Craft Union

Craft Union 

a trade union whose members have a specialized skill or are qualified for a given type of work. The first craft unions arose in the late 18th century in Great Britain, Western Europe, and the United States. With the growing division of labor and the simultaneous rise of large-scale capitalist enterprises, the craft unions were superseded by the industrial unions, which united all the workers of a single enterprise, whatever their occupation, and were thus more relevant to the needs of the workers’ class struggle. The industrial unions’ influence among workers has grown considerably in the 20th century; nevertheless, craft unions have survived in a number of capitalist countries—such as Great Britain and the USA—and are even the predominant type of union in certain branches of the economy.