Raskin, Abe. Collection., 1930-1970
Collection Number: 6036/012

Founded in 1900 by local union delegates representing about 2,000 members in cities in the northeastern United States, the ILGWU grew in geographical scope, membership size, 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. In 1995, the ILGWU merged with the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU) to form the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE).

Abraham H. Raskin was born April 26, 1911 in Edmonton, Canada and raised in Seattle. After a brief stay in Berlin, the Raskin family settled in New York. Raskin started at the City College of New York in 1927 and studied education and government. During his time at college, he became interested in journalism and edited the student newspaper, yearbook and literary magazine. After graduation in 1931, Raskin remained for a time and took some graduate courses, and also did part-time work at "The New York Times" as a campus correspondent. In 1934, he became a full time employee at the "Times" and reported on unemployment before becoming a labor correspondent. During World War II, Raskin was chief of the Army Industrial Service Division, entering the service as a captain and being discharged with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Returning to "The New York Times," Raskin became the chief labor correspondent. He followed the strikes, disputes, and negotiations, from the coal mines, to the steel mills, and the auto factories. He was on a first name basis with union leaders and management. In 1961, Raskin joined the editorial board and later became the assistant editor of the editorial page. He spent more than four decades at "The New York Times" covering labor, writing articles, and overseeing editorials, while becoming an authority on labor and industrial relations. Raskin died in 1993 at the age of 82.

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Raskin, Abe. Collection. #6036/012. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.

Related Collections: 5780: ILGWU records 5780/002: ILGWU. David Dubinsky correspondence 5780/002 AV: ILGWU. David Dubinsky audio recordings 5780/002 MB: ILGWU. David Dubinsky memorabilia 5780/002 P: ILGWU. David Dubinsky photographs 5780/179 P: ILGWU. David Dubinsky photographs 5780/136: ILGWU. David Dubinsky scrapbooks 5780 OH: ILGWU. Oral History 5780/110 OHT: ILGWU. Oral histories 5780/134 AV: ILGWU. Miscellaneous audio cassettes 6036/001: Lieberman, Elias. Manuscripts. 6029: Raskin, A.H. Papers.