United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America
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| Full name | The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America |
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| Founded | 1881 |
| Members | 520,720 (2017) |
| Affiliation | CLC |
| Key people | Douglas J. McCarron, president |
| Country | United States & Canada |
| Website | www.carpenters.org |
The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America often simply, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC) was formed in 1881 by Peter J. McGuire and Gustav Luebkert. It has become one of the largest trade unions in the United States, and through chapters, and locals, there is international cooperation that poises the brotherhood for a global role. For example the North American Chapter has over 520,000 members throughout the continent.
The union was created in April 1881, by Peter J. McGuire and Gustav Luebkert. The two men organized groups for collective bargaining, and started a newspaper called The Carpenter to facilitate their idea of a national union. The Brotherhood held its first convention in Chicago in August 1881. The cornerstone of local and regional affiliations in support of common goals was laid out to show ways to maximize the unions bargaining potential. The immediate common goals were wage and hour demands, and death and sickness benefits. The union grew from its 1881 membership of 2000, to 50,000 by 1890, and 100,000 by 1900.
While Peter J. McGuire was a socialist, the union itself was non-political, refusing to endorse any political party or philosophy. It was not, on the other hand, apolitical: it supported legislation establishing the eight-hour day.
The union also struck to obtain the eight-hour day, calling a strike of its affiliates for May 1, 1886. The strike itself was ineffective and provoked a repressive response, particularly in Chicago, where police shot and killed two strikers two days later, leading to the Haymarket Riot the following day.
Even so, the strike gave the Brotherhood added visibility that led to increased membership. The union struck again in 1890, with similarly uneven results, but now facing the stiffened resistance of newly formed employers associations.
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Wikipedia