Museum Collections

Circular white pin-back button, with red and blue text. On top: white on small Blue Square, 91. On bottom edge, in blue WE ARE ONE. In center, large red characters, with superimposed union label reading: INT. LADIES GARMENT WORKERS UNION. UNION MADE. Founded in 1900 The International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) organized to protect and promote the rights of workers in the growing women's garment industry. "91" represents the New York City chapter, Local 91, formed by a merger of the Local 41 and Local 50. In the years following World War II, as the number of unionized shops fell and the ethnicity of garment workers changed, efforts were made within the union to support and recruit immigrant garment workers of diverse backgrounds. In 1995 the ILGWU merged with the Amalgamated clothing workers union to form UNITE.