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The united services union "ver.di", based in Berlin, is the second largest trade union in Germany. Formed in 2001 through the merger of five individual trade unions, it has (as of 2023) about 1.9 million members.
The trade union movement emerged with industrialisation and from the very beginning campaigned for better working conditions. Equal rights and treatment of women was and still is a driving motive of trade union commitment.
The handle comes from the federal headquarters, which is located on Paula Thiede-Ufer. In 1898, Paula Thiede was elected the first chairperson of the mixed-gender and empire-wide association of auxiliary book printers and workers in Germany.The association, a forerunner of the United Services Union ver.di, celebrates great successes, also because it knows and aggressively represents the interests of its female members. The ver.di union sees itself in the tradition of Paula Thiede and has therefore chosen her as the name-giver for the address of its federal administration.
(Sources: Wikipedia, ver.di)
