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The American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merge.

1955

LAB

The country's two primary labor unions were previously divided, as the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was committed to a multiracial organizing strategy to meet the growing demographics of industrial centers. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) primarily organized in rural areas and did not see this as a priority.

However, in 1955 the two unions come together, creating a fully-integrated trade union. The AFL-CIO, along with the United Auto Workers and the Sleeping Porters Union, are key supporters in the emerging civil rights movement.