ACTWU's Operations Department's Records on the Sidney Hillman Awards, 1947-1999
Collection Number: 5619/009
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Cornell University Library
DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY
Title:
ACTWU's Operations Department's Records on the Sidney Hillman Awards, 1947-1999
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Collection Number:
5619/009
Abstract:
This collection consists of correspondence, reports, and files from the Operations
Department regarding the Sidney Hillman Awards. Prominent in this collection are materials
related to the award luncheons and biographies of union officers.
Creator:
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America. Operations Department
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union. Operations Department
Quanitities:
2 cubic feet
Language:
Collection material in English
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
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union. Operations Department. Sidney Hillman
awards files, #5619/009. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives,
Cornell University Library.
Related collections: 5619: Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America And all other 5619 collections.
Names:
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union
Hillman, Sidney, 1887-1946
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union. Operations Department
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union --Archives
Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees
UNITE HERE (Organization) --Archives
Subjects:
Textile industry--New York (State)--New York
Textile workers--Labor unions--New York (State)--New York
Clothing trade--New York (State)--New York
Clothing workers -- Labor unions -- New York (State) -- New York
CONTAINER LIST
Container
|
Description
|
Date
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 1 |
Sidney Hillman Foundation [folder 1 of 2]
|
1989 |
Box 1 | Folder 2 |
Sidney Hillman Foundation [folder 2 of 2]
|
1989 |
Box 1 | Folder 3 |
Sidney Hillman Foundation
|
1988 |
Box 1 | Folder 4 |
Hillman Health Center 40th Anniversary Luncheon
|
1991 |
Scope and Contents
October 18, 1991.
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 5 |
Bernstein Award
|
1990 |
Box 1 | Folder 6 |
Sidney Hillman Foundation
|
1990 |
Box 1 | Folder 7 |
Sidney Hillman
|
1998-1999 |
Box 1 | Folder 8 |
Hillman Awards Luncheon
|
1993 |
Box 1 | Folder 9 |
Hillman Awards Luncheon
|
1992 |
Box 1 | Folder 10 |
Hillman Awards Luncheon
|
1994 |
Scope and Contents
Invitations, Plaques, Programs, Seating, Ads
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 11 |
Hillman Awards Luncheon
|
1994 |
Scope and Contents
Bills
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 12 |
Materials for Jay Mazur
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 13 |
Hillman Biography. Steve Fraser, Photographer
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 14 |
Hillman Foundation. Rieve-Pollock Foundation
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 15 |
Hillman Awards and Luncheon
|
1994-1995 |
Box 1 | Folder 16 |
Hillman Awards
|
1988-1989 |
Box 1 | Folder 17 |
Hillman Awards Luncheon
|
1995 |
Box 1 | Folder 18 |
Hillman Awards Luncheon
|
1996 |
Scope and Contents
Invitation, Program, Scrolls, Ad, Posting
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 19 |
Hillman Awards Luncheon
|
1995 |
Box 1 | Folder 20 |
Hillman Awards Luncheon
|
1994 |
Scope and Contents
Correspondence, Biographies, Scripts, Articles
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 21 |
Hillman Conference Material
|
1989 |
Scope and Contents
June 26, 1989.
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 21 |
ILGWU/ACTWU Merger Articles
|
1995 |
Box 1 | Folder 22 |
The Institute for Urban Family Health
|
1991 |
Box 1 | Folder 23 |
Hillman Stamp
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 24 |
Sidney Hillman
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 25 |
Hillman Awards
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 26 |
Minutes. Sidney Hillman Foundation
|
1947-1965 |
Box 1 | Folder 27 |
Minutes. Sidney Hillman Foundation
|
1966-1991 |
Box 1 | Folder 28 |
Administration of Hillman Foundation Prize Award Program
|
1982-1986 |
Box 1 | Folder 29 |
1992 Hillman Awards
|
1992 |
Box 1 | Folder 30 |
1992 Hillman Awards Luncheon
|
1992 |
Box 1 | Folder 31 |
Sidney Hillman Foundation
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 32 |
1991 Sidney Hillman Awards
|
1991 |
Box 2 | Folder 1 |
1992 TV Award
|
1992 |
Box 2 | Folder 2 |
1992 Awards. AFL. CIO, Exec Council Mailing, GEB
|
1992 |
Box 2 | Folder 3 |
Sidney Hillman Foundation
|
1992 |
Scope and Contents
Correspondence, Memos
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 4 |
Biographies. Other Unions
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 5 |
Biographies. Vice Presidents
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 6 |
Biography. Sol Stetin
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 7 |
Biographies. Joint Board Members
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 8 |
Biographies. A to D
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 9 |
Biographies. E to L
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 10 |
Biographies. M to Z
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 11 |
Biography. Scott M. Hoyman
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 12 |
Biography. Murray H. Finley
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 13 |
Biography. Joyce Miller
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 14 |
Biography. Arthur Loevy
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 15 |
Old Biographies. A to L
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 16 |
Old Biographies. M to Z
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 17 |
Biographies. Deceased
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 18 |
Biography. Sidney Hillman
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 19 |
Biography. Esther Peterson
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 20 |
Biography. Jacob S. Potofsky
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 21 |
Biography. Jack Rubenstein
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 22 |
Biography. Charles Sallee
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 23 |
Biography. Jack Sheinkman
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 24 |
Old Biography. Jack Sheinkman
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 25 |
Jack Sheinkman DNR Photos
|
1988-1989 |
Box 2 | Folder 26 |
Sol Stetin
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 27 |
UNITE! Logos
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 28 |
Press Release Materials
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 29 |
ACWA & TWUA Logos
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 30 |
Anniversary Celebration Logos ('75 & '50) ACWA and Textile
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 31 |
Merger Articles
|
1995 |
Box 2 | Folder 32 |
Sidney Hillman Press Release
|
1997-1998 |
Box 2 | Folder 33 |
Biography. Jay Mazur, President of UNITE!
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 34 |
Biography. Susan Cowell
|