The Leather Union (German: Gewerkschaft Leder, GL) was a West German trade union representing workers in shoemaking, tanning, saddlery, and other work related to leather.
[1] The union was strongest in the cities of Kornwestheim, Erlangen, and Offenbach, where the leather industry was centred, and the local offices in these cities were important in the structure of the union.
This enabled the union to run with a relatively low number of full-time staff.
[2] Membership of the union peaked in 1953, and then steadily declined, halving to 52,719 by 1982.
It considered a merger with the Textile and Clothing Union, but as that was also in decline, it rejected the idea.