The Factory Workers' Union of Germany (, VFD, commonly known as , FAV) was a

trade 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 ( ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

History

The union was founded in early July 1890, as a

general union A general union is a trade union (called ''labor union'' in American English) which represents workers from all industries and companies, rather than just one organisation or a particular sector, as in a craft union or industrial union. A gene ...

affiliated to the

General Commission of German Trade Unions The General Commission of German Trade Unions (german: Generalkommission der Gewerkschaften Deutschlands) was an umbrella body for German trade unions during the German Empire, from the end of the Anti-Socialist Laws in 1890 up to 1919. In 1919, ...

, gathering unskilled workers from many different industrial sectors. It was initially named the Union of Factory, Agricultural and Commercial Support Workers in Germany It grew rapidly, with 11,000 members by 1896, and 76,000 by 1905. However, in 1906, it decided to only represent workers in six industries: * Chemical industry * Paper making * Brick making * Sugar refining * Agriculture * Dairies, distilleries and related trades In light of this, in 1908, it changed its name to the "Factory Workers' Union of Germany", and by 1912, it had come to focus on the chemical, paper, building materials, and food industries. This strategy proved successful, and by 1913 the membership had reached 210,000. That year, the Union of Flower Workers joined, while the Union of Wallpaper, Oilcloth and Linoleum Printers joined in 1919. In 1919, the union was a founding affiliate of the

General German Trade Union Confederation The General German Trade Union Federation (german: Allgemeiner Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, ADGB) was a confederation of German trade unions in Germany founded during the Weimar Republic. It was founded in 1919 and was initially powerful enough to ...

, and in 1922 its membership peaked at 720,000. It declined during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, and by 1932, it had around 350,000 members. This was despite merging with the

Central Union of Glassworkers The Central Union of Glassworkers (german: Zentralverband der Glasarbeiter und -arbeiterinnen Deutschlands) was a trade union representing people involved in manufacturing glass and glass objects in Germany. The union was founded in 1890, as the U ...

and the

Union of Porcelain and Related Workers of Germany The Union of Porcelain and Related Workers of Germany (german: Verband der Porzellan- und verwandten Arbeiter und Arbeiterinnen Deutschlands) was a trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a uni ...

, in 1926. By 1929, the union had seven sections: FAV published the weekly newspaper '. In April 1933, the Nazi government replaced its leadership with a Nazi commissioner, and the union was forcibly dissolved on 2 May 1933. After

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 ...

, workers in the relevant sectors were represented by the

Chemical, Paper and Ceramic Union The Chemical, Paper and Ceramic Union (german: IG Chemie-Papier-Keramik) was a trade union representing chemical, oil refinery, paper, rubber, ceramics, glass and plastics workers in West Germany. While the Factory Workers' Union of Germany, disso ...

Presidents

:1890:

August Brey August Brey (1 August 1864 – 28 July 1937) was a German politician and trade unionist. Born in Gelnhausen, Brey completed an apprenticeship as a shoemaker, and joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) in 1885. In 1890, he was a l ...

:1931: Karl Thiemig

References

{{Authority control 1890 establishments in Germany Defunct trade unions of Germany Trade unions established in 1890 Trade unions disestablished in 1933