The ILGWU initially merged New
York City-based unions of skilled
male garment workers, mostly Jewish
immigrants of socialist
leaning. As the garment industry
flourished, the union attracted
increasing numbers of Jewish and
Italian female unskilled
operatives, mostly young and
unmarried.
The first decade of
the ILGWU's history were years of
struggle, as the union tried to
establish itself in an unstable industry
with rapid turnover and seasonal
unemployment.
The best source on the early
history of the ILGWU is Louis Levine's book,
The Women's Garment Workers (New
York, 1925).
The Kheel Center is the
official repository of its records
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