Trade Union Unity League

The Trade Union Unity League (TUUL) was an industrial union umbrella organization under the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA) between 1929 and 1935. The group was an American affiliate of the Red International of Labor Unions. The formation of the TUUL was the result of the Communist International's Third Period policy, which ordered affiliated Communist Parties to pursue a strategy of dual unionism and thus abandon attempts at "bore from within" existing trade unions. TUUL unions aimed to organize semi-skilled and unskilled workers, many whom had been expelled from the American Federation of Labor (AFL).Johanningsmeier, Edward P. "The Trade Union Unity League: American Communists and the Transition to Industrial Unionism: 1928-1934." Labor History, vol. 42, no. 2 (2001), p. 162. According to the TUUL, the AFL was "an instrument of the capitalists for the exploitation of the workers."The Trade Union Unity League (American Section of the R.I.L.U.): Its Program, Structure, Methods and History. New York: Trade Union Unity League, n.d. Print. 11. Thus, the TUUL was formed as an organization in opposition to the AFL."Chaffee, Porter Myron; Jarrell, Randall; & Reti, Irene. (2004). Porter Chaffee: Labor Organizer and Activist. UC Santa Cruz: Regional History Project. 90.

History

Background The Trade Union Unity League had its roots in an earlier Communist Party foray into the trade union movement, the Trade Union Educational League (1920-1929), headed by William Z. Foster.The best history of TUEL and its activities remains Philip S. Foner's multi-volume History of the Labor Movement of the United States. See: Volume 9: From TUEL to the End of the Gompers Era, (New York: International Publishers, 1991) and Volume 10: The TUEL (New York: International Publishers, 1994). This earlier organization sought to pursue a "boring from within" tactic inside the previously existing unions, inside and outside of the American Federation of Labor — seeking to organize left wing "militants" within these unions with a view to transforming the unions themselves into revolutionary instruments.See: David Saposs, Left Wing Unionism: A Study of Radical Policies and Tactics. New York: International Publishers, 1926; "Chapter 3: Communist Boring From Within," pp. 48-65. The TUEL sought to build a democratic, industrial, rank and file-centered union movement by attempting to steer conservative AFL and independent unions to the left on the political spectrum.Devinatz, Victor G. 2007. "A Reevaluation of the Trade Union Unity League, 1929--1934."Science & Society 71, no. 1. 33.

Despite his lifelong enmity towards dual unionism, Foster remained at the helm of the TUEL organization when it changed its name and tactics at its 1929 convention.James R. Barrett, William Z. Foster and the Tragedy of American Radicalism. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1999; pp. 160-161. This change of line was externally driven, Foster explained to his associate from the United Mine Workers of America, Powers Hapgood at the time of the change, declaring "Powers, the Communist Party decided that policy. As a good Communist I just have to go along."Quoted in Saul Alinsky, John L. Lewis: An Unauthorized Biography. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1949; pg. 58.

Formation The TUUL was founded at a convention held in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 31, 1929. The TUUL emerged out the Trade Union Education League (TUEL), which was founded by William Zebulon Foster in 1920.Philip S. Foner, History of the Labor Movement in the United States: Volume IX: The TUEL to the End of the Gompers Era. New York: International Publishers, 1991. 105. The TUEL attempted to create an "amalgamation of the trade unions" by forging alliances, organizing unity conferences, winning control of different local unions as well as city and state labor federations.Palmer, Bryan D. 1996. "Forging American Communism: The Life of William Z. Foster." Labour / Le Travail 37. 331. The TUEL aimed to provide leadership for numerous local, as well as regional, industry-wide strikes. In 1928, the Communist International finally encouraged League members to abandon their "boring from within" strategy. In 1929, the TUEL gave way to the Trade Union Unity League (TUUL) and began to establish new unions. The TUUL founded about a dozen industrial unions in various economic sectors including textiles, marine labor, mining, shoe and leather manufacturing, and agricultural labor. Soon after the founding of the TUUL, approximately 50, 000 workers were organized by TUUL affiliates.Johanningsmeier, Edward P. "1.The Trade Union Unity League: American Communists and the Transition to Industrial Unionism: 1928-1934." Labor History 42.2 (2001): 159-77. Taylor & Francis Online. Web. Dec. 2014. 159

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.Devinatz, "Trade Unions As Instruments of Social Change: Does Ideology Matter?", WorkingUSA, January 2007; Smethurst, The New Red Negro: The Literary Left and African American Poetry, 1930-1946, 1999.

Development of the Union At its founding conference, the TUUL outlined that it would use three organizing strategies: forming national industrial unions along the lines of the NMU, NTWU and the NTWIU; in industries where the federation struggled to organize unions, grouping together local unions and shop committees into national industrial leagues; and organizing left-wing oppositions in the AFL unions.Devinatz, Victor G. 2007. "A Reevaluation of the Trade Union Unity League, 1929--1934." Science & Society 71, no. 1. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed November 25, 2014). 33 The TUUL largely focused on building extensive industrial unions and on inter-ethnic and inter-racial organizing.Johanningsmeier, Edward P. "1.The Trade Union Unity League: American Communists and the Transition to Industrial Unionism: 1928-1934." Labor History 42.2 (2001): 159-77. Taylor & Francis Online. Web. Dec. 2014. 161 Specifically, the TUUL focused on promoting the rights of marginalized African American workers: "The advancement of the workers generally is inseparably bound up with the advancement of the Negroes."The Trade Union Unity League (American Section of the R.I.L.U.): Its Program, Structure, Methods and History. New York: Trade Union Unity League, n.d. Print. 25. The TUUL viewed class struggle as a unifying experience for all workers. Beginning in 1928, when the TUUL the organization helped organize between 40,000 and 60,000 workers.Johanningsmeier, Edward P. "1.The Trade Union Unity League: American Communists and the Transition to Industrial Unionism: 1928-1934." Labor History 42.2 (2001).Taylor & Francis Online. Web. Dec. 2014. 159. The TUUL organized more than a dozen unions including the National Miners Union (NMU), the National Textile Workers Industrial Union, the Needle Trades Workers Industrial Union, and the Agricultural Workers Industrial League (which later became the Cannery and Agricultural Workers' Industrial Union).Johanningsmeier, Edward P. "1.The Trade Union Unity League: American Communists and the Transition to Industrial Unionism: 1928-1934." Labor History 42.2 (2001). Taylor & Francis Online. Web. Dec. 2014. 159. The TUUL also set up the Office Workers Union in New York with Gertrude Lane as its leader.

The passage of the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) in 1933 led to increase in strike activity by the AFL and TUUL unions.Victor G. Devinatz. "An Analysis of Strikes Led by the Trade Union Unity League after Passage of the National Industrial Recovery Act, 1933-1934." Nature, Society & Thought. 18, no. 2. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost. 208. With the enactment of the NIRA and the inclusion of Clause 7(a), which provided many private-sector workers with a federally protected right to organize, union membership in the United States increased considerably.Devinatz, Victor G. 2005. "An Analysis of Strikes Led by the Trade Union Unity League after Passage of the National Industrial Recovery Act, 1933-1934." Nature, Society & Thought 18, no. 2: 205-217. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed November 25, 2014). 208 Clause 7(a) of the NIRA was unclear regarding workers' legal right to collective-bargaining representation. Therefore, many employers established company unions in an attempt to prevent workers from joining AFL, TUUL, or independent unions.Devinatz, Victor G. 2005. "An Analysis of Strikes Led by the Trade Union Unity League after Passage of the National Industrial Recovery Act, 1933-1934." Nature, Society & Thought 18, no. 2. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed November 25, 2014). 208 Nevertheless, the TUUL benefited from the National Industrial Recovery Act through significant increases in its membership. At one point, the TUUL had an estimated membership of 125,000 to 130,000 members.Devinatz, Victor G. 2005. "An Analysis of Strikes Led by the Trade Union Unity League after Passage of the National Industrial Recovery Act, 1933-1934." Nature, Society & Thought 18, no. 2. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed November 25, 2014). 208 The CPUSA referred to the NIRA as "slave legislation" and considered its character to be protofascist. This was largely because the National Industrial Recovery Act promoted the regulation of prices, wages, and production through a tripartite relationship of labor, capital, and the state. CPUSA leader, Earl Browder, denounced the labor provisions of the NIRA as "the American version of Mussolini's 'corporative state,' special state controlled labor unions closely tied up with and under the direction of the employers." Furthermore, the CPUSA viewed the NIRA as an attempt by the state, capital, and AFL leaders to deter militancy within labor unions.

Successes and defeats While TUUL unions suffered major defeats and had difficulty organizing in heavy and mass production industries, the TUUL experienced considerable success organizing in light industries. Specifically, the TUUL organized light industries in New York City.Devinatz, Victor G. 2007. "A Reevaluation of the Trade Union Unity League, 1929--1934." Science & Society 71, no. 1. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed November 25, 2014). 33. Many TUUL-led strikes were offensive in character and pushed for wage increases or improved working conditions.Devinatz, Victor G. 2007. "A Reevaluation of the Trade Union Unity League, 1929--1934." Science & Society 71, no. 1. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed November 25, 2014). 38. However, many of these strikes were spontaneous, thus the unions had little opportunity to prepare sufficiently. The TUUL attempted to carry out two major activities during work stoppages. The TUUL provided guidance and resources to those on strike and it sought to recruit members to affiliated unions. Although many TUUL-led strikes were lost, many of them resulted in substantial gains for the workers. These successes, however, did not necessarily lead to a long-term membership increases or organizational stability for the TUUL's unions.

Dissolution