Federated Felt Hatting and Allied Trade Employees' Union of Australia

The Federated Felt Hatting and Allied Trade Employees' Union of Australia re-registered in 1950. Its predecessor, the Federated Felt Hatting Employees' Union of Australasia, registered in 1912 and its predecessors flourished from the nineteenth century up until midway through the twentieth century in what was a protected domestic industry. After 1950 the industry, and consequently, the union began to wane before the multiple onslaught of mechanisation, imports, and fashion. In 1984, it amalgamated with the Australian Textile Workers' Union and in 1987 became the Amalgamated Footwear and Textile Workers' Union of Australia after another amalgamation, this time with the Australian Boot Trade Employees' Federation. By 1992 this union had merged with the Clothing and Allied Trades Union of Australia to form the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia.

Representation for hatters and milliners.

Conducted by divisions.
No. 1 Division: journeymen felt hatters, managers, sub-managers, proofers, dyers, foremen. Machine blockers, pressers and pullers-up could choose to join No. 1 or No. 3.
No. 1A Division: "all employees wholly or partially engaged on work covered by the terms of the Federated Felt Hatting Award Appendix Part I, Millinery Award, 1948."
No. 2 Division: trimmers, binders, wool formers, weighers, feeders, apprentices and forewomen.
No. 3 Division: assistants and any employed in the felt hat trade who are not members of other unions.
Source: Federal rulebook, 1952. Available in NBAC Z573.

Entered from deposit description on 24 January 2013. Revised by Brenton Clifford 7 November 2017.

Australian Trade Union Archives website: www.atua.org.au