Nevada Appeal at 150: Dec. 5, 1955: AFL and CIO merge

George Meany, 61-year-old labor leader, was elected president today of the new AFL-CIO, putting him at the helm of a merger labor movement of 15,000,000 members.

The election of Meany was agreed upon in advance in the process of merging the two labor groups. It came at the historic inaugural convention of the AFL-CIO in the 71st Regimental Armory here.

The convention brought together under one roof for the first time in 20 years the representatives of most of organized labor in this country. On the surface, at least, there was no inkling of the bitter craft versus industrial unionism issue which split the CIO away from the AFL in 1935.

President Eisenhower told the newly-emerged AFL-CIO today it has a “great opportunity” to bolster the democratic process. But he warned the unified labor group it must protest “scrupulously” the rights of its minorities holding differing political, economic and other views.

This continues the Appeal’s review of news stories and headlines during its Sesquicentennial year.