United Patternmakers' Association
The United Patternmakers Association was a trade union in the United Kingdom.
History
The association was founded in 1872 to represent skilled patternmakers in England, following a strike by patternmakers along the River Tyne and River Wear for a nine-hour day. Originally based in London, it transferred its headquarters to Manchester in 1896, to Leeds in 1903, then to Eccles in 1908, returning to London in 1912.The Associated Patternmakers of Scotland union merged into the UPA in 1912. In 1918, the union balloted its members on joining the new Amalgamated Engineering Union, but this was not approved.
During the 1930s, George Buchanan was the union's president, and the union focussed considerable attention on anti-fascist activity. It was initially sympathetic to the Independent Labour Party's split from the Labour Party, although by 1935 Buchanan's union backing was withdrawn. It retained a strong craft unionist approach, and resisted the prevailing trend of admitting workers in allied trades.
In 1969, the union renamed itself the Association of Patternmakers and Allied Craftsmen. By 1979, its membership stood just under 10,000, mostly in the English Midlands. Only three members were women. In 1984, it merged into the Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section.
Election results
The union sponsored candidates in numerous Parliamentary elections between 1909 and 1974, most of whom were elected. Almost all ran as Labour Party candidates, the exception being Buchanan in 1931 who was refused Labour Party endorsement, and instead stood for the Independent Labour Party. He ran for that party again in 1935, on this occasion without official backing from the union, although it did set up a voluntary fund for his support, to which members could choose to donate. By 1945, he had returned to the Labour Party.| Election | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Position |
| 1909 by-election | Sheffield Attercliffe | 3,531 | 27.5 | 1 | |
| 1910 Jan general election | Sheffield Attercliffe | 7,755 | 56.1 | 1 | |
| 1910 Dec general election | Sheffield Attercliffe | 6,532 | 55.0 | 1 | |
| 1922 general election | Glasgow Gorbals | 16,478 | 54.5 | 1 | |
| 1923 general election | Glasgow Gorbals | 17,211 | 67.2 | 1 | |
| 1924 general election | Glasgow Gorbals | 19,480 | 65.9 | 1 | |
| 1929 general election | Glasgow Gorbals | 25,134 | 74.8 | 1 | |
| 1931 general election | Glasgow Gorbals | 19,278 | 58.1 | 1 | |
| 1931 general election | Stoke | 13,264 | 30.3 | 2 | |
| 1935 general election | Stoke | 20,992 | 52.7 | 1 | |
| 1945 general election | Glasgow Gorbals | 21,073 | 80.0 | 1 | |
| 1945 general election | Stoke | 29,551 | 69.1 | 1 | |
| 1950 general election | Stoke-on-Trent South | 34,339 | 64.5 | 1 | |
| 1951 general election | Stoke-on-Trent South | 35,261 | 65.8 | 1 | |
| 1955 general election | Stoke-on-Trent South | 31,003 | 63.6 | 1 | |
| 1959 general election | Stoke-on-Trent South | 29,578 | 59.3 | 1 | |
| 1964 general election | Stoke-on-Trent South | 28,928 | 60.6 | 1 | |
| 1974 Feb general election | Stretford | 19,641 | 35.2 | 2 |