The Glass, Pottery, Plastics and Allied Workers' International Union (GPPAW) 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 manufacturing workers in various industries in the United States and Canada. The union was founded on August 5, 1982, with the merger of the

Glass Bottle Blowers' Association The Glass Bottle Blowers' Association (GBBA) was a labor union representing workers involved in making blown glass in the United States and Canada. Origins Early glassmakers' unions In 1842, craftsmen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed a glass ...

and the

International Brotherhood of Pottery and Allied Workers The International Brotherhood of Pottery and Allied Workers (IBPAW) was a labor union representing workers in the pottery industry in the United States and Canada. The union originated as a split from the Knights of Labor, based in East Liverpool, ...

. Like both its predecessors, it was chartered by 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 ...

.Kennedy, Joseph S. "In Struggle To Survive, A Union Changes, Grows." ''Philadelphia Inquirer.'' January 21, 1993. On May 1, 1988, the union merged with the

International Molders and Allied Workers' Union International Molders and Foundry Workers Union of North America was an affiliated trade union of the AFL–CIO. The union traced its roots back to the formation of the Iron Molders' Union of North America, established in 1859 to represent craftsm ...

, to form the

Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics and Allied Workers' International Union The Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics and Allied Workers International Union (GMPIU) was a labor union representing craft and industrial workers primarily in the ceramics, china, craft metals, fiberglass, glass, insulation, and pottery industries, ...

. Throughout its existence, the union was led by president James E. Hatfield.{{cite web , title=James E. Hatfield , url=https://aflcio.org/about/leadership/statements/james-e-hatfield , website=AFL-CIO , access-date=13 May 2022

References

Trade unions established in 1982 Trade unions disestablished in 1988 Ceramics and pottery trade unions Glass trade unions