The Union of Brewery and Mill Workers and Kindred Trades () 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 ...

representing workers in the food and drink processing industry in Germany. The union was founded on 1 October 1910, when the Central Union of Brewery Workers merged with the German Mill Workers' Union. The brewers dominated the new union, which adopted its constitution and structure. Like its predecessors, the union 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 ...

, and it was also a leading member of the

International Secretariat of Brewery Workers The International Secretariat of Brewery Workers was a global union federation bringing together trade unions representing workers in breweries and mills which processed grains for brewing. History The first international conference of brewery work ...

. In 1919, the union was a founding affiliate of the

General German Trade Union Confederation The General German Trade Union Federation (, ADGB) was a confederation of German trade unions in Germany founded during the Weimar Republic. It was founded in 1919 and was initially powerful enough to organize a general strike in 1920 against a rig ...

. In 1922, the union renamed itself as the Union of Food and Beverage Workers. By 1927, the union had 74,443 members. On 24 September, it merged with the

Central Union of Bakers and Confectioners The Central Union of Bakers and Confectioners () was a trade union that played a significant role in representing workers in bakeries and related trades in Germany. The union was founded in 1907, when the Union of Bakers and Related Workers of Ge ...

, the

Central Union of Butchers The Central Union of Butchers and Kindred Trades of Germany () was a trade union representing butchers and abattoir workers in Germany. In 1898, Theodor Keslinke founded the Local Union of Butchers, in Berlin, with the aim of turning it into a nat ...

, and the

Union of Coopers, Cellar Managers, and Helpers in Germany The Union of Coopers, Cellar Managers, and Helpers in Germany () was a trade union representing coopers and those in related trades, in Germany. The union was founded in 1885, as a travel support association for coopers, based in Bremen. By 1886, ...

, to form the

Union of Food and Drink Workers The Union of Food and Drink Workers (, VNG) was a trade union representing workers in the food and drink processing industry in Germany. The union was founded in 1927, when the Central Union of Bakers and Confectioners merged with the Union of Br ...

Presidents

:1910:

Martin Etzel Martin Etzel (1867 – 1914) was a German trade union leader. Etzel was born in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Kingdom of Bavaria. He completed an apprenticeship in brewing, and joined the Central Union of Brewery Workers in 1895. He devoted much ...

:1914:

Eduard Backert Eduard Backert (20 April 1874 – 3 February 1960) was a German trade unionist. Born in Rottmar (now part of Föritztal) in the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, Backert trained as a brewery worker, settling in Weida in 1892, where he joined the Cent ...

References

{{Authority control Food processing trade unions German food industry organisations Trade unions in Germany Trade unions established in 1910 Trade unions disestablished in 1927