Schlesinger, Emil. Collection, 1947-1968
Collection Number: 6036/018

The majority of the collection contains material that is of a legal and legislative nature, as Emil Schlesinger provided counsel for the ILGWU and Cutter's Local 10. The correspondence, reports, transcripts, and amendments to pending legislation mainly involve the cases and matters that Schlesinger and his law offices had some involvement. Some of the information contained in the collection includes radio speeches regarding legislation, reports on health and welfare fund restrictions, and briefs of labor relations, wages, and collective bargaining. There are files on restrictive labor bills, along with reports, statements and hand written drafts by Schlesinger. Major legislation included in the collection is the Taft- Hartley amendments regarding whether jobbers and contractors should be treated as separate employers or as a unitary employer in disputes, and the Landrum-Griffin Bill amendments regarding the garment industry and secondary boycotts.

One major component of the collection that is of particular interest is the comprehensive look at racketeering in labor unions. There are numerous clippings and correspondence regarding the inquiry into racketeering in unions, particularly as it concerned the ILGWU. The McClellan Committee was charged with investigating labor-management racketeering. There is testimony before the McClellan Committee, including Dubinsky's deposition and affidavit regarding Johnny Dio (John Dioguardi). Dubinsky denied that Dio was ever in the ILGWU, that he was friendly with him and whether he knew of Dio's mob ties. Newspaper articles and clippings alleged Dubinsky's involvement or at least his knowledge of racketeering in the garment industry, as well as his knowledge of the criminal histories of those at one time employed by the ILGWU, including William Lurye. The files regarding racketeering provide broad research from various sources.

Another key component of the collection involves the racial discrimination charges brought against the ILGWU and the subsequent Powell Committee investigations led by Adam Powell of the House Committee on Education and Labor. Charges were filed against the union by Herbert Hill, labor secretary of the NAACP, alleging racial discrimination against African American and Puerto Rican members of the union. The NAACP called for a vigorous investigation of what they regarded as a pattern of discriminatory racial practices, especially as it concerned minorities in leadership positions within the union. The collection contains testimony, including Hill's, before the special Congressional Subcommittee of the House Committee on Education and Labor. Also available is correspondence, articles, a large number of clippings, notes, statements, reports, and signed testimony as it relates to the investigation.

The remainder of the collection contains articles regarding Dubinsky's resignation as well as the transcript of the public hearing of the "Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Investigating the Garment Industry," including Dubinsky's testimony, as well as a later hearing that took place before the Committee on Education and Labor.