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Labor History Map of Indianapolis |
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In 1873, leaders of Indianapolis' craft unions first met to organize a city trade assembly to unify the unions into a single brotherhood to protect workers' interests. The Indianapolis Trades Assembly, formed in July 1880, was the first citywide body of its kind in Indiana. Under its first president, Samuel L. Leffingwell of Typographical Union Local Number 1, the Assembly became the focus for organized craft labor in the city. Within a decade, it represented over 11,000 workers from 83 local labor organizations and in 1894 it affiliated with the American Federation of Labor.
The Indianapolis Trades Assembly became known as the Indianapolis Central Labor Union (CLU) in 1883. The CLU refrained in political activities including the endorsement or support of office seeking candidates, instead focusing on direct economic action. A boycott endorsed by the CLU was strictly enforced by the craft unions of the day, and was greatly feared by area merchants, often prompting a settlement of the conflict. Later, after the national AFL became more involved in politics, the CLU followed suit and confronted the growing power of the Ku Klux Klan in the state government. A 1923 CLU resolution condemned the Klan as "un-American and unconstitutional." Known today as the Central Indiana Labor Council, the organization and its president, Bob Voorhies, currently represent 65 affiliated unions and 40,000 members in a seven county area. |
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Resources |
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Central Indiana Labor Council, President Bob Voorhies, phone ____ Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, page 397. |
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