The United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE) created its International Department as a way for the union to address concerns associated with globalization. Beginning in 1945, the World Federation of Trade Unions was developed as the first real attempt at international labor solidarity, allowing the Congress of Industrial Organizations in the United States, of which the UE was a part, to connect with other unions in the Soviet Union, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. As the Cold War set in, this group was split along ideological lines. Then in 1992, the UE developed the Strategic Organizing Alliance with Mexico's Frente Autentico del Trabajo, or Authentic Labor Front (FAT), in the pursuit of promoting international solidarity. Together, these organizations collaborate in educational and organizational efforts. In 1998 the UE joined the International Federation of Chemical, Energy and Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) which is a global secretariat of labor unions. Since then, the UE has formed alliances with other labor unions around the world.
From the description of Records of United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America International Department, 1945-2003. (University of Pittsburgh). WorldCat record id: 399818522
