The United Shoe Workers of America (USWA) 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 workers involved in making shoes and other leather goods.

History

The union was founded in 1937, when the

United Shoe and Leather Workers' Union The United Shoe and Leather Workers' Union (USLWU) was a labor union representing shoe and bootmakers in the United States. The union was founded in 1933, when the Shoe Workers' Protective Union (SWPU) merged with the National Shoe Workers' Associa ...

merged with the

Shoe Workers' Protective Union The Shoe Workers' Protective Union (SWPU) was a trade union representing workers involved in making footwear in the United States. The union was founded in 1899, when the Boot and Shoe Workers' Union's Haverhill, Massachusetts branch split away. ...

. It affiliated with the

Congress of Industrial Organizations The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. Originally created in 1935 as a committee within the American Federation of ...

, and by 1953, it had around 60,000 members. In 1955, it transferred to the newly merged

AFL–CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million ac ...

. The union's membership declined during the 1970s, in line with employment in the industry, and by 1979 was down to 25,000. It negotiated a merger with the independent Brotherhood of Shoe and Allied Craftsmen, the idea being that the resulting union would itself affiliate to the

Retail Clerks International Union The Retail Clerks International Union (RCIU) was a labor union that represented retail employees. History The RCIU was chartered as the "Retail Clerks National Protective Union" in 1890 by the American Federation of Labor. It later adopted the n ...

. However, the unions could not agree on how power would be distributed in the new shoe section. Instead, in 1979, it merged into the

Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union The Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU) was a labor union representing workers in two related industries in the United States. The union was founded in 1976, when the Textile Workers Union of America merged with the Amalgamated ...

.{{Cite journal, pages = 21–27, last = Adams, first = Larry T., title = Labor organization mergers 1979-84: adapting to change, journal = Monthly Labor Review, date = September 1984

Presidents

:1937: Frank R. McGrath :1946: John J. Brownlee :1960s: George Fecteau

References

Defunct trade unions in the United States Congress of Industrial Organizations Footwear industry trade unions Trade unions established in 1937 Trade unions disestablished in 1979