UOPWA's office workers were principally employees of the ILGWU, the Workmen's Circle, the League for Industrial Democracy, Union Health Center, Labor Committee for Palestine, the Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi League, and the Workmen's Sick and Death Benefit Fund.
[1] On November 25, 1948, Local 16 denounced CIO president Philip Murray for proposing dissolution of UOPWA's national leadership due to "Communist proclivities" of Union 16.
[12] Internal disputes and political pressures brought about DPOWA's demise by 1954, when it merged with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.
Some Consumers Union members protested the change to the Distributive, Processing, and Office Workers of America and narrowly (66 to 57 votes) won new membership under the Newspaper Guild of New York.
UOPWA's membership was largely female and included people with small manufacturers, insurance, banks (e.g., Bankers Trust[9]), finance, and direct mail.