trade union

trade union Group of workers organized for the purpose of improving wages and conditions of work. The first trade unions were founded in Britain around the time of the Industrial Revolution. Although some craft and agricultural unions developed before industrialization, the growth of trade unionism paralleled the growth of industry. In 1825, trade unions were given restricted legality in Britain. In 1871, the Trades Union Act put the unions on a firm legal basis and, over the next 150 years, the movement grew steadily. Their rights were progressively curbed in the 1980s through Conservative legislation under Margaret Thatcher. In the USA, the labour unions and their members have generally accepted the capitalist system. The movement had become firmly established by 1886 with the founding of the American Federation of Labor (AFL). The AFL primarily represented skilled workers, and it was not until the creation (1930) of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) that unskilled labour gained some form of representation. In 1955, the two organizations merged to form the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). See also Tolpuddle Martyrs