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Women's Trade Union League of New York Records

Call Number

WAG.112

Date

1903-1955, inclusive

Creator

Women's Trade Union League of New York
New York (State). Department of Labor (Role: Donor)

Extent

13.5 Linear Feet
10 record cartons, 3 photograph boxes, 3 manuscript boxes, and flat file folders.

Language of Materials

Materials are in English.

Abstract

This collection contains the records of the Women's Trade Union League of New York, from its founding in 1903 to its fold in 1955. The collection contains minutes, correspondence, reports, publications, photographs, and other materials related to its work in organizing women's trade unions and lobbying for legislation for better conditions for workers. The collection also includes papers from the presidencies of Maud Swartz and Rose Schneiderman and the papers of special interest groups that members worked for, including the New York Conference for Unemployment Insurance Legislation, the New York Joint Committee for Ratification of the Child Labor Amendment, and the Campaign Committee against the Equal Rights Amendment.

Historical/Biographical Note

The Women's Trade Union League of New York was one of the three original locals leagues established in the months following the formation of the National Women's Trade Union League (WTUL) in 1903. It was formally organized in February 1904. The WTUL of New York was founded by William English Walling and Mary Kenney O'Sullivan, who worked to recruit Margaret and Mary Dreier, Leonora O'Reilly, Pauline Newman, Clara Lemlich, Alice Bean, and Hilda Svenson, among others. The League served as a kind of training ground for the working women, many of whom had careers later in the labor movement and government service. From 1904 to 1914, the League formed several dozen small shop unions of women in various branches on the clothing industry and provided them with organizational and financial assistance until they could affiliate with the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union or the United Garment workers. The League also reached out and unionized other unorganized women workers throughout its first ten years.

By 1915, the League began to shift their focus away from organization and toward increasing emphasis upon legislation as a way to ameliorate women's working conditions. In the 1920s and 1930s, under the presidencies of Maud Swartz and Rose Schneiderman, they campaigned for for maximum hour and minimum wage laws, which were unsuccessful. Often,the local unions that they originally organized did not take over the financial burden of supporting the League, which led to a loss of resources and funds. By World War II, the League was severely restricted by lack of funds and membership. Gerel Rubien took over as president when Rose Schneiderman retired in 1949 and continued until 1955, five years after the national WTUL disbanded.

Adapted from Nancy Schrom Dye, "The Women's Trade Union League of New York," in The Women's Trade Union League and its Principal Members, ed. by Edward T. James (Woodridge, Connecticut, 1981) 179-208.

Arrangement

The collection has been arranged into seven series:

Series I: Minutes and Reports
Series II: Correspondence
Series III: Special Topics
Series IV: Printed and Duplicated Materials
Series V: Miscellaneous
Series VI: Card Catalogue
Series VII: Photographs and Other Nonprint Materials

On the whole, each series is arranged chronologically, with undated items at the end. Undated items and items of the same date are arranged by author.

Scope and Content Note

The records of the Women's Trade Union League (WTUL) of New York constitute one of the largest surviving collections of source material on the history of the WTUL. The material spans the entirety of the organizations existence, from 1903-1955. They are particularly valuable as providing the only extensive documentation of a local League. The collection contains meeting minutes, correspondence, annual reports, monthly bulletins, newspaper clippings, and other ephemera. The collection also includes papers from the presidencies of Maud Swartz and Rose Schneiderman and the papers of special interest groups that members worked for, including the New York Conference for Unemployment Insurance Legislation, the New York Joint Committee for Ratification of the Child Labor Amendment, and the Campaign Committee against the Equal Rights Amendment.

Since much of the New York League's effort focused on legislation, the records provide insights into the legislative goals and tactics of a social reform organization, during the 1920s and later. There is also a good deal in the collection about labor education, both the League's own evening classes and such ventures as Brookwood Labor College and the Bryn Mawr Summer School for Women Workers. There is also correspondence on broader social movements: labor participation in third parties, efforts to ratify the Child Labor Amendment, the campaign during the depression years for social security legislation, the sustained opposition of many women reformers and activists to the proposed Equal Rights Amendment because of its impact on protective legislation for women workers.

The collection is also a source of biographical and personal data. It contains little information about Mary Dreier, from whose presidency only a few stray letters remain, or about Leonora O'Reilly. It is a bit stronger on Pauline Newman, whose membership spalled almost the whole history of the League; occasional letters from her are scattered throughout the correspondence. The collection contains a significant amount of material from Schneiderman and Swartz, for the latter, it casts light on her relations with her predecessor as national president, Margaret Dreier Robins, and with the League's national secretary, Elisabeth Christman.

This collection also contains a card catalogue, photographs, and a banner.

Adapted from Nancy Schrom Dye, "The Women's Trade Union League of New York," in The Women's Trade Union League and its Principal Members, ed. by Edward T. James (Woodridge, Connecticut, 1981) 179-208.

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open without restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection, created by the Women's Trade Union League of New York was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date; Women's Trade Union League of New York; WAG 112; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by the New York State Department of Labor in Brooklyn, 1995. The accession numbers associated with this gift are 1995.015 and 1995.016.

Custodial History

This collection was transferred to the New York State Department of Labor in November 1956 from the New York offices. Tamiment Library and the Robert F. Wagner Archives received the Women's Trade Union League of New York Records in 1995 from the library of the New York State Department of Labor in Brooklyn when they closed and moved to Albany.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Due to the fragile nature of the original materials, researchers must use the microfilmed version for boxes 1-10. Microfilm call number is R-7099. Researchers are permitted access to boxes 11-15.

Published microfilm guide available in repository shelved in reference at HD6079.2.U5 P36 1981. The microfilm was created in 1981 as part of the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe College's Papers of the Women's Trade Union League and its Principal Leaders microfilm project.

Related Archival Materials

Tamiment Library holds the Rose Schneiderman Papers (TAM 018). Tamiment also holds microfilm copies of the the Margaret Dreier Robins Papers, Mary Anderson Papers, Leonora O'Reilly Papers, and the Agnes Nestor Papers, all under the call number R-7099.

Collection processed by

and described by Nancy Schrom Dye, Description adapted by Nicole Greenhouse in April 2013

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-02-06 14:06:36 -0500.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Description is written in: English, Latin script.

Processing Information

When the papers were first received by the Department of Labor, there appeared to exist some original order and arrangement, this arrangement had been disrupted prior to its arrival. Rose Schneiderman while working on her autobiography removed some material which likely remained with her papers. The collection was further arranged in 1977 to prepare for microfilm.

In 2013, description from the microfilm guide was used to create a DACS compliant record. Photographs were separated from this collection during initial accessioning at Tamiment and were established as a separate collection, the Women's Trade Union League of New York Photographs (PHOTOS 68). In 2013, the photograph collection was reincorporated into Women's Trade Union League of New York Records.

Revisions to this Guide

November 2020: Record updated by Weatherly Stephan to reflect rehousing of folders in box 7

Repository

Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012