Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics and Allied Workers International Union

The Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics and Allied Workers International Union (GMPIU) was a labor union representing craft and industrial workers primarily in the ceramics, china, craft metals, fiberglass, glass, insulation, and pottery industries, in the United States and Canada.

History The union was established on May 1, 1988, when the Glass, Pottery, Plastics and Allied Workers' International Union merged with the International Molders and Allied Workers' Union.Kennedy, Joseph S. "In Struggle To Survive, A Union Changes, Grows." The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 21, 1993. The Coopers' International Union of North America followed in 1992.Chaison, p. 169.

With the Coopers merger, the GMPIU had about 80,000 members in the United States and Canada in about 435 locals. As of 1993, the GMP had 35 staff working at its headquarters.

Job losses continued. As of 2009, the union had just 30,392 members. The Great Recession cut heavily into its membership, and by the end of 2012 it had just under 28,000 members. In 2016, the union agreed to merge into the United Steelworkers. The merger was completed on January 1, 2018, and the union became the GMP Council of the Steelworkers.

Presidents 1988: James E. HatfieldPresident Hatfield resigned at the union's Executive Board meeting after serving only two years of a four-year term. 1994: Frank W. CarterPresident Carter served out the remainder of President Hatfield's term of office, and declined to run for election to a full term. 1997: James H. RankinPresident Rankin assumed office on October 1, 1997. He won re-election in 2001, but did not serve out his full term. He stepped down as president in June 2004. 2004: John P. RyanPresident Ryan was sworn in on July 1, 2004.President Ryan resigned at the union's January 2010 Executive Board meeting. International Vice President Bruce R. Smith was sworn in as president. See: "GMP Executive Board Meets, Proposed Budget for 2010 Affirmed. " GMP Horizons. January/February 2010, p. 2. Accessed 2013-11-22. 2010: Bruce SmithPresident Smith served out the remaining two years of President Ryan's term. He was re-elected as president in 2013.

Footnotes

Bibliography Chaison, Gary N. Union Mergers in Hard Times: The View From Five Countries. Ithaca, N.Y.: ILR Press, 1996.

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