A union of weavers had existed in Burnley from the 1840s until about 1863, while a second was formed in 1866, but both collapsed, following opposition from employers.
The end of the decade saw a downturn in the trade and the new union organised industrial action.
It struggled to keep going, but did survive, and in 1884 it affiliated to the new Amalgamated Weavers' Association (AWA).
[3] A member of the Social Democratic Federation (SDF) was elected as vice-president in 1895, and this led the SDF's leader, H. M. Hyndman, to unsuccessfully contest the Burnley constituency at the 1895 UK general election.
[3] The period from 1920 saw a long downturn in the Lancashire cotton trade, and membership of the union fell to little over 2,000.