ACTWU's Locals Records
Collection Number: 5619/041
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives
Cornell University Library
Title:
ACTWU's Locals Records
Collection Number:
5619/041
Creator:
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union.
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America.
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America.
Quantity:
1 linear foot
Forms of Material:
Reports.
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library
Abstract:
This collection consists of information sheets for all locals established by Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America.
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 Workers of America --Archives
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union --Archives
Union of Needeltrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE) --Archives
UNITE HERE (Organization) --Archives
Subjects:
Textile industry--New York (State)--New York
Textile workers--Labor unions--New York (State)--New York
Clothing trade--New York (State)--New York
Clothing workers--Labor unions--New York (State)--New York
Form and Genre Terms:
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 Locals Records #5619/041. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.
Container
|
Description
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 1 |
Locals 1-49
|
Box 1 | Folder 2 |
Locals 50-99
|
Box 1 | Folder 3 |
Locals 100-149
|
Box 1 | Folder 4 |
Locals 150-199
|
Box 1 | Folder 5 |
Locals 200-249
|
Box 1 | Folder 6 |
Locals 250-299
|
Box 1 | Folder 7 |
Locals 300-399
|
Box 1 | Folder 8 |
Locals 400-499
|
Box 1 | Folder 9 |
Locals 500-599
|
Box 1 | Folder 10 |
Locals 600-699
|
Box 1 | Folder 11 |
Locals 700-799
|
Box 1 | Folder 12 |
Locals 800-899
|
Box 1 | Folder 13 |
Locals 900-999
|
Box 1 | Folder 14 |
Locals 1000-1099
|
Box 1 | Folder 15 |
Locals 1100-1715
|
Box 1 | Folder 16 |
Locals By State: Alabama - New York
|
Box 1 | Folder 17 |
Locals By State: North Carolina - Wyoming
|
Box 1 | Folder 18 |
Locals By Territory or Country: Puerto Rico and Canada
|