ACWA Local 144 Constitution and Membership Book
Collection Number: 5619/047m
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library
Title:
ACWA Local 144 Constitution and
Membership Book, 1915-1933
Collection Number:
5619/047m
Creator:
Gigliotti, Frank;
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA);
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA), Local 144
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA);
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA), Local 144
Quantity:
1 file folder.
Forms of Material:
Records.
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and
Archives, Cornell University Library
Abstract:
This collection consists of a membership book and
constitution of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA).
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.
Bulk dates: 1915-1933
Inclusive date range: 1915-1933
This collection consists of a membership book and constitution of the Amalgamated
Clothing Workers of America (ACWA). The membership book was issued to Frank
Gigliotti on August 3, 1915. The book is labeled Local No. 144, Ledger No. 3004 and
includes stamps for dues and assessments through 1933.
Collection processed by intern Sarah Tronkowski, under the supervision of the
Technical Services Archivist, as part of the requirements for receipt of a Masters
of Library Science.
Names:
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America
Subjects:
Clothing workers--Labor
unions--Organizing--United States.
Collective bargaining--Clothing industry--United
States.
Clothing workers--Labor unions-- United States.
Labor union locals.
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:
ACWA Local 144 Constitution and Membership Book #5619/047m. Kheel Center for
Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.
Container
|
Description
|
Date
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 1 | 1915-1933 |