Rembrandt Trade Union

The Rembrandt Trade Union, or RTU, was a kind of multi-system joint stock company and a political organization of four star nations acting in the Talbott Cluster. It was established by Bernardus Van Dort with the aim of giving its member systems enough economic strength to prevent complete subjugation under the Office of Frontier Security. ()
The RTU formally transitioned into Rembrandt United Shipping with the end of all internal customs duties when the Talbott Cluster was annexed into the Star Empire of Manticore. ()
== Members and organization ==
There were four member systems as well as shareholders and partners (partner captains). The Governments' membership helped the RTU to gain several political benefits described below. RTU member systems were probably the most developed ones in the Talbott Clusterat least Rembrandt was richer than Monica.. Member systems were Prairie, Redoubt, Rembrandt and San Miguel.
RTU organized its own customs service acting beside governments' customs services in the member systems' territories. ()
== Persons apparently in charge ==
* Joachim Alquezar — one of the major stockholdersinfluencial politician, Alquezar family controlled 20% of the Union's voting shares outright (SI1),
* Bernardus Van Dort — one of the major stockholders, founder and first chairmanof the Board probably, influential politician, Van Dort family controlled 42% of the Union's voting shares outright (SI1),
* Ineka Vaandrager — chairwoman after Bernardus Van Dort; forced to resign in 1920 PD
== Political impact ==
The Trade Union was able to extort the most advantageous tariffs, tax advantages and import duty terms from poor neighbouring systems, demolish trade barriers and gain a certain favored-planet status. Its harsh methods caused a significant amount of ill-will among some of the Cluster's poorer worlds, as illustrated by Stephen Westman and the Montana Independence Movement.
In the early 1920s PD, the RTU, headed by Bernardus Van Dort, orchestrated the willing annexation of many of the Cluster's systems into what would become the Star Empire of Manticore.
After the unification of the Talbott Cluster star nations into the Star Empire of Manticore's Talbott Quadrant, the RTU probably changed into a Manticoran business entity. Even before the unification it obtained a contract from the Star Kingdom for delivering the Crown's mail (as the only transport company acting in the whole Cluster). ()
== References ==
Category:Political groups
Category:Companies
Category:Talbott Cluster
Category:Rembrandt