Free Trade Union Committee
Encyclopedia
The Free Trade Union Committee (FTUC) was created by the American Federation of Labor
(AFL)
At its 1944 convention in New Orleans, the AFL passed a resolution drafted by Jay Lovestone
creating the FTUC. Lovestone became its executive secretary. Its mission was to assist trade unions in foreign countries, especially to help them remain independent of Communist influence. It original funding was one million dollars. The organization backed "free unions founded on collective bargaining in an open marketplace, and opposition to state-run unions on the Soviet model." The leadership of the AFL anticipated that Communists in each European country would have the backing of the Russian state and its propaganda in their efforts to dominate each nation's labor movement. The Americans thought Eastern Europe was probably lost to their movement, but many others needed their assistance, including Greece, Italy, and Turkey. Non-communist but statist regimes like Spain and later Argentina presented opportunities as well. Initially their organizational counterpart was the World Federation of Trade Unions
, which the AFL's rival, the Congress of Industrial Organizations
(CIO), joined and which, it later transpired, the Soviets financed.
The FTUC helped rebuild the shattered trade union movement in Europe and Japan. It sent food packages to destitute labor activists and union leaders. In addition to relief activities, it financed a trade school in Palermo.
The FTUC helped fund the Force Ouvrière in France in opposition to the Communist-controlled labor confederation in 1948.
David Dubinsky
claimed in his memoirs that the FTUC resisted attempts by the CIA to control its operations, but the CIA's role was substantial. The CIA channeled funds via the Office of Policy Coordination
, a CIA-run unit within the U.S. State Department, to the FTUC for 20 years, beginning with efforts to influence the Italian elections in 1948. Even in meetings with their CIA counterparts, FTUC officials inflated their budgets to minimize the CIA's relative contribution. Dubinsky had misgivings throughout and the FTUC managed to maintain a certain independence and fought for less CIA control over their activities.
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
(AFL)
At its 1944 convention in New Orleans, the AFL passed a resolution drafted by Jay Lovestone
Jay Lovestone
Jay Lovestone was at various times a member of the Socialist Party of America, a leader of the Communist Party USA, leader of a small oppositionist party, an anti-Communist and Central Intelligence Agency helper, and foreign policy advisor to the leadership of the AFL-CIO and various unions...
creating the FTUC. Lovestone became its executive secretary. Its mission was to assist trade unions in foreign countries, especially to help them remain independent of Communist influence. It original funding was one million dollars. The organization backed "free unions founded on collective bargaining in an open marketplace, and opposition to state-run unions on the Soviet model." The leadership of the AFL anticipated that Communists in each European country would have the backing of the Russian state and its propaganda in their efforts to dominate each nation's labor movement. The Americans thought Eastern Europe was probably lost to their movement, but many others needed their assistance, including Greece, Italy, and Turkey. Non-communist but statist regimes like Spain and later Argentina presented opportunities as well. Initially their organizational counterpart was the World Federation of Trade Unions
World Federation of Trade Unions
The World Federation of Trade Unions was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions. Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations...
, which the AFL's rival, the Congress of Industrial Organizations
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, proposed by John L. Lewis in 1932, was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 required union leaders to swear that they were not...
(CIO), joined and which, it later transpired, the Soviets financed.
The FTUC helped rebuild the shattered trade union movement in Europe and Japan. It sent food packages to destitute labor activists and union leaders. In addition to relief activities, it financed a trade school in Palermo.
The FTUC helped fund the Force Ouvrière in France in opposition to the Communist-controlled labor confederation in 1948.
David Dubinsky
David Dubinsky
David Dubinsky was an American labor leader...
claimed in his memoirs that the FTUC resisted attempts by the CIA to control its operations, but the CIA's role was substantial. The CIA channeled funds via the Office of Policy Coordination
Office of Policy Coordination
The Office of Policy Coordination was a United States covert psychological operations and paramilitary action organization. Created as an independent office in 1948, it was merged with the Central Intelligence Agency in 1951....
, a CIA-run unit within the U.S. State Department, to the FTUC for 20 years, beginning with efforts to influence the Italian elections in 1948. Even in meetings with their CIA counterparts, FTUC officials inflated their budgets to minimize the CIA's relative contribution. Dubinsky had misgivings throughout and the FTUC managed to maintain a certain independence and fought for less CIA control over their activities.
See also
- American Institute for Free Labor DevelopmentAmerican Institute for Free Labor DevelopmentThe American Institute for Free Labor Development was founded in 1962 by the AFL-CIO in the western hemisphere. It received funding from the US government, mostly through USAID . In the 1980s, it began receiving funds from the NED , which is funded through the USAID budget of the U.S...
- American Center for International Labor SolidarityAmerican Center for International Labor SolidarityThe American Center for International Labor Solidarity , better known as theSolidarity Center, is a non-profit organization affiliated with the AFL-CIO labor federation that serves as a conduit for US foreign aid....
- Carmel OffieCarmel OffieCarmel Offie worked for the U.S. State Department from the mid 1930s until he joined the Central Intelligence Agency CIA in 1947...
- International Confederation of Free Trade UnionsInternational Confederation of Free Trade UnionsThe International Confederation of Free Trade Unions was an international trade union. It came into being on 7 December 1949 following a split within the World Federation of Trade Unions , and was dissolved on 31 October 2006 when it merged with the World Confederation of Labour to form the...
Sources
- Anthony Carew, "The American Labor Movement in Fizzland: The Free Trade Union Committee and the CIA" in Labor History, February 1998
- Ted Morgan, A Covert Life: Jay Lovestone, Communist, Anti-communist, and Spymaster (NY: Random House, 1999)
- Robert D. Parmet, The Master of Seventh Avenue: David Dubinsky and the American Labor Movement (NY: New York University Press, 2005)
External links
- Why communist China should not be admitted to the United Nations. published by FTUC