – 11 October 1911) was a leading early British trade unionist and a Lib-Lab politician who sat in the House of Commons for various Midlands constituencies between 1880 and 190 ...

and John Burnett."The International Trades Union Congress at Paris", ''

Morning Post ''The Morning Post'' was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by ''The Daily Telegraph''. History The paper was founded by John Bell. According to historian Robert Darnton, ''The Morning Po ...

'', 30 October 1883 By the mid-1880s, Bailey was in poor health. He attended the 1886 TUC, but was unable to take part in its activities. He was taken home after it closed, and he died one week later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Alfred 1820s births 1886 deaths Members of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress Trade unionists from Preston, Lancashire