German Hat Workers Association
| German Hat Workers Association | |
|---|---|
| purpose | labor union |
| Chair: | Franz Bösicke |
| Establishment date: | 1871 |
| Dissolution date: | 1933 |
| Number of members: | 18,509 (1928) |
| Seat : | Altenburg |
The German Hat Workers Association was a trade union that was active in the German Empire and the Weimar Republic .
history
The trade union history can be traced back to 1868. At this time there were the first efforts to found a union for workers in the hat industry. With the establishment of the German Empire, the Central Association of German Hatters was also founded. The seat was in Offenbach am Main . The union was constituted on July 16, 1871, but the official founding date was January 1, 1872. 1165 members in 42 branches were the founding status. By 1879 the number rose to 2,667 members. The “Correspondent of the Central Association of German Hatters” appeared as the central paper. The employers reacted sharply and founded their own association. Union members have been fired or locked out. The headquarters of the union then moved to Leipzig . In February 1979 the union was dissolved on the basis of the Socialist Law .
In May 1880, the hatter's sickness and death fund was founded, which had a support association of German hatters as a sub-organization . From this, after the expiry of the Socialist Act, the hat workers' association with 2,864 members was formed. By 1928 the number of members rose to 18,509 members in 47 branches. The association thus comprised more than 75% of all people employed in the hat industry.
The association's history ended with the smashing of the trade unions by the National Socialists . After the Second World War , IG Metall was founded , which named the German Hat Workers Association as one of its predecessor organizations.
organization
The union was aimed at all workers in the hat industry, which includes straw, felt, silk and folding hats. There were also related branches of industry, such as the hat cleaning industry, the linon molding industry, hairdressing and hat repair workshops. The weekly newspaper “Der deutsche Hutarbeiter” appeared as the publication organ. The proportion of women was around 50%.
Organizationally, the association was led by the association's board, the advisory board and the association committee. This was followed by the boards of directors and meetings of the paying agents, the association day and the ballot. The membership fees ranged from 30 to 150 pfennigs . The association supported its members in the event of unemployment, illness, disability or even death. The association also offered legal protection.
The association was organized internationally in the International Hat Workers' Union , which was also based in Altenburg and had around 40,000 members in a large part of Europe.
Chairperson
- 1876–1890: Hermann Kriemichen
- 1890–1918: Alfred Metzschke
- 1918–1921: Fritz Siefert
- 1922–1933: Franz Brösicke
Known members
- Maria Burgi (* 1913), longstanding trade unionist
- Margarete Hahn (1898–1981), trade unionist and politician (SED)
- Willy Scholz (1889–1945), KPD politician
literature
- Franz Brösicke: German Hat Workers Association . In: Ludwig Heyde (Hrsg.): International dictionary of trade unions . Bonn 1931, p. 371-372 ( online ).
Individual evidence
- ↑ 100th birthday of honorary member Maria Burgi. (PDF; 111 kB) Local website of IG Metall Ulm, January 2013, accessed on April 1, 2013 .
- ^ Siegrid Koch-Baumgarten: Hahn, Margarete (1898–1981): Humanitarian aid for Soviet forced laborers . In: Siegfried Mielke (ed.): Trade unionists in the Nazi state: persecution, resistance, emigration . Klartext Verlag, Essen 2008, ISBN 978-3-89861-914-1 , p. 162-163 .