Smart Thrifters Still "Look for the Union Label"

SOURCE

 I haven't really felt like posting lately. There is so much going on in the world right now: uprisings in the Middle East, unions fighting for their right to bargain collectively in the Midwest, the battle over the federal budget *sigh*. It makes posting pictures of what I'm wearing seem a little, I don't know, pointless?

 I have pretty strong opinions about what's happening, but this is a personal style/thrifting blog, and I'm no expert on politics. I don't want to argue the issues, or try to persuade my readers one way or the other. Instead, I want post about something vintage hounds (regardless of their political leanings) LOVE to find, and that's clothing bearing the the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) label.






First, a little history (If you just want info on dating vintage clothing with  the union label, scroll to the end of the post)

The ILGWU was founded about a century ago as a reaction to the long hours and awful conditions that workers  had to endure in the New City's garment industry. The members, mostly young women, used strikes and protests to secure decent wages, safe working conditions,  and rudementary health care (which was an almost unheard of employment benefit at the time). Members of the ILGWU were also pioneers in the fight for equal rights for women.

 In 1910  Miriam Finn Scott wrote this in "The Outlook" a weekly New York paper:

        "...from early morning till late at night, in rain or snow or sleet, in the district west of Fifth Avenue and south of Twenty-third Street, in New York... hundreds of thin, pale faced, ill-clad girls marching like sentinels up and down the sidewalk .... And every day, had you watched, you could have seen scores of these half-starved girls beaten up by thugs and policemen, arrested...The contest was a bitter one; the odds seemed all against the girls. But, despite the menace and brutality of the police, despite cold and hunger, you would not have seen the number of these young sentinels decrease....for a hundred days this desperate marching to and fro went on unbroken." http://web.gc.cuny.edu/ashp/heaven/ftext6.html

bodies of  women who jumped from the windows of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory SOURCE

Early protests such as the one described above won some concessions from employers. But unsafe conditions in the garment  industry continued. In 1911, 146 people (again, mostly young women) died in a fire in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory. The workers were trapped inside the burning building with no way out. The doors had been locked from the outside to prevent the workers from stealing or leaving their shift early. Some of the victims jumped to their death from  8, 9 and 10 story widows in an attempt to escape the flames and smoke.








In the aftermath of the fire, the public was outraged.  Fuled by their support, the ILGWU grew in numbers and power. They inspired  law makers and factory owners to draft safety regulations that American workers still benefit from today. 

In the coming decades, the ILGWU spread from New York to the west coast and became one of the largest and most powerful unions in the country.

SOURCE

From the late 1950s through the early 1980s the ILGWU ran a national advertising campaign to encourage people to buy American. They standardized labels to mark clothing as specifically made in the USA, coined the slogan "the job you save my be your own" and ran television ads featuring the "Look for the Union label" song. Despite the union's efforts, more and more American companies moved their factories overseas. Cheap imports began to replace US made garments and the union lost membership.  ILGWU was active until 1995 when it merged with the Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union to form UNITE!. But clothing carrying the label became increasingly rare after the 1980s. 

So if the ILGWU is pretty much defunct, why do thrifters still "look for the union label?" Well, when I find a piece of clothing with the iconic ILGWU label I get get really excited. I know i have my hands on a well made garment. Plus, I feel like I'm buying a piece of American history. Added bonus: I can tell roughly how old a union made item is just by looking at the label.


 For example:  the famous scalloped edge crest in front of a needle and thread was adopted in the 50s. An early version looked like this:

image by poprocksandsodapop SOURCE

Notice the large ILGWU initials in the background with afl cio in the foreground. This label was used from 1955 to 1963

SOURCE

This label, with "Union Made" in the background and the ILGWU initials in the foreground was used from 1964 to 1973

image by funkoma SOURCE

In 1974 the the red-white and blue label was introduced and remained until 1995.



See? Instead of just ranting about current events I composed a nice post with some useful information. I'll be back on track with some outfit posts soon. Like I said, I just wasn't feeling up to it.

xo
D



All label information an images from the following sources. (Check them out for more info on dating clothes by label)

http://vintagefashionguild.org/label-resource/ilgwu/

http://reviews.ebay.com/Clothing-Labels-Union-Labels-ILGWU-Labels_W0QQugidZ10000000003230636

Historical information for this post from the following sources:

http://www.laborarts.org/exhibits/ilgwu/index.cfm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Ladies'_Garment_Workers'_Union

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire

http://www.nps.gov/archive/elro/glossary/ilgwu.htm


http://web.gc.cuny.edu/ashp/heaven/ftext6.html



(None of the images on this page are my own. I have linked to the sources. If you own the rights to any of these images and you would like them removed, please contact me via the "contact" button in the left margin)