Guide to the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. International Relations Department records,
1968-1980 [bulk 1975-1980].

Collection Number: 5780/062

Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library

Contact Information:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives
Martin P. Catherwood Library
227 Ives Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
(607) 255-3183
Fax: (607) 255-9641
kheel_center@cornell.edu
http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/kheel
Compiled by:
Kheel Center staff
EAD encoding:
Casey S. Westerman, November 1, 2002

© 2002 Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY

Title:
International Ladies Garment Workers Union. International Relations Department records, 1968-1980 [bulk 1975-1980].
Collection Number:
5780/062
Creator:
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. International Relations Department.
Quantity:
4.5 linear ft.
Forms of Material:
Correspondence, articles, reports, conference materials, photographs.
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library
Abstract:
The International Relations Department records consist chiefly of the correspondence of its director, Henoch Mendelsund, during his tenure from 1968-1980. The collection also includes articles, reports, conference materials, photographs, and other items.

ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY

The International Relations Department of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) was concerned primarily with outreach to foreign and international labor organizations, working conditions in foreign countries, and international organizing activities.
COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

The materials in this collection have an emphasis on labor issues in the developing world. There is correspondence with leaders of clothing and textile workers' unions in India, Japan, Turkey, Kenya, Latin America, Namibia, South Korea, among other countries. Other items concern conventions and conferences of the ILGWU that emphasized international issues, visits from foreign union leaders to the ILGWU, and visits of ILGWU leaders to foreign countries. There are also some materials about garment workers' unions in Western Europe. Topics addressed include working conditions, human rights, economic, political, and social conditions in developing countries, and requests for aid to assist foreign unions.
Individuals represented in the collection include Irving Brown, Sol Chaikin; Jay Lovestone, George Meany, Saby Nehama, Lazare Teper, and Charles S. Zimmerman. Organizations include the AFL-CIO and its International Affairs Dept.; Gewerkschaft Textil-Bekleidung; the Interamerican Textile, Leather and Garment Workers' Federation; the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation and its Asian Regional Organization; the Korean National Textile Workers Union; the Namibian Trade Union Council; the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO); the Tailors and Garment Workers Union (Great Britain); the Tailors and Textile Workers' Union (Kenya); the Textile, Knitting, and Clothing Workers Union of Turkey; the Textile Labour Association (India); the U.S. Dept. of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs; and Zensen Domei (Japan).
SUBJECTS

Names:
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union.
Brown, Irving, 1911-
Chaikin, Sol C.
Lovestone, Jay.
Meany, George, 1894-
Mendelsund, Henoch.
Nehama, Saby.
Teper, Lazare, 1908-
Zimmerman, Charles S., 1896-1983.
AFL-CIO.
AFL-CIO. Department of International Affairs.
Federación Interamericana de Trabajadores de la Industria Textil, Vestuario y Cuero.
Gewerkschaft Textil-Bekleidung.
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. International Relations Dept.
International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation.
Korean National Textile Workers' Union.
Namibian Trade Union Council.
SWAPO.
Tailors and Textiles Workers' Union (Kenya)
Tailors' & Garment Workers' Trade Union.
Textile Labour Association (India)
Textile Workers' Asian Regional Organization.
Turkiye Tekstil, Orme ve Giyim Sanayii Iscileri Sendikasi.
United States. Bureau of International Labor Affairs.
Zensen Domei (Japan)

Subjects:
Clothing workers--Labor unions--United States.
Clothing workers--Labor unions--India.
Clothing workers--Labor unions--Japan.
Clothing workers--Labor unions--Kenya.
Clothing workers--Labor unions--Turkey.
Clothing workers--Labor unions--Latin America.
Clothing workers--Labor unions--Korea (South)
Clothing workers--Labor unions--Europe.
Human rights--Developing countries.
International labor activities.
Labor unions--Developing countries.
Work environment--Developing countries.

Places:
Developing countries--Economic conditions.
Developing countries--Social conditions.
Developing countries--Politics and government.

Form and Genre Terms:
Articles
Correspondence
Photographs
Reports

INFORMATION FOR USERS

Access Restrictions:
Access to the collections in the Kheel Center is restricted. Please contact a reference archivist for access to these materials.
Restrictions on Use:
This collection must be used in keeping with the Kheel Center Information Sheet and Procedures for Document Use.
Cite As:
International Ladies Garment Workers Union. International Relations Department records, 1968-1980 [bulk 1975-1980]. 5780/062. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.
RELATED MATERIAL

5780. International Ladies Garment Workers Union.
COLLECTION ARRANGEMENT

Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject.
CONTAINER LIST

Description
Container
I. Subject files, 1968-1980.
A: 1974-80. Amnesty International report on Argentina, 1978.
Box 1 Folder 1
African-American Labor Center, Washington D.C.: 1974-1980. Correspondence re Maida Springer Kemp's trip to Africa, 1978; ILG contributions of office equipment and sewing machines to the Institute of Tailoring and Cutting, Kenya, 1978; ILG contributions of medical equipment to Mauritania and Mali, 1978.
Box 1 Folder 2-6
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union: 1974-1980. Includes correspondence with Sol Stetin and Jack Sheinkman.
Box 1 Folder 7
AFL-CIO: 1975-1979. Includes correspondence with George Meany.
Box 1 Folder 8
AFL-CIO International Affairs: 1972, 1975-1980. Includes correspondence with Jay Lovestone, Ernest Lee and Michael Boggs.
Box 1 Folder 9
American Institute for Free Labor Development: 1974-5, 1977. Includes correspondence with Jesse Friedman.
Box 1 Folder 10
American-Asian Free Labor Institute: 1974-1980. Includes correspondence with Morris Paladino re Textile Workers' Asian Regional Organization (TWARO).
Box 1 Folder 11-12
B: 1975-1980. Includes correspondence with David Brombart and Karl Buschmann.
Box 1 Folder 13
Brown, Irving: 1975-1980.
Box 1 Folder 14
D: 1974-1980.
Box 2 Folder 1
E: 1974-1980. Includes correspondence with Mostafa Ibrahim Mostafa, Gen. Trade Union for Hotel and Tourist Workers, re ILG's trip to Egypt.
Box 2 Folder 2
F: 1972-1979. Includes correspondence with Abraham Feinglass; and Free Trade Institute.
Box 2 Folder 3
Fashion Institute of Technology: Labor-Management Lecture Series, 1974.
Box 2 Folder 4
G: 1972-1980. Includes correspondence with Harvey Gold re German Leather Workers' Union visit to the U.S., 1979.
Box 2 Folder 5
Garment, Textile, Cordage & Allied Workers' of the Philippines (GATCORD), National Union of, 1976.
Box 2 Folder 6
(Tailors and) Garment Workers, National Union of, 1976.
Box 2 Folder 7
Gewerkschaft Textile-Bekeidung: 1973, 1977-1980. Includes correspondence with Karl Buschmann, Pres., and Berthod Keller, Assistant to President.
Box 2 Folder 8
H: 1976-1978.
Box 2 Folder 9
I: 1974-1980. Includes correspondence, reports from Italian labor, 1978-1980.
Box 2 Folder 10
Interamerican Leather and Garment Federation (FITITVC), 1979. Includes correspondence with Carlos Bedoya.
Box 2 Folder 11
Interamerican Textile, Leather and Garment Workers' Federation: 1972-76.
Box 2 Folder 12
International Labour Organization, 1980. Correspondence, speeches re Geneva meeting.
Box 2 Folder 13
ILO: 1968.
Box 2 Folder 14
ILGWU: 1979-1980. Includes correspondence with Sol C. Chaikin, Lazare Teper, Shelly Appleron, Jay Mazur and Ted Bernstein; notes re Dong-Il workers of South Korea, 1979.
Box 3 Folder 1
ILGWU: 1977-1978.
Box 3 Folder 2
ILGWU: 1973-1976.
Box 3 Folder 3
ILGWU Convention 1980. International affairs report and resolutions.
Box 3 Folder 4
ILGWU Convention 1977. International affairs report.
Box 3 Folder 5
ILGWU Convention 1977. Foreign visitors.
Box 3 Folder 6
ILGWU General Executive Board 1975, 1978. Resolutions submitted to AFL-CIO Convention 1975; International Relations Dept. report to GEB 1978.
Box 3 Folder 7
J: 1975-1980. Includes correspondence re Japan Society.
Box 3 Folder 8
Joint Conference of ILGWU-ACTWU-Zensen: 1979-1980.
Box 3 Folder 9
Joint Conference of ILGWU-ACTWU-Zensen: 1981. Includes correspondence with Jacob Sheinkman and Tadanobu Usami; Conference statement.
Box 3 Folder 10
Joint Conference of ILGWU-ACTWU-Zensen: 1981. Data for conference prepared by all three unions.
Box 3 Folder 11
Joint Conference of ILGWU-ACTWU-Zensen: Nov. 14-15, 1977.
Box 3 Folder 12
Joint Conference of ILGWU-ACTWU-Zensen: 1977. Material prepared by all three . unions for conference.
Box 4 Folder 1a
Joint Conference of ILGWU-ACTWU-Zensen: 1977. Prepared material translated into Japanese.
Box 4 Folder 1b
Joint Conference of Textile and Apparel Workers Unions of Japan-USA: July 1-2, 1975.
Box 4 Folder 2
K: 1974-1979. Tailors' and Textile Workers' Union, Kenya, 1977.
Box 4 Folder 3
Korean National Textile Workers' Union: 1975-1979.
Box 4 Folder 4
L; 1974-1979. Includes Lovestone article on Iran.
Box 4 Folder 5
Labor, Department of: 1976-1980. International Labor Affairs, Dept.
Box 4 Folder 6
Latin America: 1977. Includes report on mine-workers and human rights in Chile and Bolivia.
Box 4 Folder 7
M: 1975-1980. Includes correspondence with David Morse; and Ken Murray, Gen. Sec., Trade Union Conference (TUC).
Box 4 Folder 8
N-O: 1974-1980. Includes correspondence with Namibian Trade Union Council; Saby Nehama.
Box 4 Folder 9
P: 1975-1980. Includes correspondence re Portugal; Mrs. Martin Plettl.
Box 4 Folder 10
Photographs
Box 5 Folder 1
R: 1974-1978. Includes correspondence re Pier Luigi Romita of Italian Social Democratic Party visit to U.S.
Box 5 Folder 2
S: 1975-1980. Includes correspondence with Dtlef Servas; South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO-Democrats); Sol Stetin (TWUA).
Box 5 Folder 3
Spain: 1979-1980. Includes correspondence with Solidaridad de Trabajadores Vascos; Damian Joya of Union General de Trabajadores (UGT).
Box 5 Folder 4
Spain: 1978.
Box 5 Folder 5
Spain: 1976-1977.
Box 5 Folder 6
State Department: 1977-1979.
Box 5 Folder 7
T: 1973-1979. Includes correspondence with Lazare Teper.
Box 5 Folder 8
Tailors and Garment Workers Union, (British): 1977-1950.
Box 5 Folder 9
Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation, International (ITGLWF): 1973-1978.
Box 5 Folder 10
ITGLWF: 1979-1980.
Box 5 Folder 11
ITGLWF: 1976.
Box 6 Folder 1
ITGLWF: 1975.
Box 6 Folder 2
ITGLWF: 1974.
Box 6 Folder 3
ITGLWF: 1973.
Box 6 Folder 4
ITGLWF, International Congress, Vienna, 1980.
Box 6 Folder 5-6
ITGLWF, 2nd Congress, Dublin, 1976. Includes correspondence with Irving Brown, reports and resolutions.
Box 6 Folder 7
ITGLWF, 2nd Congress.
Box 7 Folder 1
ITGLWF, International Congress, Amsterdam, 1972.
Box 7 Folder 2
ITGLWF: 1973-1980. Includes Executive Committee and Presidium minutes and reports.
Box 7 Folder 3-5
ITGLWF: 1973-1980.
Box 8 Folder 1-3
ITGLWF: 1972-1979.
Box 8 Folder 4
ITGLWF: 1974-1976.
Box 8 Folder 5
Textile, Knitting and Clothing Workers; Union of Turkey: 1974-76.
Box 8 Folder 6
Textile Labor Assoc. (India): 1976-1977. Includes correspondence with A.N. Buch, President.
Box 8 Folder 7
Textile Workers' Asian Regional Organization: 1976-1980.
Box 9 Folder 1-4
U-V-W: 1976-1978.
Box 9 Folder 5
World Rehabilitation Fund: 1974-1978. Includes correspondence with Howard A. Rusk.
Box 9 Folder 6
X-Y-Z: 1973-1977. Includes correspondence with Mrs. Maria Irene Salgado Zenha and Charles Zimmerman.
Box 9 Folder 7
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research: 1975-1979.
Box 9 Folder 8
Zensen: 1975-1980. Includes correspondence with Tadanobu Usami, President.
Box 9 Folder 9