The Union of Lithographers, Lithographic Printers and Kindred Trades (german: Verband der Lithographen, Steindrucker und verwandten Berufe) 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 printers in Germany. It was sometimes referred to as the Senefelder Union, after
Alois Senefelder, the inventor of lithography.
History
Various local unions of lithographers were formed in Germany in the 1880s, and in 1888, they launched the ''Graphische Press'' as a joint journal. This led the unions to organise joint conferences in 1889 and 1890, the latter one agreeing to form a national union. This was established on 1 April 1891, and was initially based in
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river.
Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebur ...
, and led by Otto Sillier. On founding, it had 2,768 members, and this grew rapidly, reaching 11,497 by 1905. It affiliated to the
General Commission of German Trade Unions.
In 1919, the union was a founding affiliate of the
General German Trade Union Confederation. Within the federation, it was part of the Graphic Block. For many years, the union also hosted the headquarters of the
.
The Music Printers' Assistants' Union merged in July 1920, followed by the German Xylographers' Union on 1 January 1921.
The union represented workers in various printing processes. The most important was lithography, in which a distinction was made between the lithographers who drew an image to be printed, and lithographic printers, who did the actual printing. By the start of 1932, the union had 20,691 members, divided between the following trades:
The union was banned by the Nazi government in 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 ...
, printers were represented as part of the
Printing and Paper Union.
Presidents
:1891:
Otto Sillier
Otto Sillier (7 November 1857 – 4 March 1925) was a German trade union leader.
Born in Berlin, Sillier completed an apprenticeship as a printmaker, and joined the Senefelder Union. Due to the Anti-Socialist Laws, this later became a friendl ...
:1919: Johannes Haß
References
{{Authority control
Lithographers' trade unions
Trade unions established in 1891
Trade unions disestablished in 1933
Trade unions in Germany