The Mechanics' Union of Trade Associations (also known as The Mechanics' Union or MUTA) is a now defunct American trade union

Trade union

A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...

 founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1827.

Origin

During the winter of 1826-1827, more than 800 Philadelphian

Philadelphian

Philadelphian is most commonly used to describe someone who is from the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.* List of people from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania"Philadelphian" may also refer to:...

s were jailed in a debtor's prison

Debtor's prison

A debtors' prison is a prison for those who are unable to pay a debt.Prior to the mid 19th century debtors' prisons were a common way to deal with unpaid debt.-Debt bondage in ancient Greece and Rome:...

 as a consequence of not having paid off their loans.
One anonymous prisoner working from his prison cell wrote an open letter, "To the Mechanics and Working-Men of the Fifth Ward, and those friendly to their Interests," describing the difficult work conditions suffered by working-class Philadelphians. The letter inspired a few outspoken writers to publish a widely-circulated article demanding the workday

Workday

Workday may refer to:* A day in the workweek.* Working time, the period of time an individual spends at paid occupational labor* Workday, Inc., a business software company...

 be cut from twelve hours to ten hours. In June 1827, carpenters in Philadelphia struck for a 10-hour workday, agreeing to no reduction in wages. According to ExplorePAhistory.com:

By October, the protesters had established the Mechanics' Union of Trade Associations, the first trade union to cross craft lines.

Activities

Almost immediately, the organization set up its own advocacy newspaper, the Mechanics Free Press, and began providing benefits for its members and political candidates, "who will support the interest of the working classes." The Mechanics' Union of Trade Associations became a proxy of the united crafts in Philadelphia, independent of the increasingly popular Jacksonian Democrats. Members of the association became known as "workies," and ran numerous candidates for local offices while forging coalitions with other Anti-Jacksonian organizations who supported educational reforms and economic regulations favorable to Philadelphia's workers.

In 1837, ten years after the original carpenter protests, dozens of industries achieved their greatest victory when the City of Philadelphia passed legislation prohibiting businesses from employing workers for more than 10 hours a day.

Loss of influence

The gains of the organization, however, were relatively short lived. Soon after the 10-hour workday legislation, the Panic of 1837

Panic of 1837

The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis or market correction in the United States built on a speculative fever. The end of the Second Bank of the United States had produced a period of runaway inflation, but on May 10, 1837 in New York City, every bank began to accept payment only in specie ,...

 caused many business to declare bankruptcy and the subsequent rise in unemployment effectively deactivated the Mechanics' Union.

Legacy

Despite the relatively short lifespan of the Mechanics' Union of Trade Associations, future union leaders such as John Siney and William Sylvis looked to the Mechanics' Union for inspiration in the coal miners organizing movement. The organization also heavily influenced the idea of collective bargaining

Collective bargaining

Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and the representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions...

in the United States.