Clothing labels can be helpful in dating vintage clothing. Union labels are often datable by union history. Among the many different unions, ILGWU, the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, was one of the most prevalent and powerful, and the first major union to have mostly women members.

ILGWU History
The International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union was formed in New York City in 1900, the consolidation of seven smaller garment workers' unions. After two major strikes in 1909 and 1910, the union and manufacturers executed a Protocol of Peace. This achieved union recognition, improved wages and extended benefits to workers, as well as establishing arbitration as the means of solving disagreeements. Additional benefits were negotiated in the years following the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in 1911. ILGWU was a member of the American Federation of Labor.

Weakening greatly during the Great Depression, ILGWU continued to be active in recruiting. With the formation of the Committee for Industrial Organizations in 1935, ILGWU tried to work with both organizations. Actual CIO members were suspended from AFL in 1936, and they joined to form the Congress of Industrial Organizations in 1938. ILGWU disengaged from CIO in 1940 and rejoined AFL. On December 5, 1955, AFL and CIO merged to form AFL-CIO. In 1995, ILGWU merged with Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union to form UNITE!, the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees, representing over 250,000 workers in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. In 2004, UNITE! merged with HERE to form UNITE HERE.

Timeline
1900 - 1936 ILGWU AFL
1936 - 1940 ILGWU CIO
1940 - 1955 ILGWU AFL
1955 - 1995 ILGWU AFL-CIO

1975-1992 Look for the Union Label campaign
1995 - 2004 UNITE!
2004 - UNITE HERE

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_of_Industrial_Organizations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Ladies'_Garment_Workers'_Union
http://www.nps.gov/archive/elro/glossary/ilgwu.htm

Dating by Label

1900 - ILGWU formed with a charter from the AFL. The earliest ILGWU label was a simple label, promoted from the Union’s inception in 1900. It had very limited use through the mid-20s.

1924-1929 - Prosanis label. It appeared as an artistic bubble-shaped emblem containing the text “Produced under conditions approved by Joint Board Sanitary Control.”

1930s - Consumer Protection labels.

http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~epf/2001/kleehammer.html

Pre-1955

We have three examples of pre-1955 labels from the New York Dress Institute, a collaboration between ILGWU and the manufacturers of New York City. NYDI's purpose was to maintain leadership for the New York dress industry.  I found a museum references that said NYDI was formed in November 1940, and it seems to have continued at least through the 50s.  NYDI, often referred to as a 'couture group', sponsored Press Week, and an annual World's  Best Dressed Women list.  

The Lady, the List, the Legacy, Amy Fine Collins, Vanity Fair, 04/01/2004

http://detroithistorical.com/collections/vewebsite3/exhibit4/e40084a.htm

This one was found in what we thought is a 30s garment. As you can see, the label was sewn into the zipper seam, and has been cut off.  The zipper has a patent pending, and the patent was granted in 1928. 

Thanks to labellevintage_inc for these labels.

This one was found in an early 40s dress.

1955-1963

Thanks to poprocksnsodapopvintage for this label from an early 60s bra.

This label was issued after AFL and CIO merged in 1955, and lasted until June 28, 1963. It is usually printed in blue on white, and features a scalloped circle with a threaded needle diagonally behind it. In the center are the large letters ILGWU, crossed with a smaller AFL-CIO. Around the edge is printed Int'l Ladies Garment Workers Union.

1963-1974

The trademark for the new label was submitted in 1963 with a first use date of June 28, 1963. It was registered April 21, 1964. The new label has the same scalloped circle with the threaded needle and the Int'l Ladies Garment Workers Union around the edge. The center changed to a dark circle crossed by ILGWU in white. In the dark arc above ILGWU, it says Union Made. In the dark arc below ILGWU, it says AFL-CIO. This label was usually printed in blue on white.  Note the (R) on the label indicates it was printed after the TM registration date.

We have a two examples of labels in other colors used in the early 1970s.  They are both from foundation garments.

     

Thanks to girlkitch and galetime for the labels.
www.uspto.gov
http://www.vintagefashionguild.org/component/option,com_alphacontent/section,6/cat,59/task,view/id,273/Itemid,100/

1974-1995

Thanks to funkoma for this image from an 80s glittery prom dress.
In 1974, ILGWU decided to change the colors of its label to red, white and blue. This is recorded in the records of the 35th annual convention, archived at the Kheel Center at Cornell. The Report of the General Executive Board to the 35th convention in Miami Beach, Florida, May 31, 1974 mentions the change in colors to "an all-American red-white-blue and the addition of the line 'Made in USA'" on page 79. (emphasis added) They explain it in part as a result of the need to support the fight against the competition from low-wage imports, particularly to strengthen the nation-wide anti-imports campaign. All label material prepared in conjunction with the campaign used the slogan: "Buy American: The Job You Save May Be Your Own."
Thanks to never*ending*search and Patrizia Sione, Reference archivist, Kheel Center for Labor Management Documentation & Archives for this key information.

©2007 Elaine Schuster 3/22/2007