Amalgamated Lithographers of America (1915 - present)

Amalgamated Lithographers of America (1915 - present) is a union, formed from several preexisting unions dating back to 1886. Local unions for lithographers began to appear in the 1850s, but a national-level organization did not exist until the 1880s (the Lithographers' International Protective and Beneficial Association of the United States and Canada, an offshoot of the Knights of Labor). But this and other unions found only limited success, in part because they did not admit lesser-skilled workers in the printing process, such as press feeders. Thus, in 1915 the Amalgamated Lithographers of America was formed from a combination of four existing unions, with two others joining later. The organization has gone through several mergers and reorganizations since, but still exists today.