Guide to the ILGWU. Communications 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 precursor to the ILGWU’s Communications Department was the Publications and Publicity Department. Though the name and scope of the department changed over time, its primary function stayed the same throughout the history of the ILGWU. The department was responsible for the publication of the ILGWU’s official publication Justice, as well as the official editions in Yiddish (Gerechtigkeit), Italian (Giustizia), and Spanish (Justicia), and it was also responsible for cooperating with journalists outside of the union on pieces about the ILGWU. Beyond coordinating such efforts of journalists, the Communications Department provided information about the union to other labor organizations, students, and teachers.

The records of the Communications Department consist entirely of subject and biographical files, with related photographs. Taken together, these records document ILGWU events, organizations, and leaders, as well as political figures and other prominent labor unionists.

The Communications Department's alphabetical subject files (5780/176) contain clippings from publications that appear to be produced through the Communications Department or with its cooperation. The clippings in this collection provide concise, published accounts of events and affiliates of the ILGWU, as well as of issues of special interest to the union. The related photograph collection (5780/176 P) includes a variety of images documenting the work of the union, arranged in two series: Events and Organizations, and Personalities. These photographs include large groups of people at meetings, protests, and other events, and ILGWU members, staff, and leaders at work.

The Communications Department's biographical files (5780/177) are of interest not only because they provide sometimes difficult-to-find, basic information on ILGWU members and officers, but because that information was provided by the individuals themselves, on forms provided by the union and designed to be returned to the office when completed. These biographical forms appear to have begun as a project of the editors of Justice, and the information contained includes date and place of birth, when the subject arrived in the United States, positions held in the ILGWU or other unions, and outside activities and interests. The related photograph collection (5780/177 P) includes portraits of some of the individuals represented in the biographical files, as well as photographs of events and miscellaneous photographs.