Congress of Industrial Organizations
The CIO ( Congress of Industrial Organizations) was an American trade union federation, who organized predominantly unskilled industrial workers.
The CIO had members in the U.S. and Canada and exerted its strongest influence during the Great Depression of the 1930s with their big strikes.
It was founded in 1935 as a radical response to the policy of the skilled workers ' Federation AFL (American Federation of Labor ). In the wake of the Industrial Revolution, a new class of unskilled or semi-skilled workers had developed, such as the line workers in the automotive industry. This new working class had previously been prominently represented by any union.
The CIO lost in the 1950s influence. In 1955, the CIO rejoined the AFL, which still exists under the name American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL - CIO). One of its most famous members was the longtime chairman of the CPUSA, Gus Hall, who also organized strikes for them.