ILGWU Boston Joint Board Photographs, 1978-1988
Collection Number: 5780/055 P
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Cornell University Library
DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY
Title:
ILGWU Boston Joint Board Photographs, 1978-1988
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Collection Number:
5780/055 P
Creator:
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union
Boston Joint Board
Quanitities:
2 cubic feet
Language:
Collection material in English
The International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union was once one of the largest labor
unions in the United States founded in 1900 by local union delegates representing
about 2,000 members in cities in the northeastern United States. It was one of the
first U.S. Unions to have a membership consisting of mostly females, and it played
a key role in the labor history of the 1920s and 1930s. The union is generally referred
to as the "ILGWU" or the "ILG". The ILGWU grew in geographical scope, membership size,
and political influence to become one of the most powerful forces in American organized
labor by mid-century. Representing workers in the women's garment industry, the ILGWU
worked to improve working and living conditions of its members through collective
bargaining agreements, training programs, health care facilities, cooperative housing,
educational opportunities, and other efforts. The ILGWU merged with the Amalgamated
Clothing and Textile Workers Union in 1995 to form the Union of Needle trades, Industrial
and Textile Employees (UNITE). UNITE merged with the Hotel Employees and Restaurant
Employees Union (HERE) in 2004 to create a new union known as UNITE HERE. The two
unions that formed UNITE in 1995 represented only 250,000 workers between them, down
from the ILGWU's peak membership of 450,000 in 1969.
Like other cities with garment work, Boston cloak workers organized early, forming
the Boston Cloak Makers' Protective Union around 1890, a decade before the founding
of the ILGWU. In 1907, the Boston Pressers' Local 12, Skirt and Cloak Makers' Local
13, and Cloak and Suit Cutters' Local 26 called a general strike demanding a fifty
hour week and recognition of the union. While ultimately unsuccessful, the strike
did lay the ground work for the Great Revolt in 1910. Later, the locals Cloak and
Skirt Pressers Local 12, Skirt Makers Local 56, Cutters Local 73, Waist and Dressmakers
Local 49, and Ladies' Tailors Local 36 composed the Boston Joint Board. In 1914 though,
these locals were far from flourishing, and existed merely on paper with no money
in their treasury. Abraham Rosenberg was appointed manager of the Joint Board to assist
with the situation in Boston. During this time, a new system of shop inspections was
introduced and soon the entire trade was thoroughly organized. Also established was
week work as well as job placement made through the union. In 1915, the skirtmakers
from Local 56 broke off and chartered a new Local 24. Rosenberg resigned in at the
end of 1916. With conditions in Boston poor, the Joint Board and locals were reorganized
by the International with Abraham Snyder appointed manager for 6 months, before being
passed to Hyman Hurwitz. By 1919, the Joint Board was negotiating collective agreements
with a newly formed manufacturers' association. Among the demands obtained were a
44 hour work week and a minimum wage scale.
A double strike of cloakmakers and dressmakers in Boston in 1923 strengthened the
union's position in the city. Max Amdur was placed in charge of the Joint Board in
1928, assisted by Philip Kramer. Like the rest of the union, the Joint Board suffered
from infighting among the Communist members during this time. By 1929, there was a
move toward unification, and a new administration elected. The Joint Board and locals
moved to new headquarters. In 1930, ILGWU vice-president Israel Feinberg was appointed
manager, replacing an ill vice-president Max Amdur. Amdur returned in 1931 to manage
the Joint Board but resigned later that year due to poor health and was replaced by
vice-president Jacob Halpern with Kramer in charge of organizing. Philip Kramer would
become the Joint Board manager in 1932, a position he would hold for the next 41 years.
The 1940s saw the silk dress industry in Boston nearly all unionized, with many of
the cloak and skirt branches as well, and the Joint Board was on strong financial
footing. In 1942, with the assistance of the Cotton Garment Department, the Joint
Board had a successful campaign in the skirt industry bringing in new members and
standardizing work. Cloakmakers won vacation pay in 1942 and in 1944 there was the
first collective agreement with the Associated Dress Manufacturing Inc. This time
also saw the Joint Board with active interest in the Massachusetts Liberal Labor Committee,
purchasing war bonds, and contributing to Red Cross work. At the end of the decade
into the 1950s, the Joint Board continued to organize substantial numbers of shops,
especially with the large number of new shops which opened during the war. Locals
expanded to include 12 (Pressers), 33 (Skirtmakers), 39 (Finishers), 46 (Dressmakers),
56 (Cloak Operators), 73 (Cutters), and 80 (Italian Cloak, Skirt and Dressmakers).
In 1947, together with the Northeast Department, the Joint Board purchased a building
to house a Union Health Center.
The Joint Board became involved in labor and philanthropy causes, and collected an
extra week's dues each month for charity and humanitarian relief. In the mid-1950s,
the market stabilized, and firms in the cloak industry began changing from time-work
to piece-work. By 1957 all retirement fundscloak, dress, sportswearwere merged. And
in 1962, the Massachusetts Legislature banned industrial homework. In 1965, Boston
saw shops going out of business and relocating outside of the city. New organizing
efforts were no longer a priority for the Joint Board but fell to the Northeast Department.
In March 1967, the Joint Board and Northeast Department struck 67 shops which had
failed to sign an agreement. Philip Kramer retired as manager of the Joint Board in
1973 and Milton Kaplan was elected as the new manager. Soon, the Joint Board voted
to become a part of the Northeast Department. Further reorganization after the 1977
convention formed the Northeast and Western Pennsylvania Department.
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
ILGWU Boston Joint Board Photographs #5780/055 P. Kheel Center for Labor-Management
Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.
Related Collections: 5780: ILGWU records
Names:
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union -- Photographs
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. Boston Joint Board
Subjects:
Women's clothing industry--United States.
Women's clothing industry--Massachusetts--Boston.
Labor unions--Clothing workers--United States.
Labor unions--Clothing workers--Massachusetts--Boston.
Clothing workers--United States
Clothing workers--Massachusetts--Boston.
Industrial relations--United States.
Industrial relations--Massachusetts--Boston.
CONTAINER LIST
Container
|
Description
|
Date
|
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Box 1 | Folder 1 |
Managers, Staff (1)
|
|
Scope and Contents
21 photographs
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 2 |
Managers/Staff (2)
|
|
Scope and Contents
17 photographs
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 3 |
Managers/Staff (3)
|
|
Scope and Contents
24 photographs
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 4 |
Managers/Staff (4)
|
|
Scope and Contents
24 photographs
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 5 |
Managers/Staff (5)
|
|
Scope and Contents
27 photographs
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 6 |
Managers/Staff (6)
|
|
Scope and Contents
8 photographs
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 7 |
Dukakis - 1982 (1)
|
1982 |
Scope and Contents
16 photographs ; 7 slides
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 8 |
Dukakis - 1982 (2)
|
1982 |
Scope and Contents
20 photographs
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 9 |
Dukakis - 1982 (3)
|
1982 |
Scope and Contents
28 photographs
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 10 |
Member Activities
|
|
Scope and Contents
19 photographs
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 11 |
Mazur - N.Y. Staff
|
|
Scope and Contents
20 photographs
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 12 |
Dukakis (1)
|
|
Scope and Contents
25 photographs
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 13 |
Dukakis (2)
|
|
Scope and Contents
3 slides ; 16 photographs
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 14 |
Hearings, Bill Signings, etc.
|
|
Scope and Contents
27 photographs
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 15 |
Hearings, Bill Signings, etc.
|
|
Scope and Contents
17 photographs
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 16 |
Members, Working - Staff Service, Inc.
|
|
Scope and Contents
21 photographs
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 17 |
Members, Working - Staff Service, Inc.
|
|
Scope and Contents
17 photographs
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 18 |
Dukakis Photos - 1978
|
1978 |
Scope and Contents
11 photographs
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 19 |
Barrey Frank
|
|
Scope and Contents
22 photographs
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 20 |
Barrey Frank
|
|
Scope and Contents
26 photographs
|
|||
Box 1 | Folder 21 |
History
|
|
Scope and Contents
4 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 1 |
Immigration - 1985, 1987
|
|
Scope and Contents
24 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 2 |
Immigration 1985, 1987
|
|
Scope and Contents
10 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 3 |
Import Activities
|
|
Scope and Contents
15 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 4 |
Jewish Labor Committee: 1987 (April-May)
|
1987 |
Scope and Contents
5 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 5 |
Negotiations
|
|
Scope and Contents
19 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 6 |
Negotiations
|
|
Scope and Contents
16 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 7 |
Negotiations
|
|
Scope and Contents
31 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 8 |
AFL-CIO Training/Convention - 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987
|
|
Scope and Contents
20 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 9 |
Classes - 1987, 1988, 1989
|
|
Scope and Contents
24 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 10 |
Classes - 1987, 1988, 1989
|
|
Scope and Contents
23 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 11 |
NTAP - June 1988
|
1988 |
Scope and Contents
10 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 12 |
Politicians
|
|
Scope and Contents
10 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 13 |
Retirees
|
|
Scope and Contents
1 photograph
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 14 |
Strikes - N.E. Maryland
|
|
Scope and Contents
9 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 15 |
Scholarships - BJB - NINEDC Scholarship - 1987
|
1987 |
Scope and Contents
3 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 16 |
New Englander - 1980-1987 Photos (1)
|
|
Scope and Contents
37 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 17 |
New Englander - 1980-1987 Photos (2)
|
|
Scope and Contents
37 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 18 |
New Englander - 1980-1987 Photos (3)
|
|
Scope and Contents
36 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 19 |
New Englander 1980-1987 Photos (4)
|
|
Scope and Contents
36 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 20 |
New Englander 1980-1987 Photos (5)
|
|
Scope and Contents
36 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 21 |
New Englander - 1980-1987 (1)
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 22 |
New Englander 1980-1987 (2)
|
|
Scope and Contents
25 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 23 |
New Englander 1980-1987 (3)
|
|
Scope and Contents
29 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 24 |
New Englander 1980-1987 (4)
|
|
Scope and Contents
11 photographs
|
|||
Box 2 | Folder 25 |
New Englander 1980-1987 (5)
|
|
Scope and Contents
47 photographs
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 1 |
Retirees - Labor Day - 1983, 1984 (1)
|
|
Box 3 | Folder 2 |
Retirees - Labor Day 1983, 1984 (2)
|
|
Scope and Contents
26 photographs
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 3 |
Retirees, Labor Day 1983, 1984 (3)
|
|
Scope and Contents
26 photographs
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 4 |
Retirees - Labor Day 1983, 1984
|
|
Scope and Contents
28 photographs
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 5 |
Retirees Labor Day 1983, 1984 (5)
|
|
Scope and Contents
25 photographs
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 6 |
Retirees Labor Day 1982, 1983, 1984
|
|
Scope and Contents
15 photographs
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 7 |
Import Activities
|
|
Scope and Contents
15 photographs
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 8 |
Politicians
|
|
Scope and Contents
28 photographs
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 9 |
Politicians
|
|
Scope and Contents
29 photographs
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 10 |
Politicians
|
|
Scope and Contents
12 photographs
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 11 |
Politicians (Shannon) (1)
|
|
Scope and Contents
29 photographs
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 12 |
Politicians (Shannon) - 1984 (2)
|
1984 |
Scope and Contents
26 photographs
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 13 |
Politicians (Shannon) (3)
|
|
Scope and Contents
26 photographs
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 14 |
Unity House - 1987
|
1987 |
Scope and Contents
20 photographs
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 15 |
Unity House 1988
|
1988 |
Scope and Contents
21 photographs
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 16 |
Unity House - undated
|
|
Scope and Contents
17 photographs
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 17 |
IUD Conferences (1)
|
|
Scope and Contents
31 photographs
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 18 |
IUD Conferences (2)
|
|
Scope and Contents
19 photographs
|
|||
Box 3 | Folder 19 |
IUD Conference (3)
|
|
Scope and Contents
35 photographs
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 1 |
Conference & Rallies - ILGWU - Photo Album contents
|
|
Scope and Contents
86 photographs
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 2 |
Shipped loose in box
|
|
Scope and Contents
24 photographs
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 3 |
Shipped loose in box
|
|
Scope and Contents
26 photographs
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 4 |
Shipped loose in box
|
|
Scope and Contents
12 slides ; 19 photographs
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 5 |
Shipped loose in box
|
|
Scope and Contents
20 photographs
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 6 |
Shipped loose in box
|
|
Scope and Contents
26 photographs
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 7 |
Shipped loose in box
|
|
Scope and Contents
26 photographs
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 8 |
Shipped loose in box
|
|
Scope and Contents
23 photographs
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 9 |
Shipped loose in box
|
|
Scope and Contents
20 photographs
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 10 |
Shipped loose in box ; ILGWU Conference
|
|
Scope and Contents
27 slides
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 11 |
Shipped loose in box: Post card registration (1983) ; Histadrut dinner (1986)
|
|
Scope and Contents
27 photographs
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 12 |
Shipped loose in box - ILGWU Conference
|
|
Scope and Contents
26 photographs
|
|||
Box 4 | Folder 13 |
Shipped loose in box - ILGWU Conference
|
|
Scope and Contents
10 photographs
|