Trade Union Unity League
Encyclopedia
The Trade Union Unity League (TUUL) was an industrial union umbrella organization of the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA) between 1929 and 1935. It was the result of the Communist International's Third Period
policy, which dictated that affiliated Communist Parties pursue a strategy of dual unionism
and thus abandon attempts to "bore from within" existing trade unions.
The TUUL, organized in Cleveland, Ohio
, on August 31, 1929, was the American affiliate to the Red International of Labor Unions
. This period in the Party's history has been called its "hey day" and is notable for Communists' unyielding antagonism to more moderate organizers, who were branded "social fascists
." TUUL activists attempted to organize some of the most marginal populations of the working class
, such as the unemployed, women, and Blacks in the racially segregated American South
.
The TUUL was dismantled in 1935 when the Comintern switched to the Popular Front
strategy. CPUSA organizers then joined the industrial union movement under the Congress of Industrial Organizations
, where they applied skills developed during the TUUL era.
Third Period
The Third Period is a ideological concept adopted by the Communist International at its 6th World Congress, held in Moscow in the summer of 1928....
policy, which dictated that affiliated Communist Parties pursue a strategy of dual unionism
Dual unionism
Dual unionism is the development of a union or political organization parallel to and within an existing labor union. In some cases, the term may refer to the situation where two unions claim the right to organize the same workers....
and thus abandon attempts to "bore from within" existing trade unions.
The TUUL, organized in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, on August 31, 1929, was the American affiliate to the Red International of Labor Unions
Profintern
The Red International of Labor Unions , commonly known as the Profintern, was an international body established by the Communist International with the aim of coordinating Communist activities within trade unions...
. This period in the Party's history has been called its "hey day" and is notable for Communists' unyielding antagonism to more moderate organizers, who were branded "social fascists
Social fascism
Social fascism was a theory supported by the Communist International during the early 1930s, which believed that social democracy was a variant of fascism because, in addition to a shared corporatist economic model, it stood in the way of a complete and final transition to communism...
." TUUL activists attempted to organize some of the most marginal populations of the working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
, such as the unemployed, women, and Blacks in the racially segregated American South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
.
The TUUL was dismantled in 1935 when the Comintern switched to the Popular Front
Popular front
A popular front is a broad coalition of different political groupings, often made up of leftists and centrists. Being very broad, they can sometimes include centrist and liberal forces as well as socialist and communist groups...
strategy. CPUSA organizers then joined the industrial union movement under the Congress of Industrial Organizations
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, proposed by John L. Lewis in 1932, was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 required union leaders to swear that they were not...
, where they applied skills developed during the TUUL era.
Affiliated unions
Partial list- Auto, Aircraft and Vehicle Workers of America
- Cannery and Agricultural Workers Industrial Union
- Fishermen and Cannery Workers Industrial Union
- Food Workers Industrial Union
- Laundry Workers Industrial Union
- Marine Workers Industrial Union
- Metal Workers Industrial Union
- National Miners Union
- National Lumber Workers Union
- National Textile Workers Union
- Needle Trades Workers Industrial Union
- Railroad Workers Industrial League
- Tobacco Workers Industrial Union
- Shoe and Leather Workers Industrial Union
Publications
- Problems of Strike Strategy: Decisions of the International Conference on Strike Strategy, held in Strassburg, Germany, January 1929 New York: Workers Library Publishers, 1929.
- The Trade Union Unity League, Affiliated to RILU: Its Program, Structure, Methods and History. New York: Trade Union Unity League, 1929.
- William Z. Foster, Victorious Socialist Construction in the Soviet Union. New York: Trade Union Unity League, 1930.
- William Z. Foster, Little Brothers of the Big Labor Fakers: Report of a Speech against the Conference for Progressive Labor Action, Made in New Star Casino, New York City on May 10, 1931. New York: Trade Union Unity League, 1931.
- The Trade Union Unity League (American Section of the RILU): Its Program, Structure, Methods and History. New York: Trade Union Unity League, n.d. (1930s).
See also
- Trade Union Educational LeagueTrade Union Educational LeagueThe Trade Union Educational League was established by William Z. Foster in 1920 as a means of uniting radicals within various trade unions for a common plan of action. The group was subsidized by the Communist International via the Communist Party of America from 1922...
- ProfinternProfinternThe Red International of Labor Unions , commonly known as the Profintern, was an international body established by the Communist International with the aim of coordinating Communist activities within trade unions...
- Workers' Unity LeagueWorkers' Unity LeagueThe Workers' Unity League was created in 1929 as a labour central operated by the Communist Party of Canada on the instructions of the Communist International....
- Labor federation competition in the U.S.Labor federation competition in the U.S.A labor federation is a group of unions or labor organizations that are in some sense coordinated. The terminology used to identify such organizations grows out of usage, and has sometimes been imprecise. For example, nationals are sometimes named internationals, federations are named unions,...