The Boot Trade Union of New South Wales was formed in 1900. In 1907 the Federal Council of the Australian Boot Trade Employees' Federation pressured the Boot Trade Union to amalgamate with the New South Wales Boot Operators & Rough Stuff Cutters' Union and the New South Wales Clickers' Association to form the New South Wales Branch of that Federation. Consequently, the New South Wales Branch of the Australian Boot Trade Employees' Federation was registered under the Commonwealth's Conciliation and Arbitration Act in that year. By 1908, the federal branch had registered separately.
Although the New South Wales Branch was deregistered in 1950, the federal branch continued to operate until 1987 when it amalgamated with the Australian Textile Workers’ Union to become the Amalgamated Footwear and Textile Workers’ Union of Australia, and in 1992, a further amalgamation with the Federated Clothing and Allied Trades Union created the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia.