Newman, Pauline M. Autobiography., 1969-1969
Collection Number: 6036/008
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Cornell University Library
DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY
Title:
Newman, Pauline M. Autobiography, 1969-1969
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Collection Number:
6036/008
Abstract:
The collection consists of a manuscript of Pauline Newman's autobiography.
Creator:
Newman, Pauline M.
Quanitities:
1 folders
Language:
Collection material in English
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).
Pauline Newman was born in Lithuania around 1890 and came to the United States in
1901 with her mother and sisters after the death of her father. Shortly after her
arrival, she went to work to help support her family. After working in various factories,
Newman became employed at the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. factory. Newman was involved
in the 1909 Shirtwaist Makers' Strike and following the strike, became the first woman
organizer for the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, traveling through
the Midwest and Northeast. By the time of the 1911 Triangle Fire, she was no longer
employed at the factory, but many of her former coworkers perished in the fire and
Newman marked the anniversary of the tragedy every year. In 1914, she served on the
Joint Board of Sanitary Control in New York City, which was a combined trade union
and manufacturers' unit designed to establish standards for maintaining sanitary conditions
in the shops. From 1918 to her retirement, Newman was the director of education for
the Union Health Center. As health educator, she arranged for lectures and programs,
created an innovative preventive health care program, and served as a liaison between
the medical staff and the local unions. Newman often spoke on behalf of workers' health
care before city, state and federal government panels.
Additionally, Newman was a member and officer of numerous labor and civic organizations,
including the Women's Trade Union League, United Nations Commission on the Status
of Women, the advisory committee of the U.S. Department of Labor's Women's Bureau,
the New York State Commission on enforcing equal pay law, and the New York State Department
of Labor's Minimum Wage Board. She died in 1986 at the age of 96.
The collection consists of Pauline Newman's autobiography in the form of a letter
addressed to Michael and Hugh in which she recounts stories and details of her life
while she is on board a ship heading to Switzerland to attend a meeting of the International
Labor Organization. In her recollections, Newman begins with her childhood and village
life in Lithuania and discusses immigrating to the U.S. after the death of her father
in 1901. She vividly details the difficult trip across the Atlantic and the conditions
for new immigrants upon arrival in New York. Newman writes about her early employment
experiences in various factories before ultimately finding work in the garment industry.
Of particular interest are the passages in which she describes her employment at the
Triangle Shirtwaist Company, including the inhuman working conditions in the factory,
the long hours, and the little pay. Newman also spends time discussing her activities
outside the ILGWU, including her involvement in the Socialist Party and the Socialist
Literary Society. She provides a first-hand account of the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike
of 1909 and her subsequent work with the ILGWU, including her organizing trips and
assignments across the country.
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
Newman, Pauline M. Autobiography. #6036/008. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation
and Archives, Cornell University Library.
Names:
Newman, Pauline.
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union
UNITE HERE (Organization)
Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees
CONTAINER LIST
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Container
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Description
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Date
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| Box 1 | Folder 1 |
Letters to Michael and Hugh from P.M. Newman
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