ACTWU's Research Department's Industrial Union Department Company Records, 1956-1989
Collection Number: 5619/021
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives
Cornell University Library
Title:
ACTWU's Research Department's Industrial Union Department Company Records, 1956-1989
Collection Number:
5619/021
Creator:
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America.
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union.
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union.
Quantity:
2 linear ft.
Forms of Material:
Correspondence, reports, publications.
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library
Abstract:
This collection consists of correspondence, reports, and files on various companies from the Amalgamated Clothing
Workers of America and the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union Research Department's AFL-CIO Industrial Union
Department files.
Language:
Collection material in English
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.
Names:
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union --Archives
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union. Industrial Department --Archives
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union. Industrial Department
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America --Archives
Eaton Yale & Towne --Archives
Emerson Electric (Firm) --Archives
Essex International --Archives
Flintkote Company --Archives
GAF Corporation --Archives
General Battery Corporation --Archives
Globe-Union Incorporated --Archives
H.K. Porter Company --Archives
Harvey Hubbell, Inc. --Archives
Hercules Corporation --Archives
Hooker Chemical Corporation --Archives
Inmot Corporation --Archives
Interco, Inc. --Archives
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union --Archives
Johns-Manville Corporation --Archives
Johnson & Johnson --Archives
Kendall Company --Archives
Kidde, Inc. --Archives
Koppers Company --Archives
Leggett and Platt, Inc. --Archives
McGraw-Edison Company --Archives
Merck & Co. --Archives
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company --Archives
Monsanto Company --Archives
Mueller Co. --Archives
Murray Corporation of America --Archives
National Gypsum Company --Archives
Olin Corporation --Archives
Outboard Marine Corporation --Archives
Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation --Archives
Ozite Corporation --Archives
PPG Industries --Archives
Quaker Oats Company --Archives
Revere Copper and Brass Incorporated --Archives
Rexall Drug and Chemical Company --Archives
Rohm and Hass Company --Archives
Sealy Holdings, Inc. --Archives
Sheller Manufacturing Corporation --Archives
Singer Company --Archives
Stauffer Chemical Company --Archives
Textron, Inc. --Archives
Trailer Manufacturing Company --Archives
True Temper Company --Archives
Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE) --Archives
Union Carbide Corporation --Archives
UNITE HERE (Organization) --Archives
United States Pipe and Foundry Company --Archives
United States. Occupational Safety and Health--Archives
W.R. Grace & Co. --Archives
Whirlpool Corporation --Archives
Subjects:
Textile workers--Labor unions--New York (State)
Clothing workers--Labor unions--New York (State)
Form and Genre Terms:
Correspondence
Publications
Records
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:
ACTWU's Research Department's Industrial Union Department Company Records, #5619/021. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation
and Archives, Cornell University Library.
Related collections:
5619: Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America
5619/012: ACTWU's Research Department Company Records
5619/013: ACTWU's Research Department Correspondence Chronological Files
5619/016: ACTWU's Research Department's Records
All other 5619 collections
6000/003: UNITE's Research Department Historic Files
6000/014: UNITE's Research Department Correspondence Chronological Files
and 6000/020: UNITE's Research Department Records
5619: Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America
5619/012: ACTWU's Research Department Company Records
5619/013: ACTWU's Research Department Correspondence Chronological Files
5619/016: ACTWU's Research Department's Records
All other 5619 collections
6000/003: UNITE's Research Department Historic Files
6000/014: UNITE's Research Department Correspondence Chronological Files
and 6000/020: UNITE's Research Department Records
Container
|
Description
|
Date
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 1 |
CLWU
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 2 |
Eaton, Yale, and Towne
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 3 |
Electrolux
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 4 |
Emerson Electric
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 5 |
Essex International [folder 1 of 2]
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 6 |
Essex International [folder 2 of 2]
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 7 |
Flintkote Co.
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 8 |
GAF Corp.
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 9 |
General Battery Corp.
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 10 |
Globe-Union, Inc.
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 11 |
H. K. Porter, Inc.
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 12 |
Hercules, Corp.
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 13 |
Hooker Chemical, Corp.
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 14 |
Hubbell, Inc.
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 15 |
Inmot, Corp.
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 16 |
Interco, Inc.
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 17 |
Johns-Manville, Corp.
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 18 |
Johnson and Johnson
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 19 |
Kendall Co.
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 20 |
Kidde, Inc.
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 21 |
Koppers, Inc.
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 22 |
Leggett and Platt, Inc.
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 23 |
McGraw-Edison, Inc.
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 24 |
Merck and Company
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 25 |
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Comp.
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 26 |
Monsanto Company
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 27 |
Mueller Company
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 28 |
Murray Corp. of America
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 29 |
National Gypsum Co. I (division of American Clean Tile Co.)
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 30 |
National Gypsum Co. II (division of American Clean Tile Co.)
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 1 |
Olin Corp.
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 2 |
OSHA
|
1970-1979 |
Box 2 | Folder 3 |
OSHA
|
1980 |
Box 2 | Folder 4 |
Outboard Marine Corp.
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 5 |
Owens-Corning Fiberglass
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 6 |
Ozite Corp.
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 7 |
PPG Industries, Inc.
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 8 |
Paint Industry Conference
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 9 |
Quaker Oats Company
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 10 |
Revere Copper and Brass Corp.
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 11 |
Rexall Drug and Chemical Co.
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 12 |
Rohm and Hass Co.
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 13 |
Sealy Holdings, Inc. [folder 1 of 2]
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 14 |
Sealy Holdings, Inc. [folder 2 of 2]
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 15 |
Sheller Globe Corp.
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 16 |
Singer Co.
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 17 |
Stauffer Chemical Corp.
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 18 |
Textron, Inc.
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 19 |
Trailer Manufacturing Cos. (35)
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 20 |
True Temper Co.
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 21 |
Union Carbide Corp.
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 22 |
Union Label
|
|
pre 1956
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 23 |
Union Label
|
1956-1959 |
Box 2 | Folder 24 |
Union Label
|
1960-1969 |
Box 2 | Folder 25 |
Union Label
|
1970-1979 |
Box 2 | Folder 26 |
Union Label
|
1980-1989 |
Box 2 | Folder 27 |
U. S. Pipe and Foundry Co.
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 28 |
W. R. Grace and Co.
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 29 |
Whirlpool Corp.
|