ILGWU Local 22 Records, 1920-1933
Collection Number: 5780/015
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Cornell University Library
DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY
Title:
ILGWU Local 22 Records, 1920-1933
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Collection Number:
5780/015
Abstract:
The collection consists of alphabetical files of Local 22 from 1920 to 1933, containing
correspondence, memoranda, minutes, and other material.
Creator:
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU). Local 22
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union
Quanitities:
1.5 cubic feet
Language:
Collection material in English, Yiddish
The International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union was once one of the largest labor
unions in the United States founded in 1900 by local union delegates representing
about 2,000 members in cities in the northeastern United States. It was one of the
first U.S. Unions to have a membership consisting of mostly females, and it played
a key role in the labor history of the 1920s and 1930s. The union is generally referred
to as the "ILGWU" or the "ILG". The ILGWU grew in geographical scope, membership size,
and 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. The ILGWU merged with the Amalgamated
Clothing and Textile Workers Union in 1995 to form the Union of Needle trades, Industrial
and Textile Employees (UNITE). UNITE merged with the Hotel Employees and Restaurant
Employees Union (HERE) in 2004 to create a new union known as UNITE HERE. The two
unions that formed UNITE in 1995 represented only 250,000 workers between them, down
from the ILGWU's peak membership of 450,000 in 1969.
Local 22 of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU), also known as
the Dressmakers' Union, was chartered in December 1920 and based in New York City.
The dress industry formed its own Joint Board in 1921 composed of Local 22 Dressmakers,
Local 25 Waistmakers, Local 58 Waist Buttonhole Makers, Local 60 Waist and Dress Pressers,
Local 66 Bonnaz Embroidery Workers, Local 89 Italian Waist and Dressmakers, and the
waist and dress branch of Cutters' Local 10. A general work stoppage in February 1923
in the dress industry won the union a 40 hour week and 10 percent wage increase, as
well as a large gain of new members. During the summer of 1923, after years of discussion
and deliberation, the two dress locals, Local 23 and 22 were consolidated. The dressmakers
from Local 23 transferred to Local 22 and subsequently Local 22 joined the New York
Cloakmakers' Joint Board. Soon, the Dress and Waist Joint Board became unnecessary
and was dissolved. Local 25 Waistmakers were left without an affiliated organization
and in October 1924 merged with the Dressmakers' Union, Local 22.
By the end of 1926, the Communists had gained control of the dress organization in
New York City and the union barely existed. In February 4, 1930, 25,000 dressmakers
walked out of the shops. The strike was called to reorganize dressmakers and finally
abolish the Communist influence in the industry. On April 8, 1930 the General Executive
Board decided to separate the dressmakers from the Cloakmakers' Joint Board. In 1931,
Charles Zimmerman formed a committee to rebuild Local 22. He was elected to executive
board of Local 22 in 1932, and elected manager-secretary in 1933. Another walkout
in all dress shops, both union and non-union on August 16, 1933 brought the dress
industry to a halt.
Zimmerman left Local 22 in 1958 to become manager of the Dress Joint Board. Israel
Breslow succeeded him as manager of Local 22 from 1958 until his retirement in 1975.
By 1975, the New York Dress Joint Board completed restructuring of affiliate locals,
and Locals 60-60A, 159, and 38 were merged into existing Locals 22 and 89. Local 22
gained jurisdiction over all dressmakers in Manhattan. In the 1980s, more locals were
dissolved and members transferred to Local 22, but by 1984, Local 22 saw restructuring
as well. Changes in the garment industry necessitated the dissolution of the Joint
Board and Local 22 into the new Local 89-22-1.
The collection contains the early records of the Dressmakers' Union Local 22. For
later records when Charles Zimmerman was manager, see 5780/014. There are lists of
active members, as well as members of the executive board. The records consist of
when Local 22 was a member of the Joint Board of the Dress and Waistmakers', but also
after the merger when they were a member of the Joint Board of the Cloak, Skirt, Dress
and Reefer Makers' Union (composed of Locals 2, 3, 9, 10, 21, 22, 23, 35, 45, 48,
64, 82 and 89). There is correspondence with the Dress Joint Board, the Cloak and
Dress Joint Board, and other Joint Boards across the country.
Of interest could be material on the finances of the local, correspondence with the
International, and election materials. It was during this time that Local 22 was plagued
by internal fighting as Communists within the local rose to power. By the end of 1926,
the Communists had gained control of the dress organization in New York and it took
until 1929 before the locals began to reorganize.
The collection also includes discussions for a general strike in the dress industry,
and preparations and some material on the strike of 1933. Social causes supported
by Local 22 include sanatoriums, the Union Health Center, Pioneer Youth Camp, relief
work and charity.
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
ILGWU Local 22 Records #5780/015. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation
and Archives, Cornell University Library.
Related Collections: 5780/014: ILGWU Local 22, Charles S. Zimmerman Papers 5780/014 P: ILGWU Local 22, Charles S. Zimmerman Photographs 5780/036: ILGWU Local 22 Minutes 5780/057: ILGWU Local 22 Education Department Records 5780/057 P: ILGWU Local 22 Education Department Photographs 5780/067: ILGWU Local 22 Israel Breslow Papers
Names:
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. Local 22 (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
Women's clothing industry -- United States
Women's clothing industry--New York (State)--New York.
Clothing workers -- Labor unions -- United States
Clothing workers -- Labor unions -- New York (State) -- New York
Clothing workers -- United States
Clothing workers--New York (State)--New York.
Industrial relations -- United States
Industrial relations--New York (State)--New York.
CONTAINER LIST
Container
|
Description
|
Date
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 1 |
Advertisements
|
1928 |
Scope and Contents
Calling to membership meetings. Yiddish
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 2a |
American Association For Old Age Security
|
1927-1931 |
Box 1 | Folder 2b |
American Federation of Labor
|
1920-1933 |
Box 1 | Folder 3 |
Anti-fascism
|
1929-1931 |
Box 1 | Folder 4 |
Banks
|
1926-1932 |
Scope and Contents
Incl. Union Bank, Int'l Madison Bank and Trust Company.
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 5 |
Brookwood Labor College
|
1928-1929 |
Scope and Contents
Corres. w. A. J. Muste.
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 7 |
Central Trades and Labor Council, N.Y.
|
1929-1932 |
Box 1 | Folder 8 |
Education
|
1928-1931 |
Box 1 | Folder 9 |
Education Dept.
|
1927-1931 |
Scope and Contents
Corres. w. Fannia M. Cohn.
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 10 |
Elections, local
|
1927-1932 |
Scope and Contents
Incl. minutes of Elections & Objection Committee.
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 11 |
Executive Board, local
|
1924-1932 |
Scope and Contents
Incl. rules & regulations of Relief Fund, 1924.
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 12 |
Financial Matters
|
1928-1933 |
Box 1 | Folder 13 |
General Office, ILGWU
|
1927-1930 |
Scope and Contents
Correspondents incl. Abraham Baroff, Morris Sigman; decision of Special Committee
of GEB to separate the New York Cloak & Dress Joint Board, April 1930. (David Dubinsky
Chairman, Salvatore Ninfo Secretary). English and Yiddish
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 14 |
General Office, ILGWU
|
1931-1933 |
Scope and Contents
Incl. correspondence. w. David Dubinsky.
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 15 |
Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society of America
|
1931-1932 |
Box 1 | Folder 16 |
Hillquit, Morris
|
1929-1930 |
Scope and Contents
Incl. letter re station WEVD.
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 17 |
Italian Chamber of Labor
|
1927-1932 |
Scope and Contents
I.c.w. Arturo Giovannitti & Leonardo Frisina.
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 18 |
Jewish Socialist Verband of America
|
1930-1931 |
Box 2 | Folder 1 |
Joint Boards
|
1931 |
Scope and Contents
Boston Cloak & Dressmakers' Union.
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 2 |
Joint Boards
|
1928-1930 |
Scope and Contents
Chicago Joint Board.
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 3 |
Joint Boards
|
1929 |
Scope and Contents
Cleveland.
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 4 |
Joint Boards
|
1927-1930 |
Scope and Contents
1927-April 1930. New York Cloak, Suit, Skirt, Dress & Reefer Makers Union. I.c.w.
Harry Wander, Joseph Breslaw & Elias Reisberg.
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 5 |
Joint Boards
|
1929-1930 |
Scope and Contents
New York Cloak & Dress Joint Board Strikes.
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 6 |
Joint Boards
|
1930-1933 |
Scope and Contents
New York Cloak Joint Board.
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 7 |
Joint Boards
|
1930-1933 |
Scope and Contents
New York Dress & Waistmakers Union. I.c.w. Julius Hochman & Antonino Crivello; financial
statements.
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 8 |
Joint Boards
|
1932 |
Scope and Contents
New York Dress & Waistmakers Strike.
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 9 |
L
|
1929-1933 |
Box 2 | Folder 10 |
Local 9, New York
|
1927-1933 |
Box 2 | Folder 11 |
Local 22, New York
|
1927-1932 |
Scope and Contents
Incl. correspondence., minutes of Executive Board and Section meetings, and Joint
Board Dress & Waistmakers' Union, N.Y., 1931.
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 12 |
Locals 35, 65, 66
|
1927-1933 |
Scope and Contents
Incl. correspondence. w. Joseph Breslaw.
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 13 |
Meetings. New York Dress and Waistmakers' Joint Board.
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 14 |
Miscellaneous Correspondence
|
1927-1933 |
Box 3 | Folder 1 |
The Modern School, Stelton, N. J.
|
1929-1932 |
Box 3 | Folder 2 |
National Child Labor Committee
|
1930-1932 |
Box 3 | Folder 3 |
National Labor Committee (for Jewish Workers of Poland)
|
1927-1932 |
Box 3 | Folder 4 |
Naturalization Aid League
|
1928-1933 |
Box 3 | Folder 5 |
New York Guild for Jewish Blind
|
1929-1932 |
Box 3 | Folder 6 |
The New Leader
|
1927-1931 |
Box 3 | Folder 7 |
Panken, Jacob
|
1927-1930 |
Box 3 | Folder 8 |
Pioneer Youth of America, Inc.
|
1929-1932 |
Box 3 | Folder 9 |
Press Releases and Announcements
|
1933 |
Scope and Contents
1920's-1930's. Yiddish
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 10 |
Sanitariums
|
1927-1932 |
Box 3 | Folder 11 |
Shops
|
1928-1930 |
Scope and Contents
Incl. work permits.
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 12 |
Socialist Party
|
1928-1932 |
Box 3 | Folder 13 |
Soviet Union
|
1927-1930 |
Box 3 | Folder 14 |
Union Health Center
|
1927-1933 |
Box 3 | Folder 15 |
Union Labor Life Insurance Co.
|
1927-1928 |
Box 3 | Folder 16 |
Unions, General
|
1928-1932 |
Box 3 | Folder 17 |
Unions
|
1927-1932 |
Scope and Contents
Relief for striking miners.
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 18 |
Unions, Textile Industry
|
1931 |
Scope and Contents
Paterson Strikers Relief Committee.
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 19 |
United Hebrew Trades (of the State of N.Y.)
|
1928-1931 |
Box 3 | Folder 20 |
Unity House
|
1928-1932 |
Box 3 | Folder 21 |
Wagner, Robert F.
|
1928 |
Box 3 | Folder 22 |
Women's Trade Union League
|
1927-1933 |