ILGWU Local 105 Records, 1939-1972
Collection Number: 5780/053

Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Cornell University Library


DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY

Title:
ILGWU Local 105 Records, 1939-1972
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Collection Number:
5780/053
Abstract:
The collection of Local 105 materials consist primarily of routine correspondence, reports, and minutes of executive and membership meetings.
Creator:
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU). Local 105
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union
Quanitities:
4.28 cubic feet
Language:
Collection material in English, Yiddish, Spanish

Biographical / Historical

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.

Biographical / Historical

Local 105, International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU), also known as the Snowsuits, Ski Wear, Leggings, Infants and Novelty Sportswear Union, was based in New York City. It represented workers employed in various specialty garment shops in the New York area.

The Local 105 materials consist primarily of routine correspondence, reports, and minutes of executive and membership meetings. Much of the correspondence is from Martin L. Cohen, the manager-secretary of Local 105.
The first series consists of meeting Minutes for the Executive Board as well as various Committees including the Appeals, Campaign, Election and Objection, Finance, Grievance Board, Membership, Negotiation, Political and Educational. The Shop Representative meetings include a report from Manager Cohen. The Complaint logs list the complaint against specific firms, as well as disposition, whether the firm agreed to the charges or the complaint was sent to the Impartial Chairman.
The second series consists of correspondence arranged alphabetically by subject. The bulk of the material deals with administrative matters, contract negotiations, donations to (and requests for donations from) charitable organizations, health, welfare and retirement benefits, garment manufacturers, other ILGWU departments and locals, and relations with the AFL-CIO. Some of the correspondence addresses the changing ethnic makeup of the union's membership, particularly the steady increase in Hispanic workers during the 1950s and 1960s. Other items concern the adoption of children orphaned after World War II. A small amount of Martin Cohen's personal correspondence is also included. Significant organizations represented include the AFL-CIO (including correspondence with George Meany), City of Hope, Histadrut, the Jewish Daily Forward, the Jewish Labor Committee, and the New York Cloak Joint Board (ILGWU).
At the end of the collection there are posters that were created by the local to be displayed in the shops and factories. The posters advertise the benefits of membership and dues, the Union Health Center, holiday pay, severance pay, overtime pay, new contract benefits, and information on filing complaints. Some of the posters also include Spanish.
Access to the collections in the Kheel Center is restricted. Please contact a reference archivist for access to these materials.
Conditions Governing Use

This collection must be used in keeping with the Kheel Center Information Sheet and Procedures for Document Use.

INFORMATION FOR USERS

Preferred Citation

ILGWU Local 105 Records #5780/053. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.

Related Materials

Related Collections: 5780: ILGWU records 5780/053 AV: ILGWU Local 105 Audio Recordings 5780/053 P: ILGWU Local 105 Photographs

SUBJECTS

Names:
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union.
Cohen, Martin L.
Meany, George, 1894-
AFL-CIO.
City of Hope National Medical Center (U.S.).
Histadrut ha-kelalit shel ha-?ovdim be-Erets-Yisra'el.
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. Local 105 (New York, N.Y.)
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. New York Cloak Joint Board.
Jewish Labor Committee (U.S.)
Subjects:
Forv?ert?s (New York, N.Y.)
Adoption--New York (State)--New York.
Clothing workers--Labor unions--New York (State)--New York.
Collective bargaining--Clothing industry--New York (State)--New York.
Health insurance--New York (State)--New York.
Hispanic Americans--Employment--New York (State)--New York.
Labor unions--Officials and employees.
Labor unions--Charitable contributions.
Local union locals.
Orphans.
Pension trusts--New York (State)--New York.
Women's clothing industry--New York (State)--New York.
World War, 1939-1945--Children.

CONTAINER LIST
Container
Description
Date
Series Series I: Minutes, Executive and Membership Meetings: 1939-68.
Box 1 Folder 1
Executive Board Minutes.
1939-1941
Scope and Contents
Dec. 4, 1939 - Dec. 2, 1941. Contains some Yiddish.
Box 1 Folder 2
Executive Board Minutes.
1947-1948
Scope and Contents
Feb. 11, 1947 - Nov. 30, 1948.
Box 1 Folder 3
Executive Board Minutes.
1949
Scope and Contents
Jan. 11, 1949 - Nov. 9, 1949.
Box 1 Folder 4
Executive Board Minutes.
1949-1950
Scope and Contents
Jan. 10, 1949 - Dec. 11, 1950.
Box 1 Folder 5
Executive Board Minutes.
1956
Scope and Contents
Jan. 10, 1956 - Dec. 18, 1956.
Box 1 Folder 6
Executive Board Minutes.
1957
Scope and Contents
Jan. 8, 1957 - Dec. 17, 1957.
Box 1 Folder 7
Executive Board Minutes.
1958
Scope and Contents
Jan. 7, 1958 - Dec. 30, 1958.
Box 1 Folder 8
Executive Board Minutes.
1959
Scope and Contents
Jan. 13, 1959 - Dec. 8, 1959.
Box 1 Folder 9
Executive Board Minutes.
1960-1962
Scope and Contents
Jan. 5, 1960 - Dec. 11, 1962.
Box 1 Folder 10
Executive Board Minutes.
1963
Scope and Contents
Jan. 8. 1963 - Dec. 17, 1963.
Box 1 Folder 11
Executive Board Minutes.
1964
Scope and Contents
Jan. 7, 1964 - Dec. 22, 1964.
Box 1 Folder 12
Executive Board Minutes.
1965
Scope and Contents
Jan. 5, 1965 - Dec. 28, 1965.
Box 1 Folder 13
Executive Board Committee Meeting.
1966
Scope and Contents
Jan. 13, 1966 - Dec. 27, 1966.
Box 1 Folder 14
Appeals Committee Minutes.
1959
Scope and Contents
June 28, 1959.
Box 1 Folder 15
Campaign Committee Minutes.
1960
Scope and Contents
July 12, 1960.
Box 1 Folder 16
Election and Objection Committee Minutes.
1965
Scope and Contents
Feb. 2, 1965.
Box 1 Folder 17
Finance Committee Minutes.
1957-1968
Scope and Contents
Aug. 22, 1957 - Nov. 4, 1968.
Box 1 Folder 18
Grievance Board Minutes.
1958
Scope and Contents
Oct. 2, 1958.
Box 1 Folder 19
Grievance Committee Minutes.
1963
Scope and Contents
Mar. 12, 1963.
Box 1 Folder 20
Installation of Officers.
1959
Scope and Contents
Mar. 3, 1959.
Box 1 Folder 21
Installation of Officers Minutes.
1962
Scope and Contents
Mar. 20, 1962.
Box 1 Folder 22
Membership Minutes.
1959
Scope and Contents
Feb. 10, 1959.
Box 1 Folder 23
Membership (General) Minutes.
1961-1964
Scope and Contents
Mar. 21, 1961 - Mar. 19, 1964. Contains some in Spanish. See Box 1, folder 52 for second copy.
Box 1 Folder 24
Membership (General) Minutes.
1964
Scope and Contents
Mar. 19, 1964.
Box 1 Folder 25
Membership Committee Minutes.
1964-1967
Scope and Contents
Oct. 26, 1964 - Aug. 14, 1967.
Box 1 Folder 26
Membership Committee (General) Minutes.
1965
Scope and Contents
Oct. 7, 1965.
Box 1 Folder 27
Negotiating Committee Minutes.
1960
Scope and Contents
Oct. 7, 1960 - Oct. 20, 1960.
Box 1 Folder 28
Negotiation Minutes.
1964
Scope and Contents
Mar. 17, 19664.
Box 1 Folder 29
Political and Educational Committee Minutes.
1960
Scope and Contents
Feb. 18, 1960.
Box 1 Folder 30
Shop Representative Minutes.
1957
Scope and Contents
Feb. 27, 1957 - June 27, 1957.
Box 1 Folder 31
Shop Representative Minutes.
1958
Scope and Contents
Apr. 10, 1958.
Box 1 Folder 32
Shop Representative Minutes.
1959
Scope and Contents
Jan. 6, 1959 - July 1, 1959.
Box 1 Folder 33
Shop Representative Minutes.
1960
Scope and Contents
Jan. 14, 1960 - July 19, 1960.
Box 1 Folder 34
Shop Representative Minutes.
1961
Scope and Contents
Jan. 12, 1961 - Mar. 2, 1961.
Box 1 Folder 35
Shop Representative Minutes.
1962
Scope and Contents
Jan. 25, 1962 - Apr. 26, 1962.
Box 1 Folder 36
Shop Representative Minutes.
1963
Scope and Contents
June 27, 1963.
Box 1 Folder 37
Shop Representative Minutes.
1964
Scope and Contents
May 19, 1964 - Dec. 3, 1964.
Box 1 Folder 38
Shop Representative Minutes.
1965
Scope and Contents
Jan. 28, 1965 - Dec. 2, 1965.
Box 1 Folder 39
Shop Representative Meeting.
1966
Scope and Contents
Jan. 27, 1966 - Nov. 3, 1965.
Box 1 Folder 40
Special Committee Minutes.
1957
Scope and Contents
Dec. 2, 1957.
Box 1 Folder 41
Special Committee Minutes.
1958
Scope and Contents
Dec. 1, 1958.
Box 1 Folder 42
Special Committee Minutes.
1959
Scope and Contents
Feb. 5, 1959.
Box 1 Folder 43
Complaint and Disposition Log.
1958-1959
Scope and Contents
Oct. 3, 1958 - July 23, 1959.
Box 1 Folder 44
Complaint and Disposition Log.
1959-1960
Scope and Contents
May 28, 1959 - Jan. 26, 1960.
Box 1 Folder 45
Complaint and Disposition Log. [folder 1 of 2]
1960
Scope and Contents
Jan. 29, 1960 - May 11, 1960.
Box 1 Folder 46
Complaint and Disposition Log. [folder 2 of 2]
1960
Scope and Contents
May 12, 1960 - Oct 18, 1960.
Box 1 Folder 47
Complaint and Disposition Log.
1960-1961
Scope and Contents
Oct. 18, 1960 - Feb. 8, 1961.
Box 1 Folder 48
Complaint and Disposition Log. [folder 1 of 2]
1961
Scope and Contents
Feb. 8, 1961 - July 5, 1961.
Box 1 Folder 49
Complaint and Disposition Log. [folder 2 of 2]
1961
Scope and Contents
July 7, 1961 - Dec. 28, 1961.
Box 1 Folder 50
Complaint and Disposition Log.
1961-1962
Scope and Contents
June 6, 1961 - May 14, 1962.
Box 1 Folder 51
Complaint and Disposition Log.
1962-1963
Scope and Contents
May 16, 1962 - Jan. 7, 1963.
Box 1 Folder 52
Membership (General) Minutes. [2nd copy]
1961-1964
Scope and Contents
Mar. 21, 1961 - Mar. 19, 1964. Contains some in Spanish. See Box 1, folder 23 for first copy.
Series Series II: Correspondence, 1939-1970.
Box 3 Folder 1
Adopted Children (War Children)
1940-1952
Box 3 Folder 2
AFL-CIO
1952-1970
Box 3 Folder 3
B'nai B'rith Sports Lodge
1959-1963
Box 3 Folder 4
City of Hope
1948-1966
Box 3 Folder 5
Contributions
1963-1966
Scope and Contents
Incl. agreements w. institutions requesting charity.
Box 3 Folder 6
Conventions, Union
1965
Box 3 Folder 7
Eastern Region (Eastern Out-of-Town Dept.)
1950-1966
Box 3 Folder 8
El Diario
1962
Scope and Contents
Article by reporter assigned to interview Hispanic members & officers of the Union.
Box 3 Folder 9
Ethnic Composition of Membership
1950-1969
Box 3 Folder 10
Financial Reports
1950-1963
Box 4 Folder 1
Firms
1943-1960
Scope and Contents
Incl. Williams Sportswear, Inc. & Wilson Togs, Inc.
Box 4 Folder 2
Firms
1955-1966
Scope and Contents
Yonkers Casuals Corp.
Box 4 Folder 3
Firms
1939-1965
Scope and Contents
Incl. Young Set Sportogs, Inc.
Box 4 Folder 4
Guantes Hispanos
1960-1962
Scope and Contents
Spanish (Golden) Gloves w. Union . participation in sport.
Box 4 Folder 5
Guantes Latinos
1966-1967
Scope and Contents
Latin Gloves, sponsored by El Tiempo w. Union participation.
Box 4 Folder 6
Hatters, Cap and Millinery Workers Int'l. Union, United
1952-1958
Scope and Contents
Incl. Alex Rose correspondence.
Box 4 Folder 7
Health, Welfare and Retirement (Vacation) Benefits Funds
1945-1962
Scope and Contents
I.c.w. Adolph Held.
Box 4 Folder 8
Health, Welfare and Retirement Benefits Funds
1941-1957
Scope and Contents
Cont'd. Incl. Appeal Committee.
Box 4 Folder 9
Health, Welfare and Retirement Benefits Funds
1952-1954
Scope and Contents
Cont'd. Incl. Sick Benefits Comm.
Box 5 Folder 1
Health, Welfare and Retirement Benefits Funds
1947-1963
Scope and Contents
Cont'd. Incl. financial reports.
Box 5 Folder 2
Health, Welfare and Retirement Benefits Funds
1966-1972
Scope and Contents
Louis Rolnick, correspondence.
Box 5 Folder 3
Histadrut
1962-1964
Box 5 Folder 4
Infants' and Children's Coat Association, Inc
1946-1960
Scope and Contents
Incl. correspondence. re negotiations.
Box 5 Folder 5
Infants' and Children's Coat Association, Inc
1961-1962
Box 5 Folder 6
Inter-Office Communications
1962-1966
Box 5 Folder 7
ILGWU, Retirement and Special Assistance Funds
1966-1967
Box 5 Folder 8
Jewish Daily Forward
1947-1966
Box 5 Folder 9
Jewish Labor Committee
1951-1956
Box 5 Folder 10
Jurisdictional Disputes
1956-1961
Box 5 Folder 11
Labor Day Parades
1960-1963
Box 6 Folder 1
Locals 22, 23, 23-25, 62, 66 and 10
1945-1965
Box 6 Folder 2
Locals 89, 91, 99
1947-1962
Box 6 Folder 3
Locals 102, 117, 155 and Dressmakers' Joint Council
1940-1965
Box 6 Folder 4
Locals, Miscellaneous
1946-1966
Box 6 Folder 5
Local 153, Office Employees' Int'l. Union
1946-1966
Box 6 Folder 6
March of Dimes
1951-1958
Box 6 Folder 7
March on Washington
1963
Box 6 Folder 8
Miscellaneous Correspondence
1940-1965
Box 6 Folder 9
Negotiations
1955-1967
Box 6 Folder 10
Negotiations
1967-1970
Box 7 Folder 1
New York Cloak Joint Board
1946-1964
Box 7 Folder 2
Releases, Statements and Articles
1948-1964
Box 7 Folder 3
Shop Representative Meetings
1952-1966
Box 7 Folder 4
Staff Meetings and Related Matters
1955-1966
Box 7 Folder 5a
United States Committee for Sports in Israel [folder 1 of 2]
1962-1970
Box 7 Folder 5b
United States Committee for Sports in Israel [folder 2 of 2]
1962-1970
Box 7 Folder 6
Wolf and Schulman, Accountants
1952-1962
Box 7 Folder 7
Cohen, Martin L.
1970
Scope and Contents
Personal.
Box 7 Folder 8
Photographs.
Scope and Contents
Two photographs. One is a montage of 12 posters. One is a group photograph of 8 individuals (7 women and one man).
Box 2 Folder All
Posters.
Scope and Contents
English and Spanish. 50 posters.
Box 8 Folder 1
Posters
1967