United Patternmakers' Association Explained

United Patternmakers' Association
Location Country:United Kingdom
Affiliation:TUC, CSEU, LMTU, Labour
Members:6,842 (1907[1])
9,571 (1980)[2]
Founded:1872
Dissolved:1984
Merged:Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers-Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section
Key People:George Buchanan
Headquarters:15 Cleve Road, West Hampstead
Publication:Patternmaker

The United Patternmakers Association (UPA) was a trade union in the United Kingdom.

History

The association was founded in 1872 to represent skilled patternmakers in England, following a strike by patternmakers along the River Tyne and River Wear for a nine-hour day. Originally based in London, it transferred its headquarters to Manchester in 1896, to Leeds in 1903, then to Eccles in 1908, returning to London in 1912.[3]

The Associated Patternmakers of Scotland union merged into the UPA in 1912. In 1918, the union balloted its members on joining the new Amalgamated Engineering Union, but this was not approved.[4]

During the 1930s, George Buchanan was the union's president, and the union focussed considerable attention on anti-fascist activity. It was initially sympathetic to the Independent Labour Party's split from the Labour Party, although by 1935 Buchanan's union backing was withdrawn.[5] It retained a strong craft unionist approach, and resisted the prevailing trend of admitting workers in allied trades.[6]

In 1969, the union renamed itself the Association of Patternmakers and Allied Craftsmen.[7] By 1979, its membership stood just under 10,000, mostly in the English Midlands. Only three members were women.[8] In 1984, it merged into the Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section.

Election results

The union sponsored candidates in numerous Parliamentary elections between 1909 and 1974, most of whom were elected. Almost all ran as Labour Party candidates, the exception being Buchanan in 1931 who was refused Labour Party endorsement, and instead stood for the Independent Labour Party. He ran for that party again in 1935, on this occasion without official backing from the union, although it did set up a voluntary fund for his support, to which members could choose to donate. By 1945, he had returned to the Labour Party.[9]

Election Constituency Candidate Votes Percentage Position
3,531 27.5 1
7,755 56.1 1
6,532 55.0 1
16,478 54.5 1
17,211 67.2 1
19,480 65.9 1
25,134 74.8 1
19,278 58.1 1
13,264 30.3 2
20,992 52.7 1
21,073 80.0 1
29,551 69.1 1
34,339 64.5 1
35,261 65.8 1
31,003 63.6 1
29,578 59.3 1
28,928 60.6 1
19,641 35.2 2

Officials

General Secretaries

1872: R. C. Douglas[10]

1872: R. Reay

1884: William Mosses

1917: Alan Findlay

1941: Wilfred Beard

1967: Samuel McLaren

1969: Gerry Eastwood

Presidents

1872: N. Charlton

1876: C. Mothersdale

1880: S. T. Taylor

1884: R. Brown

1884: T. Souter

1885: John Livingston

1888: George E. Wilson

1891: Thomas Goodall

1892: Joseph W. Field

1893: Joseph Taylor

1894: William Williams

1895: Fred W. Kent

1896: John Mills

1897: Ed Appleby

1899: J. M. Whittaker

1900: Thomas Battison

1901: J. M. Whittaker

1902: A. Mackenzie

1903: Arthur Pearson

1909: John Mills

1913: Albert E. Wardale[11]

1932: George Buchanan

1946: Ellis Smith

1966: Victor MacDonald

1977:

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Report on Trade Unions in 1905-1907. 1909. Board of Trade. London. 82–101.
  2. Book: Eaton. Jack. Gill. Colin. The Trade Union Directory. 1981. Pluto Press. London. 0861043502. 101–102.
  3. John B. Smethurst and Alan Carter, Historical Directory of Trade Unions, Volume 6, pp.204-205
  4. Book: Jefferys . James B. . The Story of the Engineers . 1970 . Reprints in Social and Economic History . Edinburgh . 193.
  5. Matthew Worley, Labour's Grass Roots, p.61
  6. [Hugh Armstrong Clegg]
  7. Arthur Ivor Marsh, Concise Encyclopedia of Industrial Relations, p.224
  8. Arthur Ivor Marsh, Trade Union Handbook, p.260
  9. Book: Parker . James . Trade unions and the political culture of the Labour Party, 1931-1940 . 2017 . University of Exeter . Exeter . 125 .
  10. Book: Mosses . William . The History of the United Pattern Makers' Association . 1922 . United Patternmakers' Association . London.
  11. United Patternmakers' Association, "Obituary", Annual Report (1963)