The Factory Workers' Union of Germany (, VFD, commonly known as , FAV) was a

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

History

The union was founded in early July 1890, as a

general union A general union is a trade union (called ''labor union'' in American English) which represents workers from all industries and companies, rather than just one organisation or a particular sector, as in a craft union or industrial union. A gen ...

affiliated to the

General Commission of German Trade Unions The General Commission of German Trade Unions () was an umbrella body for German trade unions during the German Empire, from the end of the Anti-Socialist Laws in 1890 up to 1919. In 1919, a successor organisation was named the Allgemeiner Deutsch ...

, gathering unskilled workers from many different industrial sectors. It was initially named the Union of Factory, Agricultural and Commercial Support Workers in Germany It grew rapidly, with 11,000 members by 1896, and 76,000 by 1905. However, in 1906, it decided to only represent workers in six industries: * Chemical industry * Paper making * Brick making * Sugar refining * Agriculture * Dairies, distilleries and related trades In light of this, in 1908, it changed its name to the "Factory Workers' Union of Germany", and by 1912, it had come to focus on the chemical, paper, building materials, and food industries. This strategy proved successful, and by 1913 the membership had reached 210,000. That year, the Union of Flower Workers joined, while the Union of Wallpaper, Oilcloth and Linoleum Printers joined in 1919. In 1919, the union was a founding affiliate of the General German Trade Union Confederation, and in 1922 its membership peaked at 720,000. It declined during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, and by 1932, it had around 350,000 members. This was despite merging with the Central Union of Glassworkers and the Union of Porcelain and Related Workers of Germany, in 1926. By 1929, the union had seven sections: FAV published the weekly newspaper '. In April 1933, the Nazi government replaced its leadership with a Nazi commissioner, and the union was forcibly dissolved on 2 May 1933. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, workers in the relevant sectors were represented by the

Chemical, Paper and Ceramic Union The Chemical, Paper and Ceramic Union () was a trade union representing chemical, oil refinery, paper, rubber, ceramics, glass and plastics workers in West Germany. While the Factory Workers' Union of Germany, dissolved by the Nazis in 1933, was s ...

Presidents

:1890: August Brey :1931: Karl Thiemig

References

{{Authority control 1890 establishments in Germany Defunct trade unions of Germany Trade unions established in 1890 Trade unions disestablished in 1933