ACTWU's Local 169 Records, 1923-2003
Collection Number: 5619/014
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Cornell University Library
DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY
Title:
ACTWU's Local 169 Records, 1923-2003
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Collection Number:
5619/014
Abstract:
This collection consists of collective bargaining agreements, convention proceedings,
meeting minutes, publications, and files from the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of
America, Local 169, and the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union, Local
169.
Creator:
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America. Local 169 (New York, N.Y.)
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union. Local 169 (New York, N.Y.)
Quanitities:
4 cubic feet
Language:
Collection material in English, Spanish, and Yiddish
The Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, the most significant union representing
workers in the men's clothing industry, was founded in New York City in 1914 as a
breakaway movement from the United Garment Workers. Radical and immigrant workers
in the tailors' and cutters' locals were the core of the seceding group, which advocated
industrial unionism and economic strikes in opposition to the UGW's craft organization,
which they saw as conservative and timid. Their diverging views had come to the fore
during the historic 1910 dispute at the Chicago firm Hart, Schaffner, and Marx. The
opposition called the strike against the UGW leadership's advice, and reached a path-breaking
agreement with management that established an arbitration system to settle disputes.
Members flocked to the new union. Around 50,000 strong at its founding, by 1920 the
ACWA counted about 170,000 members. Initially composed mostly of immigrants of Jewish
European descent with Socialist leanings, the ACWA quickly welcomed members of a great
number of nationalities and diverse backgrounds. Like in other garment unions, most
workers and many members were women, but the leadership was predominantly male, a
situation that did not change for many decades. Early on the union adopted a centralized
administrative structure combined with industrial unionism, with the joint boards'
by-laws having precedence over those of locals.
Espousing a philosophy perhaps brought over by its early immigrant socialist members,
the Amalgamated went beyond bread and butter issues and adopted a distinctive form
of social unionism that was largely absent in the American labor movement. Starting
in the 1920s, it provided educational opportunities and recreational facilities for
its members, as well as services such as an insurance plan, banks offering personal
loans at low interest rates, low-cost housing cooperatives, medical clinics, and even
union-owned restaurants.
Sidney Hillman was the first president of the new union and the most important officer
in its history. He applied his experience as bargaining representative in Chicago
to the whole industry. Under his leadership the union made significant strides in
securing better wages and working conditions for its members, and at the same time
it consolidated gains and provided stability to the industry through the widespread
adoption of the arbitration system tested at Hart, Schaffner, and Marx. Hillman paid
close attention to industry issues, such as production, pricing, and marketing. In
order to help management meet the competition of non-union firms, the union conducted
studies of efficiency, work methods, and factory costs. Letters to the official publication
of the union, Advance, document the controversy that ensued within the union over
what was perceived to be collaboration with management.
Hillman also understood the importance of labor's involvement in national affairs
and political action. In the 1920s the ACWA sent delegates to the Conference for Progressive
Political Action and to the Farmer-labor party conventions. Although many members
and officers were Socialists, the union stopped short of officially endorsing the
party. Communist attempts at gaining influence within the union were firmly curbed.
Hillman's participation in national affairs and politics became prominent during the
New Deal, when he became a close advisor to Franklin D. Roosevelt on labor and economic
issues. He also served on the board of the National Recovery Administration. Later,
during World War II, he helped establish the Labor's Non Partisan League. He was also
named associate director of the Office of Production Management, which assisted in
mobilizing the nation's resources for the war effort. Hillman's prestige perhaps reflected
the healthy condition of his union, which by the end of the conflict was strong and
stable.
During the post World War II period the union faced a number of significant challenges.
Membership continued to grow (peaking at 395,000 in 1968), but the union's political
influence and visibility in national affairs declined. In their never ending pursuit
of lower production costs, many firms relocated to the South, forcing the union to
engage in large organizing efforts. Simultaneously, signs began to appear of changes
that would lead to the almost complete demise of the domestic apparel industry and,
ultimately, to the erosion of union membership. Foreign imports of cheap clothing
goods steadily grew in the 1950s and 1960s, and mushroomed in the following two decades,
plunging employment in the apparel sector into a steady decline. Union efforts to
stem the tide included Buy American campaigns and extensive lobbying in Congress,
but they were to no avail. In 1976, the ACWA merged with the Textile Workers of America
to become the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union. Despite successful and
much publicized nationwide actions such as the Farah boycott and the J.P. Stevens
corporate campaign, the woes threatening the union's existence continued unabated.
The fate of the domestic industry was sealed in the late 1970s and the 1980s by the
flight of firms chasing tax breaks and cheap labor abroad. By 1995, when ACTWU voted
to merge with the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, their combined membership
was 350,000. The new Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE!)
seemed poised to infuse new life in a troubled union.
Access to the collections in the Kheel Center is restricted. Please contact a reference
archivist for access to these materials.
This collection must be used in keeping with the Kheel Center Information Sheet and
Procedures for Document Use.
INFORMATION FOR USERS
ACTWU's Local 169 Records #5619/014. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation
and Archives, Cornell University Library.
Related collections: 5619: Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America All other 5619 collections, and 6000/016: UNITE's Local 169. Green & Grocery Campaign
files
Names:
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union. Local 169 (New York, N.Y.) --Archives
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America. Local 169 (New York, N.Y.)--Archives
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union --Archives
Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees
Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees. Local 169 (New York, N.Y.)--Archives
UNITE HERE (Organization) --Archives
Subjects:
Collective bargaining--Clothing industry--New York (State)
Clothing workers--Labor unions--New York (State)
Clothing trade--New York (State)
CONTAINER LIST
Container
|
Description
|
Date
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 1 |
Agreement: A. Levine Incorporation - Ashland Uniform Company
|
1939-1946 |
Box 1 | Folder 2 |
Agreement: Bell Laundry - Buriable Pants Company
|
1933-1944 |
Box 1 | Folder 3 |
Agreement: C and L Overall Company - Dun Rite Laundry Company
|
1937-1946 |
Box 1 | Folder 4 |
Agreement: Edmund Muschel - Fur Fit Undergarment Incorporation
|
1941-1946 |
Box 1 | Folder 5 |
Agreement: General Sportwear Manufacturing Company - Hi Line Company Incorporated
|
1941-1946 |
Box 1 | Folder 6 |
Agreement: I. Schwartz and Son - Infant and Juvenile Manufacturers Association Incorporated
|
1937-1953 |
Box 1 | Folder 7 |
Agreement: J.H Harris Corporation - Juvenile Guild Incorporation
|
1938-1946 |
Box 1 | Folder 8 |
Agreement: Kaplan Janis Company - Lou Hy Sportswear Company
|
1937-1946 |
Box 1 | Folder 9 |
Agreement: M.E Greenfield Company - Mills Uniform Corporation0
|
1937-1954 |
Box 1 | Folder 10 |
Agreement: National Family Laundry Incorporation - Oxford Pants Company
|
1937-1946 |
Box 1 | Folder 11 |
Agreement: P. Lichtment and Son Company - Pyramid Knitwear Company Incorporated
|
1937-1946 |
Box 1 | Folder 12 |
Agreement: Queen Mary Togs Incorporated - Rubin Sportwear Incorporated
|
1937-1947 |
Box 2 | Folder 1 |
Agreement: S and I Novelty Company Incorporated - Stanley Togs
|
1937-1946 |
Box 2 | Folder 2 |
Agreement: Star Novelty Company Incorporated - Sweeney Block and Company Incorporated
|
1940-1946 |
Box 2 | Folder 3 |
Agreement: T and S Sportswear Company Incorporated - Tom Tinochiano
|
1941-1947 |
Box 2 | Folder 4 |
Agreement: Uniform Manufacturer's Exchange Incorporated - White Duck Management Company
|
1937-1947 |
Box 2 | Folder 5 |
Agreement: Youth Merit Wear Incorporated - Zone Novelty Company Incorporated
|
1945-1947 |
Box 2 | Folder 6 |
Mr. Bernstein - Miscellaneous
|
1937 |
Box 2 | Folder 7 |
Miscellaneous Union Documents
|
1937-1950 |
Box 2 | Folder 8 |
ACWA Local 169
|
1957 |
Scope and Contents
Mostly Photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 9 |
ACWA 23rd Biennial Convention
|
1962 |
Box 2 | Folder 10 |
Unsigned Agreements
|
1937-1953 |
Box 3 | Folder 1 |
Mr. Thomas Flavell (folder 1 of 2)
|
1969 |
Scope and Contents
Financial information for appealing companies in the Sweater and Knit Swimwear industry
in Puerto Rico
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 2 |
Mr. Thomas Flavell (folder 2 of 2)
|
1969 |
Box 3 | Folder 3 |
Puerto Rico: Additional statistical tables
|
1968 |
Scope and Contents
April
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 4 |
Miscellaneous
|
1977-2003 |
Box 3 | Folder 5 |
Minute Book
|
1923-1926 |
Scope and Contents
Language: Yiddish
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 6 |
Local 169 A.C.W.A Minute Book
|
1953-1965 |
Box 3 | Folder 7 |
Executive Council Manual
|
1953-1955 |
Box 3 | Folder 8 |
Sick Benefit Minute Book
|
1940-1950 |
Box 3 | Folder 9 |
Minute Book
|
1926-1932 |
Scope and Contents
Language: Yiddish
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 10 |
Executive Council Manual
|
1947-1950 |
Box 3 | Folder 11 |
Executive Council Recording Book
|
1936-1941 |
Box 4 | Folder 1 |
Proceedings: Nineteenth Biennial Convention
|
1976 |
Scope and Contents
Textile Workers of America
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 2 |
Proceedings: Merger Convention
|
1976 |
Scope and Contents
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers; Washington D.C
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 3 |
The United States Department of Labor
|
1953 |
Scope and Contents
Author: James P. Mitchell (secretary)
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 4 |
How do Labor and Schools work together?
|
1959 |
Scope and Contents
National Citizens Council for Better Schools
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 5 |
"this union cause"
|
1962 |
Scope and Contents
An illustrated history of Labor Unions in America
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 6 |
Special Convention
|
1976 |
Scope and Contents
Convention Proceedings
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 7 |
50th Anniversary Convention
|
1964 |
Scope and Contents
General Executive Board Report and Convention Proceedings; (2 copies)
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 8 |
20th Biennial Convention (General Executive Board Report and Proceeding)
|
1956 |
Scope and Contents
May 21-25
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 9 |
Resolutions: 23rd Biennial Convention
|
1962 |
Scope and Contents
May 14th
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 10 |
18th Biennial Convention
|
1952 |
Scope and Contents
May 12-16; (4 copies)
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 11 |
20th Biennial Convention (General Executive Board Report)
|
1956 |
Scope and Contents
2 copies
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 12 |
Correspondence
|
1952 |
Box 4 | Folder 13 |
Amalgamated Mimeo Handbook
|
1949 |
Scope and Contents
Prepared by Barbara Wertheimer; Drawings by Frank Hanley
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 14 |
Clippings and Memo of Local 169's Past History
|
1942-1970 |
Box 4 | Folder 15 |
Report of the General Executive Board: 2nd Constitutional Convention
|
1981 |
Scope and Contents
June 1-5
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 16 |
Textile Union Workers Union of America Volunteer Organizing Program
|
1962 |
Box 4 | Folder 17 |
The Sweater and Knit Swimwear Industry in Puerto Rico
|
1969 |
Scope and Contents
March
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 18 |
Mr. Bernstein Certificate of Membership to the 66 club
|
1948 |
Box 4 | Folder 19 |
Immigration Law Material
|
1987 |
Scope and Contents
Language: English and Spanish
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 20 |
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union Substance Abuse Manual
|
1988 |
Box 4 | Folder 21 |
Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico
|
1985 |
Scope and Contents
Oficina de Asuntos Laborales (OAL); Language: English and Spanish
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 22 |
AFL-CIO Miscellaneous pamphlets
|
1969 |
Box 4 | Folder 23 |
The Values We Cherish
|
1963 |
Scope and Contents
Author: Walter P. Reuther
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 24 |
Convention Proceedings: 1st Constitutional Convention
|
1978 |
Scope and Contents
September 25-29
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 25 |
Pamphlets on Health Care for Senior Citizens
|
1943-1963 |
Box 4 | Folder 26 |
The Sidney Hillman Foundation Incorporated: Fifteen Year Report
|
1948-1963 |
Box 4 | Folder 27 |
Profile of a Union
|
1958 |
Scope and Contents
The Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 28 |
Handbook for Industry Committee Members
|
1965 |
Scope and Contents
United States Department of Labor
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 29 |
Annual Awards Celebration
|
1996 |
Scope and Contents
New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 30 |
Retired and Remembered
|
1969 |
Box 4 | Folder 31 |
The Story of a Bank: The Amalgamated Bank of New York
|
1923-1963 |
Box 4 | Folder 32 |
Report of the General Executive Board: 1st Constitutional Convention
|
1978 |
Scope and Contents
September 25-29
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 33 |
War Labor Board Decisions
|
1944-1945 |
Box 4 | Folder 34 |
Executive Summary: The Antitrust Controversy
|
1962 |
Scope and Contents
February
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 35 |
Miscellaneous
|
1962 |
Box 4 | Folder 36 |
Blue Shield in New York City: a report and program
|
1964 |
Scope and Contents
New York Labor-Management Council of Health and Welfare Plans, Incorporated
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 37 |
Songbook Compilation of Rhythm and Music from all over the World
|
1929 |
Scope and Contents
Compiler: Edith Berkowitz; Language: English and Spanish
|