William Mullin (1844 or 1845 – 23 June 1920) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

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 benefits (s ...

. Mullin grew up in

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham ...

, and left school at the age of nine to work in a local cotton mill. He joined a local trade union, and was elected as its treasurer in 1880."Mr. William Mullin", '' Manchester Guardian'', 26 June 1920, p.9 Most cardroom workers in the town were not unionised and were locked out and lost their wages following the Oldham weavers' strike of 1885. Many of these workers formed a new union, the

Amalgamated Association of Card and Blowing Room Operatives The Cardroom Amalgamation or Cardroom Workers' Amalgamation (CWA)Joseph L. White, ''The Limits of Trade Union Militancy'', p.240, note 9 was a British trade union which existed between 1886 and 1974. It represented workers in the cotton textil ...

, and Mullin was elected as its first general secretary. As secretary, Mullin's most famous contribution was leading the union through a 21-week strike in 1892/93. Around that time, he served as president of the United Textile Factory Workers' Association, a loose federation bringing together textile workers' unions. However, the Cardroom Amalgamation left the association in 1913 after its member William Henry Carr was not re-adopted as Parliamentary candidates. Mullin was active in the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in England and Wales, representing the majority of trade unions. There are 48 affiliated unions, with a total of about 5.5 million members. Frances ...

(TUC), and served as President of the TUC in 1911. In this capacity, he was invited to attend the Coronation of King George V."Mr. William Mullin", '' Manchester Guardian'', 1 June 1911, p.5 He was noted as one of the first trade unionists to be appointed as a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...

, and he served on the Board of Trade and the Cotton Control Board. Mullin became ill and underwent an operation in January 1920. Although his health improved enough for him to resume some of his trade union duties, this was temporary, and he died in June.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mullin, William 1840s births 1920 deaths General Secretaries of the Amalgamated Association of Card and Blowing Room Operatives Members of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress People from Oldham Presidents of the Trades Union Congress Presidents of the United Textile Factory Workers' Association