Massachusetts Leather Workers Vote to Join CIO: A Historic Shift

An old-fashioned union meeting setup featuring signs promoting the C.I.O. for better wages, a voting box labeled 'Vote Here', and various papers on a table referencing citizenship issues and voting results.

Massachusetts locals of the National Leather Workers Association vote overwhelmingly to affiliate with the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), signaling a major shift in union alignment across the state—except in Norwood. In spirited elections held over two days, workers in Peabody, Lynn, and Woburn endorse the CIO by wide margins, joining John L. Lewis’s growing labor federation. Lynn’s vote, held at St. Mary’s Hall, draws 700 workers and is reported as nearly unanimous. Peabody’s tally shows 657 in favor and 96 opposed, with 516 blanks; the local includes workers from Salem and Danvers. Woburn also votes decisively to affiliate.

Norwood stands apart. At the local vote, 142 workers oppose CIO affiliation, 104 support it, and 54 ballots are left blank. The result reflects a more cautious or divided stance among Norwood’s leather workers, even as the broader industry trends toward industrial unionism. Voting continues in Newark, New Jersey, where the same organization is holding elections.