The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO)

The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was a major U.S. labor organization founded in 1935 to unite workers across entire industries, especially in mass-production sectors like steel, automobiles, and steel. It aimed to improve workers' conditions, wages, and rights through collective bargaining and strikes. Unlike earlier unions that focused on specific crafts, the CIO organized all workers within an industry, regardless of skill level or race. It played a vital role in advancing workers’ economic interests during the mid-20th century and later merged with the American Federation of Labor (AFL) to form the AFL-CIO, a dominant labor federation.