National Federation of Independent Unions

The National Federation of Independent Unions (also known as the Confederated Unions of America) was a group of independent labor unions not affiliated with the American Federation of Labor (AFL) or the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). It included a variety of unions, including the Mechanics' Educational Society of America (MESA), the United Brotherhood of Welders, Cutters and Helpers of America, the Western Electric Independent Labor Federation, and the National Brotherhood of Packinghouse Workers. Formed in 1942, it sought to create a voice in Washington for independent unionism, particularly on the National War Labor Board (1942–1945)National War Labor Board (NWLB).[1]

A split within the CUA created the National Independent Union Council. In 1963, the two organizations reunited to form the NFIU, a body with an emphasis on what they term "independent unionism": individual, independent unions with "[t]he right to all the benefits of independence, including total autonomy [and] local treasury control." It affiliated with the Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA), AFL-CIO, under terms of extreme autonomy which allow the union to offer members the "rights, benefits and privileges of AFL-CIO membership and its Union Privilege Program" while preserving (for better or worse) their tradition of the independence and autonomy of constituent bodies. Since then, LIUNA briefly left the AFL-CIO to join the Change to Win Federation, then decided to leave Change to Win and resume affiliation with the AFL-CIO.

References
  1. Klemm, Mary (1944). "The Rise of Independent Unionism and the Decline of Labor Oligopoly". The American Economic Review. 34 (1): 76–86. ISSN 0002-8282.
  • Council Bluffs [Iowa] Nonpareil, July 25, 1946, p. 2
  • Taft, Philip (Apr 1956). "Independent Unions and the Merger". Industrial and Labor Relations Review. 9 (3, The AFL–CIO Merger): 433–446. doi:10.1177/001979395600900309. JSTOR 2519880.
  • TIME magazine, March 10, 1958 obituary of Matthew Smith, secretary of the Mechanics Educational Society of America
  • Troy, Leo (Apr 1961). "Local Independent Unions and the American Labor Movement". Industrial and Labor Relations Review. 14 (3): 331–349. doi:10.1177/001979396101400301. JSTOR 2519458.
  • Mergen, Bernard (Apr 1972). "Blacksmiths and Welders: Identity and Phenomenal Change". Industrial and Labor Relations Review. 25 (3): 354–362. doi:10.1177/001979397202500303. JSTOR 2521318.
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