Union of Needletrades, Industrial & Textile Employees

UNITE!
Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees
Union merger	International Ladies Garment Workers Union, Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union
Successor	UNITE HERE
Founded	1995
Dissolved	2004
Headquarters	New York City
Location	Canada, United States;
Key people	Jay Mazur, Bruce Raynor
Affiliations	CLC, AFL–CIO
Website	https://web.archive.org/web/20020607204057/http://www.uniteunion.org/index.htm

The Union of Needletrades, Industrial, and Textile Employees (UNITE, often stylized UNITE!) was a labor union in the United States clothing industry from 1995-2004.

History

UNITE-ILGWU/ACTWU Merger

UNITE was formed in 1995 as a merger between the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) and the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU).^[1]

UNITE's core industries were textile and apparel manufacturing, distribution, and retailing, but they also had locals involved in industrial laundry, and manufacturing in other industries.

Jay Mazur served as president of UNITE from its inception until his retirement in 2001.^[2] Bruce Raynor was later elected president, where he served until the HERE merger.

UNITE HERE Merger

In 2004, UNITE announced that it would merge with the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union (HERE) to form UNITE HERE. In 2009 most of the apparel and laundry workers in UNITE HERE broke away to form a separate union known as Workers United, which affiliated with the Service Employees International Union. ^[3]

References

^ "History of the ILGWU Merger With ACTWU". The Kheel Center ILGWU Collection. Cornell University ILR School. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
^ "ILGWU Presidents Jay Mazur". The Kheel Center ILGWU Collection. Cornell University ILR School. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
^ "Our History". Workers United Labor Union An SEIU Affiliate. Workers United. Retrieved 9 February 2024.