ILGWU. Research Department records

Collection Number: 5780/123

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

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY

Title:
ILGWU. Research Department records, 1907-1980
Collection Number:
5780/123
Creator:
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union
Quantity:
11 linear ft.
Forms of Material:
Articles, reprints, pamphlets, correspondence, photographs.
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library
Abstract:
This collection contains records of the National Coat and Suit Industry Board (statements of receipts and disbursements, label division reports, meetings minutes, bulletins to members, and other reports and resolutions), as well as some legal files.
Language:
Collection material in English

ILGWU ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY

Founded in 1900 by local union delegates representing about 2,000 members in cities in the northeastern United States, the ILGWU grew in geographical scope, membership size, 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. In 1995, the ILGWU merged with the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU) to form the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE).
RESEARCH DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY

Formed in 1937, the Research Department of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) supported the administrative operations of the Union and coordinated the ILGWU's investigative operations. It provided union leaders with information on wages, working conditions, economic conditions, and other matters in the women's garment industry; analyzed information for the union; and monitored developments in the industry.
In addition to providing research for union leadership, Research Department staff prepared materials for Congressional testimony, presented cases on behalf of local unions to the War Labor Board, and worked to administer the Fair Labor Standards Act. At times, the director of the Research Department represented the ILGWU in national forums.
The Department also maintained an extensive library, collecting and housing documents from Union administrative staff that were deemed substantive and of lasting value to the Union, whether produced internally or externally. The information gathered by the Department was of particular value during labor disputes and contract negotiations.
Lazare Teper was the founding director of the ILGWU's Research Department, working in that position from 1937 to 1980. Born in Russia sometime between 1906 and 1908, Teper later studied at the University of Paris and earned his doctorate at Johns Hopkins University. He died in New York City in 1985.
COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

The Research Department records reflect the department's varied functions, documenting its role in gathering and analyzing information for international and local union leadership, representing the union before government and labor organizations, and gathering materials of research, and oftentimes historical, value. Some segments of the records focus on one aspect of the department's work, and others include documentation across the department's functions.
Research Department director Lazare Teper's papers, for example, include files relating to the Wage Stabilization Board (5780/105). The department also maintained records focused on the National Coat and Suit Industry Board (statements of receipts and disbursements, label division reports, meetings minutes, bulletins to members, and other reports and resolutions), as well as some related legal files (5780/123). Also among the documents collected by the Research Department are the New York Coat and Suit Industry Reports between 1934 and 1960. (5780/168)
Parts of the Research Department records consist primarily of collected documents from ILGWU affiliates. In this way, they resemble and, in some instances, complement the parts of the Archives Department Records (5780/121, 5780/121 PUBS), records generated by local unions (Series III), and the general collection of ILGWU publications (5780 PUBS). Research Department records of this kind contain records of predecessor unions to the ILGWU and ILGWU local union records (5780/045), or the annual report, "Conditions in the Women's Clothing Industry" (5780/078).
Other parts of the Research Department records document all of the department's functions. These records include financial and administrative reports, meeting minutes, and correspondence (5780/056, 5780/209), collected printed material (5780/168), and ILGWU statements on issues related to the garment industry (5780/209).
This collection of the Research Department primarily consists of the records of the National Coat and Suit Industry Board including statement of receipts, cessation of operations, label division reports, label sales history, by-laws, meeting minutes, committee minutes reports, reports and resolutions, bulletins sent to members, daily label sales, and miscellaneous reports.
SUBJECTS

Names:
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union.
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. Research Dept.

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

Form and Genre Terms:
Records.

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. Research Department records #5780/123. Kheel Center for Labor- Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.
RELATED MATERIALS

Related Collections:
5780: ILGWU records
5780/045: ILGWU. Research Department records
5780/056: ILGWU. Research Department collected documents
5780/078: ILGWU. Research Department reports
5780/105: ILGWU. Research Department records
5780/168: ILGWU. Research Department records
5780/209: ILGWU. Research Department records
CONTAINER LIST

Container
Description
Date
Box 1 Folder 1 1936
Box 1 Folder 2 1937
Box 1 Folder 3 1938
Box 1 Folder 4 1939
Box 1 Folder 5 1940
Box 1 Folder 6 1941
Box 1 Folder 7 1942
Box 1 Folder 8 1943
Box 1 Folder 9 1944
Box 1 Folder 10 1945
Box 1 Folder 11 1946
Box 1 Folder 12 1947
Box 1 Folder 13 1948
Box 1 Folder 14 1949
Box 1 Folder 15 1950
Box 1 Folder 16 1951
Box 1 Folder 17 1952
Box 1 Folder 18 1953
Box 1 Folder 19 1954
Box 1 Folder 20 1955
Box 1 Folder 21 1956
Box 1 Folder 22 1957
Box 1 Folder 23 1958
Box 1 Folder 24 1959
Box 1 Folder 25 1960
Box 1 Folder 26 1961
Box 1 Folder 27 1962
Box 1 Folder 28 1963
Box 1 Folder 29 1964
Box 1 Folder 30 1965
Box 2 Folder 1 1966
Box 2 Folder 2 1967
Box 2 Folder 3 1968
Box 2 Folder 4 1969
Box 2 Folder 5 1970
Box 2 Folder 6 1971
Box 2 Folder 7 1972
Box 2 Folder 8 1941-1959
Box 2 Folder 9 1960
Box 2 Folder 10 1961
Box 2 Folder 11 1962
Box 2 Folder 12 1963
Box 2 Folder 13 1964
Box 2 Folder 14 1965
Box 2 Folder 15 1966
Box 2 Folder 16 1967
Box 2 Folder 17 1968
Box 2 Folder 18 1969
Box 2 Folder 19 1970
Box 2 Folder 20 1971
Box 2 Folder 21 1972
Box 2 Folder 22 1936-1966
Box 2 Folder 23 1974
Box 2 Folder 24 1974
Box 2 Folder 25 1974
Box 2 Folder 26 1974
Box 2 Folder 27 1974
Box 2 Folder 28 1974
Box 2 Folder 29 1974
Box 2 Folder 30 1974
Box 2 Folder 31 1974
Box 2 Folder 32 1974
Box 2 Folder 33 1974
Box 2 Folder 34 1974
Box 2 Folder 35 1974
Box 2 Folder 36 1974
Box 2 Folder 37 1974
Box 2 Folder 38 1974
Box 2 Folder 39 1974
Box 2 Folder 40 1974
Box 2 Folder 41 1974
Box 2 Folder 42 1974
Box 2 Folder 43 1974
Box 2 Folder 44 1974
Box 2 Folder 45 1974
Box 2 Folder 46 1974
Box 2 Folder 47 1974
Box 2 Folder 48 1974
Box 2 Folder 49 1974
Box 2 Folder 50 1974
Box 2 Folder 51 1974
Box 2 Folder 52 1974
Box 2 Folder 53 1974
Box 3 Folder 1 1974
Box 3 Folder 2 1974
Box 3 Folder 3 1974
Box 3 Folder 4 1974
Box 3 Folder 5 1974
Box 3 Folder 6 1974
Box 3 Folder 7 1974
Box 3 Folder 8 1974
Box 3 Folder 9 1970-1971
Box 3 Folder 10 1970-1972
Box 3 Folder 11 1970-1971
Box 3 Folder 12 1970-1971
Box 3 Folder 13 1970-1972
Box 3 Folder 14 1970-1972
Box 3 Folder 15 1970-1971
Box 3 Folder 16 1970-1971
Box 3 Folder 17 1970
Box 3 Folder 18 1970
Box 3 Folder 19 1970-1971
Box 3 Folder 20 1970
Box 3 Folder 21 1970
Box 3 Folder 22 1970-1971
Box 3 Folder 23 1970
Box 3 Folder 24 1971
Box 3 Folder 25 1970-1972
Box 3 Folder 26 1970
Box 3 Folder 27 1970
Box 3 Folder 28 1970
Box 3 Folder 29 1970
Box 3 Folder 30 1970
Box 3 Folder 31 1970
Box 3 Folder 32 1970
Box 3 Folder 33 1970
Box 3 Folder 34 1970
Box 3 Folder 35 1970
Box 3 Folder 36 1970
Box 3 Folder 37 1970-1971
Box 3 Folder 38 1970-1971
Box 3 Folder 39 1970-1972
Box 3 Folder 40 1970-1971
Box 3 Folder 41 1971
Box 3 Folder 42 1970-1971
Box 3 Folder 43 1970
Box 3 Folder 44 1970
Box 3 Folder 45 1970
Box 3 Folder 46 1970
Box 3 Folder 47 1970
Box 3 Folder 48 1970-1972
Box 3 Folder 49 1970
Box 3 Folder 50 1970-1972
Box 3 Folder 51 1972
Box 3 Folder 52 1970-1972
Box 3 Folder 53 1970-1971
Box 3 Folder 54 1972
Box 3 Folder 55 1970-1972
Box 3 Folder 56 1970-1972
Box 3 Folder 57 1970-1971
Box 3 Folder 58 1971-1972
Box 3 Folder 59 1970-1971
Box 3 Folder 60 1970
Box 3 Folder 61 1970
Box 3 Folder 62 1970-1971
Box 3 Folder 63 1970
Box 3 Folder 64 1970
Box 4 Folder 1 1980
January 21
Box 4 Folder 2 1975
Box 4 Folder 3 1960
Box 4 Folder 4 1951
2 copies
Box 4 Folder 5 1951
Box 4 Folder 6 1960
Box 4 Folder 7 1936
Box 4 Folder 8 1937-1938
Box 4 Folder 9 1939-1940
Box 4 Folder 10 1941-1945
Box 4 Folder 11 1946-19650
Box 4 Folder 12 1951-1955
Box 4 Folder 13 1956-1960
Box 4 Folder 14 1961-1965
Box 4 Folder 15 1966-1969
Box 4 Folder 16 1935-1941
Box 4 Folder 17 1942-1953
Box 4 Folder 18 1936-1959
Box 4 Folder 19 1936-1959
Box 5 Folder 1 1939-1959
Box 5 Folder 2 1939-1959
Box 5 Folder 3 1942
2 copies
Box 5 Folder 4 1956
Box 5 Folder 5 1935-1936
July 25-26, 1935 and January 9, 1936
Box 5 Folder 6 1936
June 16-17
Box 5 Folder 7 1937
January 12-13
Box 5 Folder 8 1937
August 30-31
Box 5 Folder 9 1938
January 24-26
Box 5 Folder 10 1938
June 14-16
Box 5 Folder 11 1939
May 16-18
Box 5 Folder 12 1940
December 10-13
Box 5 Folder 13 1941
May 12-14
Box 5 Folder 14 1943
December 8-10
Box 5 Folder 15 1944
May 9-11
Box 5 Folder 16 1945
May 21-23
Box 5 Folder 17 1946
May 13-15
Box 5 Folder 18 1947
January 6-8
Box 5 Folder 19 1947
December 15-17
Box 6 Folder 1 1949
January 4-6
Box 6 Folder 2 1950-1951
January 3-5, 1950 and January 2-4, 1951
Box 6 Folder 3 1952
January 21-23
Box 6 Folder 4 1953
January 19-21
Box 6 Folder 5 1954
January 18-20
Box 6 Folder 6 1955
January 24-26
Box 6 Folder 7 1957
January 21-23
Box 6 Folder 8 1958
January 27-29
Box 6 Folder 9 1959
February 2-4
Box 6 Folder 10 1960
February 1-3
Box 6 Folder 11 1961
May 8-10
Box 6 Folder 12 1963
February 27-28 and March 1
Box 6 Folder 13 1966
February 28 and March 1-2
Box 6 Folder 14 1967
December 4-6
Box 6 Folder 15 1970
February 2-4
Box 7 Folder 1 1942-1959
Box 7 Folder 2 1950
Box 7 Folder 3 1951
Box 7 Folder 4 1952
Box 7 Folder 5 1953
Box 7 Folder 6 1954
Box 7 Folder 7 1955
Box 7 Folder 8 1956
2 copies
Box 7 Folder 9 1957
Box 7 Folder 10 1958
Box 7 Folder 11 1959
Box 7 Folder 12 1960
Box 7 Folder 13 1961
2 copies
Box 7 Folder 14 1936-1937
June 1936 - January 1937
Box 7 Folder 15 1937
January 1937 - April 1937
Box 7 Folder 16 1937
April 1937 - August 1937
Box 7 Folder 17 1937-1938
August 1937 - December 1938
Box 8 Folder 1 1939-1941
Box 8 Folder 2 1942
Box 8 Folder 3 1943-1944
Box 8 Folder 4 1945
Box 8 Folder 5 1946-1947
Box 8 Folder 6 1939-1941
Box 8 Folder 7 1942-1945
Box 8 Folder 8 1940
Box 8 Folder 9 1941
Box 8 Folder 10 1942
Box 8 Folder 11 1943-1944
Box 8 Folder 12 1945-1946
Box 9 Folder 1 1947-1948
Box 9 Folder 2 1949-1950
Box 9 Folder 3 1951-1952
Box 9 Folder 4 1953-1954
Box 9 Folder 5 1958-1959
Box 9 Folder 6 1960-1961
Box 9 Folder 7 1937
Box 9 Folder 8 1947-1950
Box 9 Folder 9 1947-1950
Box 9 Folder 10 1948-1950
Box 10 Folder 1 1951-1953
Box 10 Folder 2 1963-1967
Box 10 Folder 3 1907-1912
Box 10 Folder 4 1913
Box 10 Folder 5 1913
Box 10 Folder 6 1915-1916
Box 10 Folder 7 1917
Box 10 Folder 8 1917
Box 10 Folder 9 1917
Box 10 Folder 10 1917
Box 10 Folder 11 1917
Box 10 Folder 12 1918-1920
Box 10 Folder 13 1921
Box 11 Folder 1 1921
Box 11 Folder 2 1922
Box 11 Folder 3 1922
Box 11 Folder 4 1924
Box 11 Folder 5 1925
Box 11 Folder 6 1925
Box 11 Folder 7 1925
Box 11 Folder 8 1925
Box 11 Folder 9 1927
Box 11 Folder 10 1929-1931
Box 11 Folder 11 1945