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The first unions established in Russia in the early nineteenth century tended, by nature of the industries in which their members worked, to be craft unions: shoemakers, cordwainers (shoemakers who work with cordovan leather) and typesetters all worked, as a rule, in small shops in which they had little contact with workers in other fields. The distinction between craft and industrial unions persists today, but no longer has the political significance it once had. The dispute ultimately led to the formation of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, which split from the AFL to establish itself as a rival organization. This distinction between craft and industrial unionism was a hotly contested issue in the first four decades of the twentieth century, as the craft unions that held sway in the American Federation of Labor sought to block other unions from organizing on an industrial basis in the steel and other mass production industries. The primary goal of craft unionism is the betterment of the members of the particular group and the reservation of job opportunities to members of the union and those workers allowed to seek work through the union's hiring hall. Each craft union has its own administration, its own policies, its own collective bargaining agreements and its own union halls. For example, in the building trades, all carpenters belong to the carpenters' union, the plasterers join the plasterers' union, and the painters belong to the painters' union. Under this approach, each union is organized according to the craft, or specific work function, of its members. It contrasts with industrial unionism, in which all workers in the same industry are organized into the same union, regardless of differences in skill.Ĭraft unionism is perhaps best exemplified by many of the construction unions that formed the backbone of the old American Federation of Labor (which later merged with the industrial unions of the Congress of Industrial Organizations to form the AFL–CIO). ( January 2014) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Ĭraft unionism refers to a model of trade unionism in which workers are organised based on the particular craft or trade in which they work. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with North America and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject.