Joseph Cross (trade unionist)
Joseph Cross (died 11 January 1925) was a British trade unionist.
Cross worked as a weaver, based in Darwen in Lancashire. He came to prominence in 1892, when he was elected as secretary of the Darwen Weavers' Association. In 1894, he moved to instead work as secretary of the Blackburn Weavers' Association. He also sat on Blackburn and District Trades Council, which he chaired for seven years.[1]
In 1902, Cross was also elected as secretary of the United Textile Factory Workers' Association, a federation of most cotton workers' unions which focused on political matters; he held the post until his death.[1]
The local weavers' associations were members of the Amalgamated Weavers' Association, and Cross was elected as its general secretary in March 1906. Under his leadership, membership of the association rose from 88,000 to peak at 224,000 in 1921. He also oversaw the introduction of a maximum 48-hour working week for weavers.[2]
Cross also served on the executive committee of the General Federation of Trade Unions.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 Report of the 1925 Annual Trades Union Congress, p.346
- ↑ Edwin Hopwood, A History of the Lancashire Cotton Industry and the Amalgamated Weavers' Association, p.90
| Trade union offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Entwistle Entwistle |
General Secretary of the Darwen Weavers' Association 1892 – 1894 |
Succeeded by David Shackleton |
| Preceded by George Barker |
General Secretary of the Blackburn Weavers' Association 1894 – 1925 |
Succeeded by Luke Bates |
| Preceded by James Mawdsley |
General Secretary of the United Textile Factory Workers' Association 1902 – 1925 |
Succeeded by James Bell |
| Preceded by William Henry Wilkinson |
General Secretary of the Amalgamated Weavers' Association 1906 – 1925 |
Succeeded by John C. Parker |