Cigar Makers' International Union
The
Cigar Makers' International Union (CMIU), was a
labor union that represented workers in the
cigar industry. It was founded in
1864 and mainly represented skilled, male cigar makers of various ethnic backgrounds. The organization pressed for higher wages, shorter hours, better working conditions, and the right of
collective bargaining.
CMIU was the first union that
Samuel Gompers belonged to.
As unskilled cigar workers replaced skilled cigar makers after
World War I, and as
cigarettes grew in popularity, the CMIU's active membership dropped steadily. The union was eventually disbanded in
1974.
*Patricia A. Cooper,
Once a Cigar Maker: Men, Women, and Work Culture in American Cigar Factories, 1900-1919 (University of Illinois Press, 1987)
