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Organizers withintrade unions have sought to increase thebargaining power of workers in regards tocollective bargaining by acting in collaboration with other trade unions. Multi-union organizing can take place on an informal basis, or on a more formal basis via anumbrella organization comprising multiple trade unions. Such umbrella organizations may be referred to as atrade union federation,trade union confederation, ortrade union centre.[1]
A prominent example of trade union federations is the national trade union federation—a.k.a. national trade union confederation or centre—which are composed of trade unions within a particular country.[2] Most countries have a national trade union federation, with many countries having more than one.
The largest national trade union federation is theAll-China Federation of Trade Unions with a total membership of 302 million as of 2017.[3]
From 1935 to 1955 in the United States, there were twocompeting national trade union federations: theAmerican Federation of Labor (AFL) and theCongress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). The AFL comprised primarilycraft unions and was oriented towards the moderate and conservative end of the labour movement, while the CIO primarily comprisedindustrial unions which tended to be more radical. Prior to their reunification into theAFL-CIO in 1955, the two federations competed with each other for affiliates and influence. Even following their amalgamation, the AFL-CIO faced a split again in 2005 by theChange to Win Federation.[4]
In some regions, such as theNordic countries, different federations exist on a sectoral basis, for example, forblue collar workers andprofessionals.[clarification needed][citation needed]
As well as national federations, trade unions may establish international federations, either along industry lines as withglobal union federations such as theUITBB and theInternational Transport Workers' Federation, or across multiple industries, as with theInternational Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and theWorld Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU).[5] One of the ITUC's predecessors, theInternational Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), was founded as ananti-communist splinter of the WFTU.[6]
Some federations may be founded as cross sections of workers organization and religious attitudes present, such as present within the Christian socialist orChristian democratic traditions, such as theFrench Confederation of Christian Workers (CFTC) and theChristian Trade Union Federation of Germany (CGB). A federation may also be founded on explicitly secular grounds such as theFrench Democratic Confederation of Labour (CFDT).[7][8] Historically, theInternational Federation of Christian Trade Unions existed as an international federation of Christian trade unions, and later as the World Confederation of Labour, as it expanded to include Muslim and Buddhist trade unions as well.[5][9][10] It was the smallest of the 3 major international federations during the cold war,[9] and ended up merging with the ICTFU to form the ITUC.
The origins of trade union federations are intertwined with the development oftrade unions themselves.
Some examples of trade union federations include:
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