The International Union of Hatters was a global union federation of trade unions representing people involved in making hats.
History The various unions of hatters across Europe had long collaborated on support for workers moving between countries, and in 1878 representatives of the unions in Denmark, Germany and Italy all met at an exhibition in Paris to discuss the possibility of forming an international organisation. No such federation was created, but further meetings were held in Paris in 1889, Zurich in 1893, and London in 1896.
The International Federation of Hatters was established in 1900, initially based in Paris. Its headquarters moved to Altenburg in 1906, Monza in 1921, and back to Paris in the early 1930s.
One of the smaller global union federations, by 1925, it had 13 affiliates with a total of 57,077 members. By 1936, it had affiliates in Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It appears to have dissolved at the start of World War II. After the war, the hatters' unions were admitted to the International Shoe and Leather Workers' Federation.
Affiliates The following unions were affiliated as of 1922:
Union Country Affiliated membership Union of Hat Workers of Austria Austria 5,167 Brazil ? Bulgaria ? Czechoslovakia 2,134 Danish Hatters' and Furriers' Union Denmark 1,309 Hatters' Federation France 4,200 German Hat Workers' Union Germany 29,143 Hungary 390 Italian Federation of Hat Workers Italy 8,470 Norway 9 Poland 1,126 Swedish Hat and Fur Workers' Union Sweden 449 Swiss Hat and Cap Makers' Union Switzerland 152 Felt Hatters' and Trimmers' Unions of Great Britain United Kingdom 3,900 Yugoslavia 120
General Secretaries 1900: Joseph Espanet 1906: Alfred Metzschke 1921: Ettore Reina 1929: Position abolished
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