Amalgamated Association of Operative Cotton Spinners
| Founded | 1870 |
|---|---|
| Date dissolved | 1970 |
| Members | 22,000 (1910) |
| Affiliation | GFTU, TUC, UTFWA |
| Key people | James Mawdsley (General Secretary) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
The Amalgamated Association of Operative Cotton Spinners and Twiners, also known as the Amalgamation, was a trade union in the United Kingdom which existed between 1870 and 1970. It represented male mule spinners in the cotton industry.
The first attempts to form a trade union for cotton spinners occurred in the late 18th century, and there were numerous attempts to establish local and national unions throughout the 19th century. There had been the Manchester Spinners Union and the Grand General Union of Operative Spinners of the United Kingdom formed in 1828, by John Doherty. It only lasted two years.. In 1845 several local associations in the North West and Yorkshire combined to form the Association of Operative Cotton Spinners, Twiners, and Self Acting Minders of the United Kingdom. This grew to 49 local affiliates, was able to appoint a full-time secretary, Thomas Brindle, and was central to the National Association of United Trades for the Protection of Industry. However, a downturn in the industry in 1849 led most of its affiliates to leave or dissolve entirely. It appears to have ceased to function after the Bolton union left in 1850, but maintained some nominal existence and revived from 1853 under Thomas Mawdsley. The association survived with around 4,000 members until, in 1870, it called a conference to found a new organisation, seeking to include local unions such as Oldham and Bolton which did not hold membership.
The Amalgamated Association of Operative Cotton Spinners, Self-Actor Minders, Twiners and Rovers of Lancashire and Adjoining Counties was formed in 1870. The new union grew rapidly and by the late 1880s approximately 90 percent of cotton spinners were members. The union had 18,000 members at the turn of the century. By 1910 almost 100% of male mule spinners were members and its membership numbered 22000. The Amalgamation used the high level of union membership amongst mule spinners to restrict the supply of labour to employers, ensuring that their members were able to receive wages and working conditions significantly better than most British industrial employees. This elevated position within the industrial working class led to mule spinners being known as the Barefoot Aristocrats.
Less skilled workers in the cotton industry were generally not allowed to join the Amalgamation, instead forming their own unions. Female ring spinners were represented by the expansionist Amalgamated Association of Card and Blowing and Ring Room Operatives while the powerloom weavers were represented by the Amalgamated Weavers Association which had 114000 members.
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