 Workers' associations first formed in the 1860s which assumed union functions, mutual insurance activities, sponsored candidates for election and campaigned in referendums.In 1873 a number of the associations in the German-speaking areas formed the Workers' Federation (), which represented around 5,000 by the late 1870s and campaigned for legislative reform.In 1880, the Workers' Federation dissolved itself into two separate wings; the Swiss Trade Union Federation (SGB/USS) and the Social Democratic Party.