ILGWU Communications Department Records
Collection Number: 5780/176
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library
Title:
ILGWU Communications Department
Records, 1936-2001
Collection Number:
5780/176
Creator:
International Ladies' Garment
Workers' Union (ILGWU)
Quantity:
3 linear ft.
Forms of Material:
Files, records (documents).
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and
Archives, Cornell University Library
Abstract:
Consists of alphabetical subject files maintained by the
Communications Department.
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.
The precursor to the ILGWU's Communications Department was the Publications and
Publicity Department. Though the name and scope of the department changed over time,
its primary function stayed the same throughout the history of the ILGWU. The
department was responsible for the publication of the ILGWU's official publication
Justice, as well as the official editions in Yiddish (Gerechtigkeit), Italian
(Giustizia), and Spanish (Justicia), and it was also responsible for cooperating
with journalists outside of the union on pieces about the ILGWU. Beyond coordinating
such efforts of journalists, the Communications Department provided information
about the union to other labor organizations, students, and teachers.
The records of the Communications Department consist entirely of subject and
biographical files, with related photographs. Taken together, these records document
ILGWU events, organizations, and leaders, as well as political figures and other
prominent labor unionists.
The Communications Department's alphabetical subject files (5780/176) contain
clippings from publications that appear to be produced through the Communications
Department or with its cooperation. The clippings in this collection provide
concise, published accounts of events and affiliates of the ILGWU, as well as of
issues of special interest to the union. The related photograph collection (5780/176
P) includes a variety of images documenting the work of the union, arranged in two
series: Events and Organizations, and Personalities. These photographs include large
groups of people at meetings, protests, and other events, and ILGWU members, staff,
and leaders at work.
The Communications Department's biographical files (5780/177) are of interest not
only because they provide sometimes difficult-to-find, basic information on ILGWU
members and officers, but because that information was provided by the individuals
themselves, on forms provided by the union and designed to be returned to the office
when completed. These biographical forms appear to have begun as a project of the
editors of Justice, and the information contained includes date and place of birth,
when the subject arrived in the United States, positions held in the ILGWU or other
unions, and outside activities and interests. The related photograph collection
(5780/177 P) includes portraits of some of the individuals represented in the
biographical files, as well as photographs of events and miscellaneous
photographs.
Names:
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union.
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union.
Communications Dept.
Subjects:
Women's clothing industry--New York (State)--New
York
Women's clothing industry--United States.
Clothing workers--Labor unions--New York (State)-
-New York
Clothing workers--Labor unions--United States.
Clothing workers--New York (State)--New York
Clothing workers--United States.
Textile workers--New York (State)--New York
Textile workers--United States.
Industrial relations--New York (State)
Industrial relations--United States.
Form and Genre Terms:
Files.
Records (documents)
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 Communications Department Records #5780/176. Kheel Center for
Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.
|
Container
|
Description
|
Date
|
|
| Box 1 | Folder 1 | 1987-1993 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 2 | 1993 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 3 | 1991-1992 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 4 | 1992-1993 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 5 | 1981-1991 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 6 | 1986-1994 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 7 | 1988-1993 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 8 | 1992-1994 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 9 | 1990-1993 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 10 | 1993 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 11 | 1992 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 12 | 1986-1993 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 13 | 1988 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 14 | 1988-1991 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 15 | 1994 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 16 | 1990-1991 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 17 | 1992 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 18 | 1994 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 19 | 1986-1991 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 20 | 1993-1994 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 21 | 1987-1994 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 22 | 1990 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 23 | 1988 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 24 | 1994-1995 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 25 | 1989-1995 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 26 | 1987 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 27 | 1987-1994 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 28 | 1990-1992 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 29 | 1986-1994 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 30 | 1988 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 31 | 1988-1995 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 32 | 1986-1987 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 33 | 1991-1994 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 34 | 1992-1995 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 35 | 1986-1993 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 36 | 1987-1994 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 37 | 1986-1990 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 38 | 1986-1993 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 39 | 1993-1994 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 40 | 1990-1994 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 41 | 1989-1994 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 42 | 1987-1995 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 43 | 1990-1994 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 44 | 1986-1990 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 45 | 1989-1993 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 46 | 1986-1995 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 47 | 1986-1995 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 48 | 1986-1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 1 | 1987-1994 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 2 | 1986-1989 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 3 | 1994 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 4 | 1986-1993 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 5 | 1991-1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 6 | 1987-1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 7 | 1987-1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 8 | 1986-1988 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 9 | 1991 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 10 | 1986-1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 11 | 1986-1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 12 | 1986-1994 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 13 | 1986-1989 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 14 | 1986-1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 15 | 1986-1994 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 16 | 1986-1994 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 17 | 1986-1994 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 18 | 1986-1994 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 19 | 1986-1990 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 20 | 1989-1994 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 21 | 1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 22 | 1987-1991 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 23 | 1990-1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 24 | 1988-1994 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 25 | 1986-1992 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 26 | 1990-1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 27 | 1986-1994 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 28 | 1986-1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 29 | 1987-1993 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 30 | 1986-1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 31 | 1986-1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 32 | 1986-1994 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 33 | 1987 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 34 | 1986-1988 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 35 | 1986-1993 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 36 | 1987-1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 37 | 1986-1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 38 | 1986-1994 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 39 | 1986-1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 40 | 1986-1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 41 | 1987-1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 42 | 1986-1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 43 | 1986-1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 44 | 1986-1995 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 45 | 1987-1995 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 1 | 1987-1988 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 2 | 1993-1995 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 3 | 1992 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 4 | 1991-1995 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 5 | 1990 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 6 | 1988 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 7 | 1989 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 8 | 1987 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 9 | 1986 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 10 | 1986-1994 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 11 | 1989-1995 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 12 | 1991 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 13 | 1986-1993 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 14 | 1985-1986 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 15 | 1986-1995 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 16 | 1986-1994 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 17 | 1986-1995 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 18 | 1986-1995 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 19 | 1987-1994 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 20 | 1987-1994 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 21 | 1986-1989 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 22 | 1989-1995 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 23 | 1989-1993 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 24 | 1986-1992 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 25 | 1965-1975 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 26 | 1936-1992 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 27 | 1936-2001 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 28 | 1966 | |
| Box 3 | Folder 29 | 1986-1990 | |