The National Trades' Union was not only the first American society vying for uniform wage standards, it was also the first union to operate on a federal scale.
[1] Under the federation, by 1836 around fifty unions had formed in Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore, Boston, Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Washington, D.C., Newark and New Brunswick, New Jersey; Cincinnati, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Louisville, Kentucky; and elsewhere.
The NTU's focuses included uniform wages, 10-hour work days, as well as legislation that would benefit workers.
This included a push for the establishment of public libraries and reforms in areas of education and labor.
[2] The NTU collapsed with most of its constituent bodies during the Panic of 1837.