The Denver Trades & Labor Assembly was organized as
the local affiliate of the American Federation of Labor in 1882. Originally
comprised of skilled crafts unions to assist new and organizing locals by
sharing information, ideas, and programs, the Assembly also coordinated local
support for the eight-hour day, women’s suffrage, an end to child labor, and
prohibition of convict labor on public projects.
The rise of industrial unionism in the 30’s led to the
assembly of the Denver Area Industrial Union Council. Comprised of garment,
factory, and mine workers, the Council had a more militant approach to
unionism, spawned out of severe worker exploitation throughout the state.
Through the 1950’s, both of these councils increased
involvement in local politics, organized strike support, promoted the union
label, and continued to support organizing campaigns of their affiliated local
unions.
In 1957, following the merger of the American
Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations, the Trades
& Labor Assembly and the Industrial Union Council merged into the Denver
Area Labor Federation, a Central Labor Council (CLC) of the AFL-CIO.
CLC’s were originally founded as organizing teams and support
systems for local union organizing and political action. Recent innovative national
and industry organizing campaigns have encouraged CLC’s
around the country to revisit and revitalize their structure, programs, and
activism in anticipation of meeting the changing needs of affiliated unions and
an increasingly exploited unorganized workforce.
Today, the Denver Area Labor Federation is building on
a tradition of union activism, community support, and political involvement to
improve the lives and working conditions of all workers, including more than
80,000 union families in the Metro Denver Area. The shared strength and vision
of our members is core to the fight for justice and power for working people.
DALF’s 120th Anniversary fell on Election Day,
2002. DALF celebrated this history in the
spring of 2003 when a crowd of 350 gathered in solidarity with special guest Dolores
Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers. Through song and celebration we
shared the history of labor in