The union was founded in Philadelphia in 1892, as the Chartered Society of Amalgamated Lace Curtain Operatives of America.
On 28 November 1894, it received a charter from the American Federation of Labor (AFL).
In about 1903, it shortened its name to become the ALOA, as it opened a new "lever section" for workers who operated other lace-making machinery.
At that time, it was affiliated to the Federated Textile Union, along with the International Spinners' Union, the American Federation of Textile Operatives, and the Tapestry Carpet Weavers.
[2] After World War II, the industry steadily declined, and with it, membership of the union.