ACWA's Sidney Hillman Scrapbooks, 1910-1964
Collection Number: 5619/003
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Cornell University Library
DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY
Title:
ACWA's Sidney Hillman Scrapbooks, 1910-1964
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Collection Number:
5619/003
Abstract:
This collection consists of photograph albums and scrapbooks documenting strikes,
organizing campaigns, and biographies of Sidney Hillman and Jacob Potofsky.
Creator:
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America
Quanitities:
21.67 cubic feet
Language:
Collection material in English and Yiddish
The Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, the most significant union representing
workers in the men's clothing industry, was founded in New York City in 1914 as a
breakaway movement from the United Garment Workers. Radical and immigrant workers
in the tailors' and cutters' locals were the core of the seceding group, which advocated
industrial unionism and economic strikes in opposition to the UGW's craft organization,
which they saw as conservative and timid. Their diverging views had come to the fore
during the historic 1910 dispute at the Chicago firm Hart, Schaffner, and Marx. The
opposition called the strike against the UGW leadership's advice, and reached a path-breaking
agreement with management that established an arbitration system to settle disputes.
Members flocked to the new union. Around 50,000 strong at its founding, by 1920 the
ACWA counted about 170,000 members. Initially composed mostly of immigrants of Jewish
European descent with Socialist leanings, the ACWA quickly welcomed members of a great
number of nationalities and diverse backgrounds. Like in other garment unions, most
workers and many members were women, but the leadership was predominantly male, a
situation that did not change for many decades. Early on the union adopted a centralized
administrative structure combined with industrial unionism, with the joint boards'
by-laws having precedence over those of locals.
Espousing a philosophy perhaps brought over by its early immigrant socialist members,
the Amalgamated went beyond bread and butter issues and adopted a distinctive form
of social unionism that was largely absent in the American labor movement. Starting
in the 1920s, it provided educational opportunities and recreational facilities for
its members, as well as services such as an insurance plan, banks offering personal
loans at low interest rates, low-cost housing cooperatives, medical clinics, and even
union-owned restaurants.
Sidney Hillman was the first president of the new union and the most important officer
in its history. He applied his experience as bargaining representative in Chicago
to the whole industry. Under his leadership the union made significant strides in
securing better wages and working conditions for its members, and at the same time
it consolidated gains and provided stability to the industry through the widespread
adoption of the arbitration system tested at Hart, Schaffner, and Marx. Hillman paid
close attention to industry issues, such as production, pricing, and marketing. In
order to help management meet the competition of non-union firms, the union conducted
studies of efficiency, work methods, and factory costs. Letters to the official publication
of the union, Advance, document the controversy that ensued within the union over
what was perceived to be collaboration with management.
Hillman also understood the importance of labor's involvement in national affairs
and political action. In the 1920s the ACWA sent delegates to the Conference for Progressive
Political Action and to the Farmer-labor party conventions. Although many members
and officers were Socialists, the union stopped short of officially endorsing the
party. Communist attempts at gaining influence within the union were firmly curbed.
Hillman's participation in national affairs and politics became prominent during the
New Deal, when he became a close advisor to Franklin D. Roosevelt on labor and economic
issues. He also served on the board of the National Recovery Administration. Later,
during World War II, he helped establish the Labor's Non Partisan League. He was also
named associate director of the Office of Production Management, which assisted in
mobilizing the nation's resources for the war effort. Hillman's prestige perhaps reflected
the healthy condition of his union, which by the end of the conflict was strong and
stable.
During the post World War II period the union faced a number of significant challenges.
Membership continued to grow (peaking at 395,000 in 1968), but the union's political
influence and visibility in national affairs declined. In their never ending pursuit
of lower production costs, many firms relocated to the South, forcing the union to
engage in large organizing efforts. Simultaneously, signs began to appear of changes
that would lead to the almost complete demise of the domestic apparel industry and,
ultimately, to the erosion of union membership. Foreign imports of cheap clothing
goods steadily grew in the 1950s and 1960s, and mushroomed in the following two decades,
plunging employment in the apparel sector into a steady decline. Union efforts to
stem the tide included Buy American campaigns and extensive lobbying in Congress,
but they were to no avail. In 1976, the ACWA merged with the Textile Workers of America
to become the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union. Despite successful and
much publicized nationwide actions such as the Farah boycott and the J.P. Stevens
corporate campaign, the woes threatening the union's existence continued unabated.
The fate of the domestic industry was sealed in the late 1970s and the 1980s by the
flight of firms chasing tax breaks and cheap labor abroad. By 1995, when ACTWU voted
to merge with the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, their combined membership
was 350,000. The new Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE!)
seemed poised to infuse new life in a troubled union.
Access to the collections in the Kheel Center is restricted. Please contact a reference
archivist for access to these materials.
This collection must be used in keeping with the Kheel Center Information Sheet and
Procedures for Document Use.
INFORMATION FOR USERS
ACWA's Sidney Hillman Scrapbooks #5619/003. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation
and Archives, Cornell University Library.
Related collections: 5619: Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America 5619/005: ACWA's Bessie Hillman Papers 5619/010: ACWA's Jacob Potofsky Records from the President's Office And all other 5619 collections.
Names:
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America
Hillman, Sidney, 1887-1946
Potofsky, Jacob, 1892-1979
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union --Archives
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America --Archives
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union --Archives
Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees --Archives
UNITE HERE (Organization) --Archives
Subjects:
Textile workers--Labor unions--New York (State)
Clothing workers--Labor unions--New York (State)
CONTAINER LIST
Container
|
Description
|
Date
|
|
Box 22 |
Federation of Jewish Charities
|
1941 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 1.
|
|||
Box 23 |
Dinner for David Drechsler
|
1947 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 2.
|
|||
Box 24 |
Jacob S. Potofsky
|
1947-1948 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 3.
|
|||
Box 25 |
Jacob S. Potofsky
|
1949 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 4.
|
|||
Box 26 |
Jacob S. Potofsky
|
1950 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 5.
|
|||
Box 27 |
Jacob S. Potofsky
|
1950-1951 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 6.
|
|||
Box 28 |
Jacob S. Potofsky
|
1951-9153 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 7.
|
|||
Box 29 |
Jacob S. Potofsky
|
1954-1958 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 8.
|
|||
Box 30 |
Jacob S. Potofsky
|
1957-1959 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 9.
|
|||
Box 31 |
Latin American Committee, CIO
|
1946-1954 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 10.
|
|||
Box 32 |
Silver Jubilee
|
1940 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 11.
|
|||
Box 33 |
15th Biennial Convention, ACWA
|
1946 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 12. May 6-10, 1946. Atlantic City, NJ
|
|||
Box 34 |
16th Biennial Convention, ACWA
|
1948 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 13. May 10-15, 1948. Atlantic City, NJ
|
|||
Box 35 |
17th Biennial Convention, ACWA
|
1950 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 14. May 15, 1950. Cleveland, OH
|
|||
Box 36 |
18th Biennial Convention, ACWA
|
1952 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 15. May 12-16, 1952. Atlantic City, NJ
|
|||
Box 37 |
19th Biennial Convention, 40th Anniversary, ACWA
|
1954 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 16. May 10-14, 1954. Atlantic City, NJ
|
|||
Box 38 |
20th Biennial Convention, ACWA
|
1956 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 17. May 21-25, 1956,. Washington, DC
|
|||
Box 39 |
21st Biennial Convention, ACWA
|
1958 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 18. May 12-16, 1958. Atlantic City, NJ
|
|||
Box 40 |
22nd Biennial Convention, ACWA
|
1960 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 19. May 30-June 3, 1960. Bal Harbour, FL
|
|||
Box 41 |
23rd Biennial Convention, ACWA
|
1962 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 20. May 14-16, 1962. Atlantic City, NJ
|
|||
Box 42 |
30th Anniversary, Pennsylvania Joint Board. Honoring David Monas, August 24, 1963.
|
1963 | |
Scope and Contents
Photo Album, Vol. 21.
|
|||
Box 43 |
Chicago strike
|
1915 | |
Scope and Contents
Scrapbook, Vol. 22.
|
|||
Box 44 |
ACWA clippings
|
1920-1921 | |
Scope and Contents
Scrapbook, Vol. 23.
|
|||
Box 45 |
ACWA clippings
|
1921 | |
Scope and Contents
Scrapbook, Vol. 24.
|
|||
Box 46 |
St. Louis strike
|
1933 | |
Scope and Contents
Scrapbook, Vol. 31.
|
|||
Box 47 |
Leo Wolman
|
1914-1933 | |
Scope and Contents
Scrapbook, no number
|
|||
Box 48 |
Baltimore strike
|
1932 | |
Scope and Contents
Scrapbook, Vol. 29.
|
|||
Box 49 |
Baltimore strike
|
1932 | |
Scope and Contents
Scrapbook, Vol. 30.
|
|||
Box 50 |
Jacob S. Potofsky
|
1940-1945 | |
Scope and Contents
Scrapbook, Vol. 35.
|
|||
Box 51 |
American Labor Party, ALP
|
1936-1944 | |
Scope and Contents
Scrapbook, Vol. 38.
|
|||
Box 52 |
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America
|
1936-1938 | |
Scope and Contents
Scrapbook, Vol. 33. English and Yiddish
|
|||
Box 53 |
Partners in Progress. Report of the International Advisory Board, March 1951
|
1951 | |
Scope and Contents
Scrapbook, Vol. 49. A Sampling of Press and Radio Reaction
|
|||
Box 54 |
Press Book 1: General Magazines and Labor Press
|
1964 | |
Scope and Contents
Scrapbook, Vol. 50.
|
|||
Box 55 |
Press Book 2: Newspapers
|
1964 | |
Scope and Contents
Scrapbook, Vol. 51.
|
|||
Box 56 |
Sidney Hillman: With Love and Devotion
|
1910-1921 | |
Scope and Contents
Red Book. Vol. 1. English and Yiddish
|
|||
Box 57 |
Sidney Hillman: The Statesman of the New Industrial Order
|
1921-1924 | |
Scope and Contents
Red Book. Vol. 2. English and Yiddish
|
|||
Box 58 |
Sidney Hillman: The Statesman of the New Industrial Order
|
1924-1928 | |
Scope and Contents
Red Book. Vol. 3. English and Yiddish
|
|||
Box 59 |
Sidney Hillman: The Statesman of the New Industrial Order
|
1929-1932 | |
Scope and Contents
Red Book. Vol. 4. English and Yiddish
|
|||
Box 60 |
Sidney Hillman: The Statesman of the New Industrial Order
|
1933-1935 | |
Scope and Contents
Red Book. Vol. 5.
|
|||
Box 61 |
Sidney Hillman: The Statesman of the New Industrial Order
|
1936-1937 | |
Scope and Contents
Red Book. Vol. 6.
|
|||
Box 62 |
Sidney Hillman: The Statesman of the New Industrial Order
|
1938-1939 | |
Scope and Contents
Red Book. Vol. 7.
|
|||
Box 63 |
Sidney Hillman: The Statesman of the New Industrial Order
|
1940-1941 | |
Scope and Contents
Red Book. Vol. 8.
|
|||
Box 64 |
Sidney Hillman: The Statesman of the New Industrial Order
|
1942-1943 | |
Scope and Contents
Red Book. Vol. 9.
|
|||
Box 65 |
Sidney Hillman: The Statesman of the New Industrial Order
|
1944 | |
Scope and Contents
Red Book. Vol. 10: Part 1.
|
|||
Box 66 |
Sidney Hillman: The Statesman of the New Industrial Order
|
1944 | |
Scope and Contents
Red Book. Vol. 10: Part 2.
|
|||
Box 67 |
Sidney Hillman: The Statesman of the New Industrial Order
|
1945-1946 | |
Scope and Contents
Red Book. Vol. 11.
|
|||
Box 68 |
In Memory of Sidney Hillman: The Statesman of the New Industrial Order
|
1946 | |
Scope and Contents
Red Book. Vol. 12.
|
|||
Box 69 |
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America: The Record from the Press
|
1946-1950 | |
Scope and Contents
Red Book. Vol. 13.
|
|||
Box 70 |
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America: The Record from the Press
|
1951-1952 | |
Scope and Contents
Red Book. Vol. 14.
|
|||
Box 71 |
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America: The Record from the Press
|
1953-1954 | |
Scope and Contents
Red Book. Vol. 15.
|
|||
Box 72 |
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America: The Record from the Press
|
1955-1956 | |
Scope and Contents
Red Book. Vol. 16.
|
|||
Box 73 |
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America: The Record from the Press
|
1957-1958 | |
Scope and Contents
Red Book. Vol. 17.
|
|||
Box 74 |
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America
|
1959-1961 | |
Scope and Contents
AMSL. Scrapbook.
|
|||
Box 75 |
ACWA clippings
|
1934-1936 | |
Scope and Contents
Scrapbook. Vol. 32.
|