Guide to the ILGWU. Archives Department 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).

The ILGWU Archives were established in New York City in 1973, under the direction of Henoch Mendelsund. Robert Lazar served as archivist. The archives sought to collect union correspondence, meeting minutes, collective bargaining agreements, publications, photographs, audio recordings, film, and memorabilia. In 1987, the ILGWU Archives were transferred to the Kheel Center.

The records of the Archives Department include administrative records files relating to the establishment and operation of the unit, subject files containing photocopies of archival material, archival records maintained by the department, and publications.

Administrative records document how the archive was built, operated, and used. They include inventory and accession forms, correspondence with union officials and donors, financial records, and guidelines for the processing and care of archival records. These also include procedures for using the collections, guidelines for donating materials, and signed forms by researchers who accessed the archives. Materials relating to the archives' oral history project are also contained in these administrative files. These oral history audio recordings and transcripts (5780 OH and 5780/110 OHT) are available at the Kheel Center.

Subject files include prominent figures in the union, local unions, and other ILGWU affiliates and contain photocopies of records documenting the work of these individuals and organizations. Among the subject files and archival records are the ILGWU's founding meeting minutes (5780/111, box 1, folder 13), as well as minutes of the ILGWU predecessor union Sanctuary Local Assembly 3038 of the Knights of Labor.

Archival records include union correspondence, accounting ledgers, local union meeting minutes, and other material. The accounting ledgers of the Central States region are among the relatively few records held at the Kheel Center that document the activities of that department. The meeting minutes of Local 89, Local 48, Local 414, and Local 2585/414 fill out gaps in other series. These records from the Archives Department complement those in other series of the ILGWU Records

The Archives Department Publications (5780/121 PUBS) consist of printed material collected by the unit. They include newsletters and newspapers from local unions, collective bargaining agreements, membership censuses, financial and statistical reports, information welfare funds, legal records, and some material related to arbitration. Included in the papers of longtime ILGWU Archivist Robert Lazar (5780/121) is published sheet music.