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1800 - 1900:
The Beginning of Organized Labor in the USA
1804 - First Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers strike in Philadelphia.
1835 - National Association of Journeymen Cordwainers formed.
1850 - Clothing Cutters' and Trimmers' Union established.
1867 - Knights of St. Crispin formed to regulate machinery.
1869 - Daughters of St. Crispin formed as female counterpart.
1870 - First craft unions formed.
1886 - Journeymen Barbers Protective Union present at American Federation of Labor founding convention.
1887 - Journeymen Barbers International Union of America founded.
1888 - Clothing, Gents Furnishings and Shoe Store Workers receive AFL charter.
1888 - Mary Burke elected first female Vice President of the Retail Clerks.
1890 - Establishment of Clothing Cutters' Progressive Union.
1890 - Retail Clerks National Protective Association gets AFL charter.
1891 - United Garment Workers of America chartered by AFL.
1895 - Boot and Shoe Workers Union receives AFL charter.
1897 - Amalgamated Meat Cutters Butcher Workmen of North America receives AFL charter.
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1900 - 1979: The Growth of Organized Labor
1901 - United Textile Workers of America receives AFL charter. Amalgamation of dozens of separate craft unions.
1904 - International Fur Workers (IFWU) Union formed.
1913 - Major strikes secure minimum wage standards.
1937 - Congress of Industrial Organizations charters the National Leather Workers Association.
1938 - Fur and Leather Workers of America created by IFWU and NLWA merger.
1944 - James Suffridge elected International President of the Retail Clerks International Union.
1948 - Retail Clerks International Association (RCIA) begins organizing health care and non-profit hospital field workers.
1950 - Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) affiliates insurance and Allied Workers Organizing Committee.
1953 - IAWOC changes to Insurance Workers of America at founding convention in Cleveland.
1968 - United Packinghouse Workers Association merges with the Amalgamated Meat Cutters.
1968 - Jim Housewright elected International President of the Retail ClerksInternational Union.
1976 - Addie Wyatt elected first woman vice president of Amalgamated Meat Cutters.
1977 - Boot and Shoe Workers Union merges with Retail Clerks International Association.
1977 - Name changed to Retail Clerks International Union - 5th largest in the AFL-CIO.
1978 - Professional Division changed to Professional and Health Care Division.
1979 - Merger of the Retail Clerks and the Meat Cutters creates the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.
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1980 - 1993: The Birth of the UFCW
1980 - Barbers, Beauticians and Allied Industries International Association merges with UFCW.
1980 - First UFCW Women's Affairs, Civil Rights and Political Action Conference held in Washington, DC.
1981 - UFCW begins national safety and health programs to identify job hazards and create training.
1981 - 22,000 member United Retail Workers Union merges with UFCW and becomes UFCW Local 881.
1983 - UFCW's first regular convention held in Montreal, Canada.
1983 - 15,000 member Insurance Workers International Union votes to merge with UFCW.
1984 - UFCW's organizing total sets record with 65,000 workers organized.
1985 - UFCW's organizing total broken with 71,000 workers organized.
1986 - Canadian Brewery Workers Union merges with UFCW.
1986 - Organizing total for 1986 is best ever with nearly 82,000 workers organized.
1986 - Lenore Miller becomes president of RWDSU.
1987 - The Office of Safety and Health Agency investigation of meatpacking plants starts after UFCW discovery of injury log reporting violations.
1987 - Due to UFCW pressure, OSHA expands hazard communication standard to provide information Beep for Striking Americans and training to hair care and retail workers.
1987 - UFCW yearly organizing total reaches 100,000 new members.
1987 - Beth Shulman named first woman director of UFCW Trade Division and elected International Vice President.
1987 - United Hispanics of the UFCW founded.
1988 - UFCW Canadian regions consolidate.
1988 - UFCW, IBP and OSHA sign safety and health agreement with three-year program to reduce trauma injuries for packinghouse workers.
1988 -UFCW organizing record shattered again with over 100,00 newly-organized members.
1988 - UFCW Women's Network founded.
1990 - UFCW hosts international summit to propose an action plan for combatting the spread of anti-union multinational corporations.
1990 - UFCW Women's Network holds first Mother's Day Wal-Mart protests.
1991 - Independent Foodhandlers and Warehouse Employees Union located in Massachusetts and Rhode Island with 5,000 members affiliates with UFCW and becomes Local 791.
1991 - UFCW organized more than 86,000 workers.
1991 - UFCW's first Political and Legislative Conference held.
1991 - UFCW's first Food Processing, Packing and Manufacturing Conference held.
1992 - UFCW organizes more than 93,000 workers.
1992 - Local 1, Leather Goods, Plastics, Handbags and Novelty Workers Union merges with the UFCW.
1993 - International Union of Life Insurance Agents of Ohio, Wisconsin and Minnesota merges with the UFCW, bringing 1,500 new members.
1993 - Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union merges with UFCW, effective October 1st. 100,000 RWDSU members become RWDSU District Council of the UFCW.
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1994 - Present: A Modern Union
1994 - Douglas H. Dority elected International President of the 1.4 million member UFCW.
1994 - United Garment Workers of America merges with UFCW, bringing 15,000 members.
1995 - Textile Workers merge with UFCW, bringing 15,000 members to become UFCW Textile and Garment Council.
1995 - Distillery Workers merge with UFCW, bringing 15,000 members to become the UFCW's Distillery, Wine and Allied Workers Division.
1995 - UFCW organizes more than 97,000 workers.
1996 - International Chemical Workers Union merges with UFCW, bringing 40,000 members, becoming the International Chemical Workers Union Council of the UFCW.
1997 - Canadian Union of Restaurant and Related Employees merges with UFCW.
1998 - United Representatives Guild, Inc. merges with UFCW.
1998 - Production Service and Sales District Council merges with UFCW, bringing 10,000 members.
1998 - UFCW members march on Wal-Mart headquarters at Bentonville, Arkansas.
2000 - Wal-Mart workers in Jacksonville, Texas make history by becoming the first Wal-Mart employees to join the UFCW.
2002 - UFCW members win in civil rights case against Smithfield Packing.
2002 - Whole Food workers make history by becoming the first Whole Food employees to join the UFCW.
2002 - UFCW Day of Action challenges Wal-Mart to become a positive force for workers, families and communities.
2002 - UFCW organizes 85,000 new workers.
2003 - 80,000 UFCW members across the country strike to protect their health care benefits.
2004 - Joseph Hansen elected International President of United Food and Commercial Workers.
2005 - The UFCW and six other unions --the Teamsters, SEIU, UNITE-HERE, Laborers, Farm Workers, and Carpenters -- disaffiliate from the AFL-CIO to form Change to Win. Representing 6 million union members, Change to Win is a new alliance devoted to creating a large-scale, coordinated campaign to rebuild the American Labor Movement.
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