 This practice was replaced in 1900 by a far more complex system of assessments and donations designed to raise the money to support strikes . This system was replaced in 1901 because it was impractical . The 1901 system required every local union and the central committee to create strike funds . Local unions would receive support for strikes from Berlin under certain circumstances , and the central Business Committee 's fund would be replenished by all member organizations in amounts proportional to their membership and the average wage of their members . This system , too , proved problematic because it penalized the larger , wealthier unions — especially the construction workers in Berlin who had higher wages but also higher costs of living . From 1901 to 1903 , many small organizations joined the federation , yet the FVdG 's membership fell as the punitive strike support system drove some larger unions out . In 1903 , the federation not only changed its name to the Free Association of German Trade Unions but also decided to return to the old system of voluntary contributions . This system remained in place until 1914 . The Business Committee worked to ensure that unions contributed as much as they could . Often the committee resorted to threatening unions with expulsion in order to raise funds for a strike . Fritz Kater called this a dictatorship necessary for the movement , but local organizations still had far more autonomy than their counterparts in other German labor federations . 
