Background on Upholsterers International Union. Local 58
Upholsterers were among the earliest trades in the United States to organize into a national union, with the first efforts dating to the 1850s. The most successful of their unions, the Upholsterers International Union of North America, was founded in Chicago in 1892 and affiliated with the American Federation of Laborers in 1900. One year later, UIU Local 58 was established to organize workers in Washington, D.C.
Also known as the Upholsterers, Carpet and Lineoleum Mechanics International Union of North America, the Upholsterers made an aggressive effort in the late 1970s to expand its membership, particularly in the southern states, meeting with only limited success. The membership of approximately 35,000 became the Upholstery and Allied Industries Division of the United Steelworkers of America in October 1985.
