Butte Miners' Union No. 1 (Butte, Mont.)

The Butte Miners' Union (BMU) was established in Butte, Montana, in March 1885, a result of the reorganization of the seven-year-old Butte Workingman's Union. The BMU fought for a minimum wage for miners and a closed shop. With chartered branch affiliates in Granite, Neihart, Castle, and Champion, BMU members took the lead in the establishment of the Western Federation of Miners in 1893.

The Butte Workingmen's Union was born out of Montana's first strike in June 1878. The union was open to workers of all crafts and within two weeks had 300 members. In 1881 the group changed its name to the Miner's Union of Butte City but still included all workers as members. The Miner's Union reorganized in Mar. 1885, becoming the the Butte Miners' Union, and excluded all but miners from membership. The union was Local 1 of the Western Federation of Miners and the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers, and Local 1A of the United Steelworkers of America.