The Carpenters' International (german: Zimmerer-Internationale) was a

global union federation A global union federation (GUF) is an international federation of national trade unions organizing in specific industry sectors or occupational groups. Historically, such federations in the social democratic tradition described as international t ...

bringing together unions representing

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. ...

s. The federation was established on 1 April 1903, on the initiative of the

Central Union of Carpenters and Kindred Trades of Germany The Central Union of Carpenters and Kindred Trades of Germany (german: Zentralverband der Zimmerer und verwandter Berufsgenossen Deutschlands) was a trade union representing carpenters in Germany. The union was established in 1883 in Berlin, as t ...

. This union provided the leadership for the international, and remained its largest affiliate. At its peak, the union also had affiliates from Austria, Bohemia, Denmark, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, but by 1923, it was left with only the German and Danish unions. The federation's final leader was

Adolph Schönfelder Heinrich Ferdinand Adolph Schönfelder (1875–1966) was a German politician, ''Alterspräsident'' (President by right of age, Father of the House) of the Federal German parliamentary council in 1948–49, mayor of Hamburg, and member of ...

. In 1925, it merged into the larger

International Federation of Woodworkers The International Union of Woodworkers (IUW) was a global union federation bringing together unions representing wood carvers, carpenters and joiners. History In 1891, the Belgian union of woodworkers organised the First International Wood Workers' ...

, which allocated one seat on its four-person executive to a representative of the carpenters, this initially being Wilhelm Wolgast.

General Secretaries

:1903: Friedrich Schrader :1921:

References

{{Authority control Carpenters' trade unions Global union federations Trade unions established in 1903 Trade unions disestablished in 1925