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The Jewish Unions in America: Pages of History and Memories

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Contents

Abbreviations	1
Introduction Maurice Wolfthal	3
The Jewish Unions in America: Pages of History and Memories Bernard Weinstein	13
The First Jewish Immigrants in the United States	13
How the Jewish Immigrants of the 1880s Earned a Living	21
The First Jewish Workers in the American Trade Unions	34
The First “Radicals” Among the Jewish Immigrants of the 1880s and the Beginning of the Jewish Labor Movement in America	47
The Strange Case of Comrade Wolf	64
Hymie “the American”	66
The First Jewish Theater Choristers’ Union	69
The Jewish Actors’ Union	71
The Yiddish Varieties	74
The Jewish Typesetters’ Union	76
The Founding of the United Hebrew Trades of New York	80
How We Organized Strikes	84
The Panic of 1893 and the First Splits Within the Jewish Labor Movement	93
The Schism in the Socialist Labor Party	100
The First Years of the Jewish Labor Movement in Philadelphia	110
The Beginning of the Jewish Labor Movement in Chicago	114
The Unions of the Cap and Millinery Trade	116
The Millinery Trade and the Union	131
The History of the Tailors in the Men’s Clothing Industry	134
The Struggle of the Tailors’ Union Against the Plague of the “Open Shops”	145
The Custom Tailors’ Union	145
The Story of the Knee-Pants Makers’ Union	147
The Union of the Children’s Jacket Makers	152
The Union of the Basted Children’s Jacket Pressers	154
The Union of the Unbasted Children’s Jacket Makers	156
The Pants Makers’ Union of New York	157
The Vest Makers’ Union in New York	159
The Shirt Makers’ Union	161
The Great Garment Workers’ Strike of 1913 in New York	164
How the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America Was Founded	173
The Women’s Garment Unions in America	178
The Jamaica Incident and Other Trials	187
The Cloak Makers’ Unions in Other Cities	192
The First Jewish Unions of Waist Makers, Wrapper Makers, Buttonhole Makers, Embroidery Workers, and Other Ladies’ Garment Workers	193
The Birth of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union	195
The Strike of 300 Skirt Makers Against the Firm of John Bonwit in 1905	198
The Industrial Workers of the World Also Founds a Cloak Makers’ Union	201
The Reefer Makers’ Strike of 1907	202
The Historic General Strike of the 18,000 Waist Makers in 1909	204
The Great Cloak Makers’ Strike of 1910 and the Founding of the Largest Jewish Union	210
The First Years After the Strike	215
The General Strike of the Cleveland Cloak Makers in 1911	218
The Triangle Fire	220
The Protocol of the New York Ladies’ Waist and Dress Makers’ Union of 1913	221
The General Strike of the Wrapper, Kimono, and Housedress Makers and the White Goods Workers of 1913	222
The Hourwich Affair and the First Civil War in the Cloak Makers’ Union	225
The Organizing Work of the ILGWU in Other Cities from 1915 to 1919	229
The Breaking of the Protocol and the Strikes of 1916, 1919, and 1921	230
The General Strike of the Dress Makers in 1923	233
The Ladies’ Tailors’ Union of New York	235
The Raincoat Workers’ Union	235
The Struggle with the Communists in the Joint Action Committee	236
The General Strike of 1926 and the Expulsion of the Communists	238
The Rebirth of the Cloak Makers’ Union	243
The Jewish Bakers’ Unions	244
The 1927 Bakers’ Strike Against Two Big Firms, Pechter and Messing	250
The Jewish Bakers’ Unions in Other Cities	252
The Furriers’ Union	253
The Founding of the International Fur Workers’ Union	259
The Union of Jewish Painters	265
The Pocketbook Makers’ Union	267
The Suitcase Workers’ Union	272
The Trunk Makers’ Union	273
The Neckwear Makers’ Union	274
The Union of Cleaners and Dyers	279
The Union of Mattress and Bed Spring Makers	282
The Seltzer Workers’ Union of New York	283
The Union of Clerks and Retail Dress-Goods Stores	284
The Union of Grocery Clerks	285
The Union of Jewish Waiters	286
The Union of Paper Box Makers	288
The Union of Jewish Barbers	290
The Union of Jewish Shoemakers	292
The Union of Jewish Tin Workers	295
The Union of Jewelry Workers	296
The Union of Butcher Workers	297
The Union of Jewish Newspaper Writers in New York	299
The Union of Jewish Bookbinders	301
The Jewish Laundry Workers (The Steam Laundry Workers’ Union)	302
The Union of Wet-Wash Laundry Drivers	303
The Pressers of Old Shirts in Hand Laundries	304
The Union of Jewish Inside Iron Workers	305
The Union of Jewish Furniture Drivers	306
The Union of Workers with Live and Kosher-Slaughter Fowl	307
The Little Unions	308
The Disappeared Unions	308
The New Generation of Jewish Workers in America	309
The Jewish Carpenters and Wood Workers	310
Jewish Plumbers	312
Jewish Moving Picture Operators	312
Jewish Bricklayers, Masons, and Plasterers	312
Jewish Metal Workers and Machinists	313
Jewish Workers in Radio and Aviation	313
Jewish Drivers of Cars and Taxis	313
Conclusion	314
Index	317