ILGWU Western Massachusetts District Records

Collection Number: 5780/120

Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY

Title:
ILGWU Western Massachusetts District Records, 1937-1972
Collection Number:
5780/120
Creator:
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU)
Quantity:
4 linear ft.
Forms of Material:
Records (documents).
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library
Abstract:
The collection contains records of the Western Massachusetts District Council primarily documenting its financial transactions, including records of state and federal tax payments, documentation of investments, fundraising for its Campaign Committee, and benefits paid from the Northeast Department Health and Welfare Fund. A smaller portion of the Western District Council records is correspondence on other matters.
Language:
Collection material in English

ILGWU ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY

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.
ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY

The Western Massachusetts District Council began as part of the Northeast Department of the ILGWU. In 1976, the Western Massachusetts District Council became part of the newly-formed New England Region, along with other affiliates in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Within a couple of years, the Western Massachusetts District Council became the Western Massachusetts-Vermont District Council. In 1993, the Western Massachusetts-Vermont District Council merged with the Northern New England District Council (NNEDC); at the time of the ILGWU's merger with ACTWU in 1995, the NNEDC and the Boston Joint Board merged to become the Northern New England-Boston Joint Board District Council.
Jack Albano was the ILGWU representative in the district from the 1940s until 1977. Paul Winslow succeeded him as manager, serving in that role from 1977 to 1984. From 1984 to 1994, Richard Rumelt was regional manager. Following Rumelt, Warren Pepicelli, manager of the Boston Joint Board, led the Northern New England-Boston Joint Board District Council through the ILGWU's merger with ACTWU, and subsequently managed the regional affiliate of UNITE and UNITE-HERE.
COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

The collection contains two distinct types of records interwoven through the boxes; administrative documents and correspondence. The administrative paperwork details the daily functions and activities of the Western Massachusetts District Council. There are numerous government documents, such as federal and state tax forms and information reports to the U.S. Department of Labor. Financial transactions are also documented and other monetary matters such as the investments and values for various accounts in Western MA banks. Much information is available for the various health coverage plans, including correspondence and administrative paperwork for the Health Center in Boston; documents for the Staff and Retiree Drug Plans under the ILGWU Health Services Plan; reports of collections and payouts, correspondence, audit reports, and general administration for the Northeast Dept. Health and Welfare Fund; correspondence, reports and transactions for Blue Cross; and correspondence and claims for the Death Benefit Fund.
A second component of the collection consists of correspondence files of individuals including: Mitchell Yager, office manager of the Finance Dept.; Gus Tyler, director of the Education Dept. and administrator of the ILGWU Scholarship Fund; Alfred T. Gustin, controller of the Northeast Dept;, Morris Glushien, general counsel for the ILGWU; Siemon Hamburger, general auditor for the ILGWU; Jack Halpern, field supervisor of the Northeast Dept.; Adolph Held, director of the Welfare and Health Benefits Dept.; Arthur Levine, administrative assistant of the Northeast Dept.; Hugh Maloney, supervisor of the Health and Welfare Fund of the Northeast Dept.; Jack Albano, who held numerous positions, including district manager of Organizing for the Northeast Dept., supervisor for New England and Upstate New York, manager of Local 226, and district manager of the Northeast Dept.; Alexander Bookstaver, controller for the ILGWU; and Louis Brass, general auditor for the ILGWU.
SUBJECTS

Names:
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union.
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. -- Western Massachusetts District.

Subjects:
Women's clothing industry -- United States.
Women's clothing industry -- Massachusetts.
Clothing workers -- Labor unions -- United States.
Clothing workers --Labor unions -- Massachusetts.
Clothing workers -- United States.
Clothing workers -- Massachusetts.
Industrial relations -- United States.
Industrial relations -- Massachusetts.

Form and Genre Terms:
Records (documents).

INFORMATION FOR USERS

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:
ILGWU Western Massachusetts District Records #5780/120. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.
RELATED MATERIALS

Related Collections:
5780: ILGWU records
5780/050: ILGWU Northeast Department Records
5780/055: ILGWU Boston Joint Board Records
CONTAINER LIST

Container
Description
Date
Box 1 Folder 1 1937-1939
Box 1 Folder 2 1938-1968
Box 1 Folder 3 1938-1968
Box 1 Folder 4 1938-1968
Box 1 Folder 5 1960
Box 1 Folder 6 1958
Box 1 Folder 7 1958-1963
Box 1 Folder 8 1958-1968
Box 1 Folder 9 1958-1967
Box 1 Folder 10 1960-1967
Box 1 Folder 11 1965-1967
Box 1 Folder 12 1958-1960
Box 1 Folder 13 1967-1968
Box 1 Folder 14 1962
Box 1 Folder 15 1956-1968
Box 1 Folder 16 1969-1971
Box 1 Folder 17 1958-1968
Box 1 Folder 18 1958-1968
Box 1 Folder 19 1958-1968
Box 1 Folder 20 1965-1968
Box 1 Folder 21 1958-1960
Box 1 Folder 22 1958-1962
Box 1 Folder 23 1958-1961
Box 1 Folder 24 1943-1963
Box 1 Folder 25 1943-1963
Box 1 Folder 26 1943-1963
Box 1 Folder 27 1969-1972
Box 1 Folder 28 1969-1972
Box 1 Folder 29 1961-1969
Box 1 Folder 30 1958-1968
Box 1 Folder 31 1958-1968
Box 1 Folder 32 1962-1968
Box 1 Folder 33 1969
Box 1 Folder 34 1963-1968
Box 1 Folder 35 1958-1963
Box 1 Folder 36 1962
Box 1 Folder 37 1958-1959
Box 1 Folder 38 1958-1960
Box 2 Folder 1 1959-1963
Box 2 Folder 2 1943-1968
Box 2 Folder 3 1943-1968
Box 2 Folder 4 1959-1968
Box 2 Folder 5 1941-1959
Box 2 Folder 6 1940-1947
Box 2 Folder 7 1962-1966
Box 2 Folder 8 1960-1968
Box 2 Folder 9 1959-1960
Box 2 Folder 10 1961-1969
Box 2 Folder 11 1958-1963
Box 2 Folder 12 1964-1966
Box 2 Folder 13 1964-1968
Box 2 Folder 14 1958-1963
Box 2 Folder 15 1964-1966
Box 2 Folder 16 1959-1963
Box 2 Folder 17 1967-1972
Box 2 Folder 18 1967-1972
Box 2 Folder 19 1967-1972
Box 2 Folder 20 1966-1972
Box 2 Folder 21 1970-1972
Box 2 Folder 22 1964-1972
Box 2 Folder 23 1964-1972
Box 3 Folder 1 1945
Box 3 Folder 2 1942
Box 3 Folder 3 1961-1969
Box 3 Folder 4 1964-1970
Box 3 Folder 5 1964-1970
Box 3 Folder 6 1964-1970
Box 3 Folder 7 1958-1968
Box 3 Folder 8 1955-1958
Box 3 Folder 9 1971
Box 3 Folder 10 1971-1972
Box 3 Folder 11 1970-1971
Box 3 Folder 12 1956-1965
Box 3 Folder 13 1962-1964
Box 3 Folder 14 1954-1970
Box 3 Folder 15 1954-1970
Box 3 Folder 16 1957-1960
Box 3 Folder 17 1963-1970
Box 3 Folder 18 1963-1970
Box 3 Folder 19 1963-1970
Box 3 Folder 20 1963-1968
Box 3 Folder 21 1963-1968
Box 3 Folder 22 1969-1971
Box 3 Folder 23 1972
Box 3 Folder 24 1959
Box 3 Folder 25 1953-1967
Box 3 Folder 26 1953-1967
Box 3 Folder 27 1960-1970
Box 4 Folder 1 1953-1959
Box 4 Folder 2 1965-1970
Box 4 Folder 3 1967-1968
Box 4 Folder 4 1961
Box 4 Folder 5 1959-1968
Box 4 Folder 6 1959-1968
Box 4 Folder 7 1951-1970
Box 4 Folder 8 1951-1970
Box 4 Folder 9 1963-1969
Box 4 Folder 10 1963-1969
Box 4 Folder 11 1958
Box 4 Folder 12 1968-1970
Box 4 Folder 13 1960-1963
Box 4 Folder 14 1959-1960
Box 4 Folder 15 1963-1966
Box 4 Folder 16 1963-1966
Box 4 Folder 17 1961
Box 4 Folder 18 1958-1965
Box 4 Folder 19 1965