ILGWU Local 89-22-1. Records, 1986-1994
Collection Number: 5780/213

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.

Beginning in the 1980s, with the decline of the garment industry and union membership, the Joint Board of the ILGWU approved a measure to dissolve multiple locals to create a stronger financial foundation for the organization. Members were transferred to Locals 22, 1-35 and 89. An October 1984 meeting resulted in more restructuring of the board and locals into a new Local 89-22-1. Changes in the garment industry necessitated the dissolution of the Joint Board and Locals 22 and 89-48. The charter of Local 1-35 was amended to create the new Local 89-22-1. With the consolidation of staff and retirements of managers Samuel Nemaizer, Manuel Gonzalez and Frank Longo, Samuel Byer, associate general manager of the New York Coat-Dress-Rainwear Joint Board was elected manager of Local 89-22-1. After the retirement in 1993 of Samuel Byer, Barbara Laufman was elected manager of Local 89-22-1. Local 89-22-1 was the successor to some of the oldest locals in the union from the coat, dress, suite and rainwear industries, as well as both the New York Dress and Cloak Joint Boards. In July 1922, the New York State District merged with Local 89- 22-1.

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ILGWU Local 89-22-1. Records #5780/213. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.

Related Collections: 5780: ILGWU records