Joseph Cross (1859–1925) was a 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 ...

. Cross worked as a weaver, based in Darwen in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

. He began to take an interest in trade union matters and joined the Blackburn and District Weavers' Association. He was elected vice-president of the Society and later president and trustee. During the time he served on the committee he was instrumental in promoting a system of mill representatives. It was around this time that Cross and a few more enthusiasts succeeded in forming the Blackburn and District Trades and Labour Council, which he chaired for seven years.''Report of the 1925 Annual Trades Union Congress'', p.346 In 1892, he was appointed secretary of the Darwen Weavers' Association, and two years later became secretary of the Blackburn Weavers' Association. In 1902, Cross was also elected as secretary of the

United Textile Factory Workers' Association The United Textile Factory Workers' Association (UTFWA) was a trade union federation in Great Britain. It was active from 1889 until 1975. Objectives The federation was founded in 1889, to represent the various textile workers' unions in polit ...

, a federation of most cotton workers' unions which focused on political matters; he held the post until his death. In September 1905, he accepted the position of Labour correspondent on the Board of Trade for the Blackburn Division of East Lancashire. The local weavers' associations were members of the

Amalgamated Weavers' Association The Amalgamated Weavers' Association, often known as the Weavers' Amalgamation, was a trade union in the United Kingdom. Initially, it operated in competition with the North East Lancashire Amalgamated Weavers' Association in part of its area, ...

, and Cross was elected as its general secretary in March 1906. On receiving this appointment, Cross resigned from his position on the Trades Council. Efforts were made to induce him to continue in the office, but to no effect.''Blackburn Times'', 17 January 1925 Under his leadership, membership of the association rose from 88,000 to peak at 224,000 in 1921. He also oversaw the reduction of the working week from 52.5 to 48 hours for weavers. In May 1912 he was appointed to represent the textile trade unions upon the Advisory Committee for England under the National Insurance Act. A Liberal in his younger days, Cross remained a staunch Free Trader and in 1905 shared a Free Trade platform, under the auspices of the Blackburn branch of the

Free Trade League The Free Trade Union, later known as the Free Trade League, was a British trade organisation extant between July 1903 and the 1970s. It was founded in opposition to the campaign for Imperial Preference which had been launched by Board of Trade chai ...

, along with

Lord George Hamilton Lord George Francis Hamilton (17 December 1845 – 22 September 1927) was a British Conservative Party politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who served as First Lord of the Admiralty and Secretary of State for India. Background ...

and Conservative MP

Harry Hornby Sir William Henry Hornby, 1st Baronet, (29 August 1841 – 22 October 1928), usually known as Harry Hornby, was an English industrialist and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician from Blackburn in Lancashire. He sat in the Hous ...

. At the time the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

was committed nationally to Tariff reform, a policy to which the cotton industry was opposed. In a speech at the event, Cross summed up

Protectionism Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulations. ...

in the phrase "Open your mouth, shut your eyes and see what Protection will send you".''Blackburn Times'', 14 January 1905 He concluded his appeal to the audience with the counsel "Don't be fooled". Cross remained active in local politics and regularly campaigned in support of greater Labour representation on the Blackburn Council. It was common knowledge locally that Cross would have been welcomed as a Parliamentary candidate, but his ambition was not in that direction. When the Labour Party first contested the nearby town of Clitheroe in 1902, the name of Cross was mentioned along with that of

David Shackleton Sir David James Shackleton (21 November 1863 – 1 August 1938) was a cotton worker and trade unionist who became the third Labour Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom, following the formation of the Labour Representation Committee. He ...

, who eventually won the seat with Cross as his election agent. Other constituencies attempted to woo him, but Cross would not stand. The high regard in which Cross was held in the Labour movement was evident at his funeral. Several of the mills in the local area stopped earlier than usual, so that operatives could be provided with an opportunity to witness the obsequies of their leader. All the blinds were drawn in a mark of respect. The majority of operatives' associations in Lancashire sent representatives and Sir David Shackleton was also present. In the gathering at the Co-Operative Hall following the interment, former Home Secretary

Arthur Henderson Arthur Henderson (13 September 1863 – 20 October 1935) was a British iron moulder and Labour politician. He was the first Labour cabinet minister, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1934 and, uniquely, served three separate terms as Leader of th ...

provided the eulogy, describing Cross as 'a man who could not be bought'.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cross, Joseph 1925 deaths General Secretaries of the Amalgamated Weavers' Association General Secretaries of the United Textile Factory Workers' Association People from Darwen Place of death missing Presidents of the General Federation of Trade Unions (UK) 1859 births