Clothing Unions Merge, Look Ahead

Tue., Feb. 21, 1995

Compiled From Wire Services

Two clothing workers unions that were among the most powerful political and social forces in American labor announced Monday they have agreed to merge.

Each of the unions - the International Ladies Garment Workers’ Union and the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union - has seen its membership shrink to half its peak size or less as the “needle trades” moved offshore in search of cheap labor.

But the combined union, with 355,000 members, is expected to retain significant clout, particularly in the New York area and the Southeast.

It will be called UNITE, the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees.

The agreement was announced by the unions’ presidents, Jack Sheinkman of the Amalgamated and Jay Mazur of the International, at a news conference in Bal Harbour, Fla., where the AFL-CIO Executive Council is meeting.

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Clothing Unions Merge, Look Ahead

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

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