We have included a highly abbreviated history of some of the unions in the garment trade. There are names that have not been included, but we have tried to include the some of the larger organizations and provide dates and history, as well as some of the most notable organization names or events as additional ways to search for additional books, articles, and other resources. When appropriate, we have included a few individuals of note because searching on people is another way to research the union and its activities. This is particularly important when it comes to researching older and lesser known unions and events.

There are examples of union strikes and groups to illustrate the types of specific events to research independently.

• On May 26, 1824 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island factory women shut down Sam Slater’s textile mill but workers returned to work June 3.
• The United Tailoresses of New York who were founded in 1825, went on strike in 1831 for better wages.
• In 1910-1911, workers in Muscatine, Iowa button factories formed the Muscatine Button Workers Protective Union (BWPU) and were locked out by factory owners in response.
• The Lawrence Textile Strike (sometimes referred to as the Bread and Roses Strike) in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1912 was led by the led by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) over cuts in pay.

The garment industry was an industry where many of its workers were women. While they were represented by a number of unions that were specific to the trade, that wasn’t the only way women in the industry were represented. One of the earliest is the Lowell Female Labor Reform Association founded in 1845 and another notable organization that represented women was the Women's Trade Union League (WTUL) founded in 1903. It was organized to represent women workers—while it was not exclusively focused on representing those in the garment trade, it did represent women in that sector. It continued to operate until 1950 and is often associated with leaders like Leonora O'Reilly and Josephine Casey.

International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU)

The ILGWU, sometimes referred to as the Dressmakers Union, was founded in 1900 in New York City by Bessie Abramowitz Hillman. The union struggled particularly with regards to the communist faction and almost went bankrupt in the mid 1920s. In 1932, David Dubinsky became president and served until 1966. A number of factors including the move of factories overseas led to a decline in union membership. In 1995, ILGWU merged with the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union to form UNITE.

There were two particular strikes of note. One occurred in 1909 and was known as "the Uprising of 20,000" which lasted for thirteen weeks. The other occurred in 1910 and is referred to as the "The Great Revolt." Another notable event was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire on March 25, 1911 where 146 shirtwaist makers (most of them young immigrant women) either died in the fire or jumped to their deaths to escape the fire.

Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU)

ACTWU was founded in 1976, when the Textile Workers Union of America (TWUA) merged with the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA). In 1995, Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union merged with the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU), to form the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE). There are a number of unions whose history is intertwined with the ACTWU:

• American Federation of Hosiery Workers: The AFHW was founded 1913 as the American Federation of Full Fashioned Hosiery Workers within the United Textile Workers of America (UTWA) but became independent in 1915. In 1939, it merged into the new Textile Workers Union of America (TWUA) but split with them in 1951 and in 1976, it merged with the TWUA and the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, to form the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union.
• Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America: The ACWA was formed in 1914 and was led by Bessie Abramowitz Hillman (who was married to Sidney Hillman, another labor leader in the garment union). It continued until 1976 when it merged with TWUA.
• Textile Workers Union of America: The TWUA was formed in 1939 and continued until 1976 when it merged with ACWA.
• United Shoe Workers of America: In 1937, the United Shoe and Leather Workers' Union merged with the Shoe Workers' Protective Union. In 1979, it merged into the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union.
• United Hatters, Cap and Millinery Workers International Union: The UHCMW was established in 1934 through the merger of two New York-based unions: the United Hatters of North America (UHNA), founded in 1896, and the Cloth Hat, Cap, and Millinery Workers International Union (CHCMW), founded in 1901. By joining forces, these unions ended their competition and formed the United Hatters, Cap, and Millinery Workers International Union.

UNITE HERE!

The Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE) was created in 1995 when ILGWU merged with the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union. In 2004, UNITE announced that it would merge with the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union (HERE) to form UNITE HERE! This union represents workers in a number of different industries like hotels, airports, foodservice, gaming, Textile, Manufacturing & Distribution, and even some employees at AMTRAK. In 2009 the two unions broke apart and Workers United was formed.

Workers United

Workers United history is traced though members of several unions including International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU), Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union, Textile Workers Union of America, UNITE, UNITE HERE!. It is an affiliate of SEIU, represents more than 86,000 workers in U.S. and Canada in the apparel, textile, industrial laundry, food service, manufacturing, warehouse distribution, and non-profit industries.

United Textile Workers of America (UTWA)

The UTW was formed in 1901 from several smaller craft unions. One of its most important leaders was John Golden who served as president from 1902-1921. Membership declined but the union continued until 1995 when it merged with the United Food and Commercial Workers Textile and Garment Council. One of its most notable actions was the New England Textile Strike in 1922 where they worked alongside the IWW & ACTWU.