On this day in Labor History the year was 1900.
That was the day that the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union was formed.
Eleven delegates attended the founding meeting.
They represented the major garment making cities of the east coast.
Most of the membership of these unions were Jewish immigrant women.
Many were socialists or had been involved with trade unions in their home countries before making their move to the United States.
They brought this union culture with them to the garment industry.
Herman Grossman was elected the first president of the union.
Men held all of the leadership positions of the ILGWU during its early years.
This opened the union to criticism that the leadership did not represent the membership.
Despite this criticism, the union grew quickly.
Only four locals joined the ILGWU at that first meeting.
But soon locals were chartered beyond the east coast, in cities such as Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago and San Francisco.
From its inception the ILGWU became a leading advocate for what is known as “social unionism.”
This type of unionism looks beyond work place issues, to a broader agenda of social welfare.
This included holding labor history classes, English language classes, and performance art.
In 1913, the union opened a health care center for its members in New York City.
The ILGWU became an important progressive force in the labor movement.
In 1975 they launched the “Look for the Union Label” ad campaign, including this commercial from 1981:
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As more and more garment work moved out of the United States, membership fell.
In 1995 the ILGWU joined with Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union to form UNITE.
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Labor History in 2:00 brought to you by the Illinois Labor History Society and The Rick Smith Show