The American Federation of Hosiery Workers (AFHW) was a

labor union 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 benefits ( ...

representing workers involved in manufacturing

hosiery Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as h ...

. The union's origins lay in the

United Textile Workers of America The United Textile Workers of America (UTW) was a North American trade union established in 1901. History The United Textile Workers of America was founded following two conferences in 1901 under the aegis of the American Federation of Labor (AFL ...

(UTWA), which in 1913 formed a craft group named the American Federation of Full Fashioned Hosiery Workers. In 1915, this split from the UTWA to become independent, and while it rejoined the UTWA in 1922, it remained autonomous and affiliated to the

American Federation of Labor The American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL-CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutu ...

(AFL) in its own right. On rejoining the UTWA, it adopted its final name. The union had 10,000 members in 1926. In 1939, the UTWA merged into the new

Textile Workers Union of America The Textile Workers Union of America (TWUA) was an industrial union of textile workers established through the Congress of Industrial Organizations in 1939 and merged with the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America to become the Amalgamated Clo ...

(TWUA), and the AFHW adopted a similar relationship with this new union. However, in 1951 it split from the TWUA and received a new charter from the AFL, transferring in 1955 to the new

AFL–CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million ac ...

. By 1957, it still had 10,000 members. In 1976, it merged with the TWUA and the

Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA) was a United States labor union known for its support for "social unionism" and progressive political causes. Led by Sidney Hillman for its first thirty years, it helped found the Congress of Ind ...

, to form the

Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union The Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU) was a labor union representing workers in two related industries in the United States. The union was founded in 1976, when the Textile Workers Union of America merged with the Amalgamated ...

References

{{reflist Defunct trade unions in the United States Textile and clothing trade unions Trade unions established in 1915 Trade unions disestablished in 1976