Guide to the ILGWU. Union Health Center records

Founded in 1900 by local union delegates representing about 2,000 members in cities in the northeastern United States, the ILGWU grew in geographical scope, membership size, political influence to become one of the most powerful forces in American organized labor by mid-century. Representing workers in the women's garment industry, the ILGWU worked to improve working and living conditions of its members through collective bargaining agreements, training programs, health care facilities, cooperative housing, educational opportunities, and other efforts. In 1995, the ILGWU merged with the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU) to form the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE).

In 1913, the New York City locals of the ILGWU established the Union Health Center (UHC), under the direction of Dr. George Price of the Joint Board of Sanitary Control. Initially, the UHC offered physical exams, medical treatments, access to a dental clinic, and information about health and hygiene. For a period, the center operated through a cooperative plan, with patients paying a fee and the union subsidizing the rest of the cost of the visit. During the Depression, the cost of running the center was met by other means. This included getting other local unions in New York City, such as the electrical workers, metal workers, letter carriers, post office clerks, and pocketbook workers, to affiliate with the UHC, as well as winning an official endorsement from the Central Labor Union of New York. Beginning in the 1940s, New York City manufacturers agreed to contribute to a fund that would cover the cost of medical services provided to members at the UHC.

By the 1960s, the UHC offered comprehensive care to ILGWU members and their families, and over the years, the center’s range of services expanded to include social and psychological services, eye exams, maternity care, and surgical consultation. The Union Health Center continues its work today at 275 Seventh Avenue, in New York City.

The records of the Union Health Center document the evolving role of the center. Included are general correspondence, meeting minutes of the UHC's medical board, annual reports on the UHC's activities to the General Executive Board, triennial reports to delegates at the ILGWU's international conventions, and related published materials. Much of this material is routine or administrative in nature.

In both collections that comprise the records of the Union Health Center, there are articles by such figures as George M. Price and Pauline Newman on union health centers in general and the ILGWU Center in particular. The publications of the Union Health Center primarily document the educational efforts of the center, providing information about the center, its services, and its activities. Also included are pamphlets about the ILGWU's health and welfare benefits program and publications from the Joint Board of Sanitary Control.