The National Trades' Union was the first federation of

labor unions in the United States Labor unions in the United States are organizations that represent workers in many industries recognized under US labor law since the 1935 enactment of the National Labor Relations Act. Their activity today centers on collective bargaining over w ...

. It was established in 1834, but collapsed during the

Panic of 1837 The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis in the United States that touched off a major depression, which lasted until the mid-1840s. Profits, prices, and wages went down, westward expansion was stalled, unemployment went up, and pessimism abound ...

History

Under the federation, by 1836 around fifty unions had formed in Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore, Boston, Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Washington, D.C., Newark and New Brunswick, New Jersey; Cincinnati, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Louisville, Kentucky; and elsewhere. While some organized national unions within their crafts, most participated in citywide "trades' unions," which established the short-lived National Trades' Union in 1834 under the presidencies of first Ely Moore then John Commerford. The NTU collapsed with most of its constituent bodies during the panic of 1837. {{sect-stub, date=August 2016

References

*A Cox, DC Bok, MW Finkin and RA Gorman, Labor Law: Cases and Materials (2006) 11 United States labor law