The Swiss Clothing, Leather and Equipment Workers' Union (, VBLA; ) was a

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

representing workers in the clothing and leather industries. The Clothing and Leather Workers' Union was expelled from the

Swiss Trade Union Federation The Swiss Trade Union Federation (, SGB; ; , USS) is the largest national trade union center in Switzerland. History The federation was founded in 1880. The SGB has close ties with the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (SPS). Ruth Dreifuss ...

(SGB) in 1930, after the Communist Party of Switzerland assumed its leadership. The SGB founded the Union of Clothing and Equipment Industry Workers as a replacement, and in 1938, it became the VBLA. In 1942, it was joined by the Swiss Hairdressers' Union, and the Homeworkers' Union of the Clothing and Laundry Industry, and in 1947 by the Swiss Hat and Cap Workers' Union. The union's peak membership was 13,004 in 1947, but by 1963 it had fallen to only 6,861, and by 1991 to only 1,974. The following year, it merged into the Swiss Metalworkers' and Watchmakers' Union.{{cite book , title=Directory of Labor Organizations: Europe , volume=2 , date=1965 , publisher=United States Department of Labor , location=Washington DC , page=28.1–28.11

References

Textile and clothing trade unions Trade unions established in 1930 Trade unions disestablished in 1992 Trade unions in Switzerland