The Cleveland Miners' and Quarrymen's Association 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 ( ...

representing

ironstone Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical replacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron ore compound from which iron (Fe) can be smelted commercially. Not to be con ...

miners in the

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

area of England. The union was founded in 1872 as the North Yorkshire and Cleveland Miners and Quarrymen's Association by Joseph Shepherd. It grew rapidly, with thirty-three lodges existing one year later, and also proved industrially successful, claiming to have increased miners' wages by 45%, and to have established a standard eight-hour working day. However, Shepherd fell out with his colleagues due to persistent drunkenness and was removed from his position in 1876 after leaving court documents on a train. From the start, the union campaigned to reduce miners' hours of work and increase their pay, and also to help educate miners, and provide healthcare in case of injury or sickness.Arthur Marsh and Victoria Ryan, ''Historical Directory of British Trade Unions'', vol.II, p.236 Long affiliated with the

Miners' National Union The Miners' National Union (MNU) was a trade union which represented miners in Great Britain. History The union was founded in November 1863 at a five-day long conference at the People's Hall in Leeds. It was originally known as the National Ass ...

, in 1892 it transferred to the

Miners Federation of Great Britain The Miners' Federation of Great Britain (MFGB) was established after a meeting of local mining trade unions in Newport, Wales in 1888. The federation was formed to represent and co-ordinate the affairs of local and regional miners' unions in Engla ...

, becoming its only affiliate not to principally represent coal miners. By 1900, the union had a membership of 7,550, and around this time it shortened its name to the "Cleveland Miners and Quarrymen's Association". Membership rose further, peaking at just under 10,000 in 1910. In 1932, the union merged into the National Union of General and Municipal Workers.Peter Carter and John B. Smethurst, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions'', vol.6, p.536

General secretaries

:1872: Joseph Shepherd :1876: Thomas Dunn :1880s: Robert Rowland :1889: George Bernal Hobbs :1909: :1920: William Thomas Mansfield

Presidents

:1875:

Joseph Toyn Joseph Toyn (28 September 1838 – 27 January 1924) was a British trade unionist. Born in Tattershall in Lincolnshire, Toyn worked as a bird-scarer on a farm from the age of six. After a variety of other farm work, when he was fourteen, he b ...

:1911:

Harry Dack Harry Dack (1877–1954) was a British trade unionist and politician. Born in Loftus-by-Cleveland, Dack received a basic education at Skinningrove Council School but, while still a child, began working in the local ironstone mines. In 1902, Dac ...

References

{{National Union of Mineworkers (UK) Mining trade unions National Union of Mineworkers (Great Britain) 1872 establishments in England Mining in England Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Trade unions established in 1872 Trade unions disestablished in 1932 GMB (trade union) amalgamations Trade unions based in North Yorkshire

General secretaries

Presidents

See also

References