title: Swiss Trade Union Federation
text: # Swiss Trade Union Federation
  
  The Swiss Trade Union Federation (German: Schweizerischer Gewerkschaftsbund, SGB; French: Union syndicale suisse; Italian: Unione Sindicale Svizzera, USS) is the largest national trade union center in Switzerland.
  
  ## History
  
  The federation was founded in 1880 and represents 361,000 members in its affiliated unions (2015).
  
  The SGB has close ties with the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (SPS). Ruth Dreifuss, the former President of the Confederation, and former member of the Swiss Federal Council, was previously an SGB official.
  
  ## Affiliates
  
  ### Current affiliates
  
  The following unions are affiliated to the SGB:
  
  | Union | Abbreviation | Founded | Membership (2017) |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | AvenirSocial | AvenirSocial | 2005 | 3,418 |
  | Federal Staff Association | PVB | 1912 | 8,867 |
  | Garanto | Garanto | 2001 | 3,316 |
  | Kapers | Kapers | 1971 | 2,827 |
  | Nautilus International | Nautilus | 2011 | 695 |
  | New Wood | New Wood | 1998 | 17 |
  | Swiss Bank Employees' Union | SBPV | 1918 | 7,919 |
  | Swiss Musicians' Union | SMV | 1914 | 1,690 |
  | Swiss Music Pedagogic Association | SMPV | 1893 | 3,341 |
  | Swiss Union of Mass Media | SSM | 1974 | 3,000 |
  | Swiss Union of Public Service Personnel | VPOD | 1905 | 34,252 |
  | Syndicom | Syndicom | 2010 | 32,737 |
  | Unia | Unia | 2004 | 200,236 |
  | Union of Transport Workers | SEV | 1919 | 40,723 |
  
  ### Former affiliates
  
  | Union | Abbreviation | Founded | Left | Reason not affiliated | Membership (1954) | Membership (2001) |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Association of Swiss Air Traffic Control Personnel | VSFP | 1988 | 1999 | Merged into GEKO | N/A | N/A |
  | Comedia | Comedia | 1998 | 2010 | Merged into Syndicom | N/A | 16,597 |
  | Staff Association of the Embroidery Industry | | | 1944 | Merged into GTCP | N/A | N/A |
  | Swiss Bookbinders' and Carton Makers' Union | SBKV | 1889 | 1980 | Merged into GDP | 4,465 | N/A |
  | Swiss Choir and Ballet Union | | | | | N/A | N/A |
  | Swiss Clothing and Leather Workers' Union | | 1891 | 1930 | Disaffiliated | N/A | N/A |
  | Swiss Clothing, Leather and Equipment Workers' Union | VBLA | 1930 | 1992 | Merged into SMUV | 8,248 | N/A |
  | Swiss Customs Employees' Union | VSZP | 1906 | 2001 | Merged into Garanto | 3,464 | N/A |
  | Swiss Dental Technicians' Union | | 1918 | | | N/A | N/A |
  | Swiss Hat and Cap Workers' Union | SHMV | 1904 | 1947 | Merged into VBLA | N/A | N/A |
  | Swiss Lithographers' Union | SLB | 1888 | 1998 | Merged into Comedia | 3,059 | N/A |
  | Swiss Metalworkers' and Watchmakers' Union | SMUV | 1915 | 2004 | Merged into Unia | 115,944 | 89,907 |
  | Swiss Professional Association of Social Work | SBS | 1946 | 2005 | Merged into AvenirSocial | N/A | N/A |
  | Swiss Textile Homeworkers' Union | | 1914 | 1948 | Merged into GTCP | N/A | N/A |
  | Swiss Typographers' Union | STB | 1858 | 1980 | Merged into GDP | 10,560 | N/A |
  | Swiss Union of Silk Bolting Cloth Mill Workers | SVSW | 1890 | 2008 | Dissolved | 596 | 256 |
  | Union Movement for Labour and Justice | GEWAG | | 2005 | Dissolved | N/A | 521 |
  | Union of Commerce, Transport and Food | VHTL | 1915 | 2004 | Merged into Unia | 39,750 | 16,329 |
  | Union of Communication | GEKO | 1998 | 2010 | Merged into Syndicom | N/A | 38,375 |
  | Union of Construction and Industry | GBI | 1993 | 2004 | Merged into Unia | N/A | 91,276 |
  | Union of Construction and Wood | GBH | 1922 | 1993 | Merged into GBI | 71,813 | N/A |
  | Union of Paper and Graphic Assistants of Switzerland | | 1903 | 1934 | | N/A | N/A |
  | Union of Printing and Paper | GDP | 1980 | 1998 | Merged into Comedia | N/A | N/A |
  | Union of Swiss Postal Employees | VSPB | 1893 | 1998 | Merged into GEKO | 5,501 | N/A |
  | Union of Swiss Postal, Telegraph and Telephone Personnel | PTT-Union | 1891 | 1998 | Merged into GEKO | 16,191 | N/A |
  | Union of Swiss Telegraph and Telephone Supervisors | VSTTB | 1874 | 1998 | Merged into GEKO | 2,528 | N/A |
  | Union of Textiles, Chemicals and Paper | GTCP | 1908 | 1993 | Merged into GBI | 26,532 | N/A |
  
  ## Presidents
  
  Since 1884, the SGB has had the following 27 presidents, one of which was a woman:
  
      1884: Ludwig Witt
      1886: Johann Kappes
      1886: Ludwig Witt
      1888: Albert Spiess
      1888: Georg Preiss
      1890: Rudolf Morf
      1891: Conrad Conzett
      1893: Eduard Hungerbühler
      1894: Eduard Keel
      1896: Lienhard Boksberger
      1898: Alois Kessler
      1900: Heinrich Schnetzler
      1902: Niklaus Bill
      1903: Karl Zingg
      1909: Emile Ryser
      1912: Oskar Schneeberger
      1934: Robert Bratschi
      1954: Arthur Steiner
      1958: Hermann Leuenberger
      1969: Ernst Wüthrich
      1973: Ezio Canonica
      1978: Richard Müller
      1982: Fritz Reimann
      1990: Walter Renschler
      1994: Christiane Brunner and Vasco Pedrina
      1998: Paul Rechsteiner
      2019: Pierre-Yves Maillard
  