My sister found these among my mom's old things

[RandiFan1290]

Extra sewing thread in ILGWU packets.

Look for the Union Label when you shop for women's and children's apparel.
Symbol of decency, fair labor standards and the American way of life.

[hlthe2b]

1. My parents were strong union supporters when they were living.

Seeing those placards/labels made me very teary eyed. How sad they would be with today's attitudes towards unions and the near total collapse of job protections.

[roguevalley]

21. my grandpa and his friend, Al Hartung helped unionize railroads in the

depression and paid for it good. I remember meeting Mr. Hartung and he was awesome. He was a union leader all his life and encouraged me to be a union leader too. I was a teacher union president, state secretary, vice president and local secretary for my whole career because of him. The people who organized unions and jobs over the last century are incredible heroes. I love them all and it is the greatest thing to know my grandpa was brave enough to do it when it could cost your life. He was blackballed from working in the area of the state for years. He had to walk down the railroad tracks from city to city trying to find someone who would hire him for whatever he could for get. Rowland Ward Bishop is my hero. Al Hartung is too.

[tecelote]

30. When I was a kid, we were asked to roll our sleeves up to support the local paper mill's union.

I was in a public grade school and our dress code required button down shirts. There was no rule against rolling our sleeves up and the teachers never objected.

I still roll my sleeves up today.

[Hekate]

2. I remember those labels. "Symbol of decency, fair labor standards, and the American way of life."

As a child, I didn't know what it meant. Now that it's gone, I do, and I mourn its passing.

[CrispyQ]

4. And since 1980, our kids don't know what it means.

In June, during graduation, a DUer posted that his niece had graduation from high school. I don't recall the details of the post, but during a conversation, she told him that she had been taught that the benefits workers have, like vacation, benefits, safe conditions, etc, were the result of entrepreneurial spirit. ~gasp! Besides the fact that that doesn't even make sense, they are re-writing history & the labor movement is being erased.

[global1]

6. Remember The Song? Here It Is.....

[Iliyah]

15. My daddy thanks you for that video

I played it for him and he smiled and clapped! Unions make it possible for workers to have living cost wages and many other things that the gopers have slowly been destroying for over 30 years.

[MADem]

19. +1!!! nt

[BumRushDaShow]

26. Didn't even have to click the link

was already singing the song before I got to this post.

[awoke_in_2003]

27. Yep, I remember it...

I miss it and the tags.

[drmeow]

33. This was my first thought

The jingle popped into my head. All I remembered was "Look for the union label, when you are buying ..."! But, then, that's really all that really matters

[tecelote]

34. You should make this it's own post.

We didn't pay attention and our jobs went overseas.

Our dollar votes and we voted that we didn't care.

Sad.

[Jesus Malverde]

3. Free trade destroyed the US garment industry.

Thousands of decent paying jobs lost forever. The owners got rid of unions and gained unlimited cheap labor.

[CrispyQ]

5. You could tell, too.

When I was a kid, you never had to take scissors to your store bought clothes to trim tiny threads. You never had to sew on buttons that were barely hanging on by a thread & if you did happen to find such a garment, the store would offer you a discount for the trouble of having to re-sew the button. And the thing I miss the most, you got a little envelope with an extra button or two.

[snappyturtle]

9. The quality was so much better resulting in a much better

fit. The manufacturers take cheap methods, cutting pieces
cross grain that should be on the bias, e.g. That's why those
curves, ruffles, etc. don't lay properly and 'twist' after
laundering. Oh, for the ILGWU again!

[abelenkpe]

11. Today's fashions are cheap ill fitting disposable rags.

Strapless is in style because making a mass produced armhole that fits is difficult. Same with dolman and angel sleeves. Love the see through polyester t-shirts and poly blend thin jeans. Love how there is no consistency in sizes. Find a pair of jeans that fit? Think you can buy the same size from the same manufacturer and have it fit the same? No chance.
But it's all cheap. Made by indentured workers, many who are children. All so already profitable companies can be more profitable. Who cares that skilled experienced US workers go unemployed, have to rely on social programs or retrain?
God forbid we ask these same profitable companies that have shipped jobs overseas and hollowed out the middle class to pay their fair share in taxes.

[lastlib]

16. It's destroying a lot of other industries now.

Remember American-made steel? American-made appliances? My parents had a chest freezer made by Zenith, purchased in the 60's; it died this spring, 50+ YEARS OLD! Think the Chinese-made crap will last that long? Only if you count the last 40 years it'll spend in a landfill...... Thinking the old one might not last much longer, they bought a new one ten years ago, for a backup; it died before the old one did! American-made electronics? Non-existent.....

for what we've lost-- for what's ahead..... FUCK "FREE TRADE"!!

[Drahthaardogs]

23. Try buying a meat grinder.

I make my own salumi and sausages and wanted a hobart like dad has. Well, the hobart (american product) costs 3x's more, but Dad's is sixty years old and still works. The market is flooded with cheap chinese made shit that won't work and doesn't last. In fact, I was reading on sausage forums where guys say you need a grinder AND a stuffer. That's bullshit. The problem is the Chinese grinders do not have enough auger rpms to stuff the sausages even with larger electric motors than the old hobart.

We need to start making stuff in this country again, starting with our own steel. I know coal is dirty, but I guarantee the air pollution over China does not stay over China. Far better we make it here with actual regulations and good quality.

[FailureToCommunicate]

24. We just replaced our 29 year old fridge...with another Amana

Made here, and made well!

They DO exist if you look for em...

[Ohio Joe]

7. K&R - nt

[Peacetrain]

8. I love that.. fair wages for work done..

[pansypoo53219]

10. i love finding union label stuff at estate sales.

i found 3 WELL MADE toast grabbers w/ union labels. i just found a union pencil + a union label ruler.

[felix_numinous]

12. K&R

Let's bring that back!

[calimary]

13. Amen!

[Kablooie]

14. Remember the TV ad jingle, "Look for -- the union label" ?

[Javaman]

36. I can still sing that song to this day.

what has happen to us?

[dotymed]

17. A quality way of life

AND QUALITY PRODUCTS that made us proud to build ; and world renowned.

[Lifelong Protester]

18. They used to give those out at the Minnnesota State Fair

Strong union presence there! Heck, the Democratic party I grew up with was the DFL-Democratic Farmer-Labor. It wasn't until I left the state that I realized all dems weren't DFL.


Thank whomever for the video of that 1981 jingle. It made me cry.

[annm4peace]

20. made in America

http://americansworking.com/

and union made in america

http://madeinusaforever.com/unionmade.html

[mountain grammy]

22. I shop mainly in thrift stores and find more union labels and made in America tags

than I can find in department stores.

and I don't support candidates if the majority of their campaign gear does not have the union bug.

[Egalitarian Thug]

25. Does anybody here remember denim? Remember when Levi-Strauss made

quality jeans that were heavy and durable and would last for years? Remember when 501s fit and once you knew your size, you could just go and buy another pair and they would fit the same?

[GeoWilliam750]

28. It is time for a resurgence of the unions

[BrotherIvan]

29. We manufacture textiles in the USA

Our products are made by seamstresses with 30+ years of experience by a family shop that has been in business for 35 years. They pay their workers double minimum wage and they all have benefits (I don't know of any unionized shops here any more). The costs are higher, but our products are the finest quality and built to last for years and years.

But we cannot compete with WalMart rock-bottom prices. Our products are moderately higher priced than Chinese crap that shrinks the minute you wash it and falls apart instantly. Or sprayed with formaldehyde so it won't rot from sitting in warehouses and on ships for years. Even very expensive designer clothes are just crap. We are fighting an uphill battle against large companies, trying to let people know that our products are a great VALUE because you will only need to buy one, not replace it every few months. But people have completely forgotten what quality is. They don't care if something is worthless, as long as they have a lot of it.

We could bring back American quality and American manufacturing, but it is up to consumers to demand that high quality and be willing to pay a couple of extra bucks for it.

[LuckyLib]

32. What items and brands does your company make? Share with us

so those interested can support those businesses that respect workers AND quality!

[BrotherIvan]

37. Thanks for asking

But I promised my partners I wouldn't let my politics mix with our business I shoot my mouth off a lot on here and I would hate for it to affect our company as now people depend upon us for their livelihood. But I do love getting to put into practice what I believe when it comes to living wages and workers being treated well. Happy, talented people make my job a lot easier. I'm not super interested in business per se and sort of fell into it when my industry (film) was union busted by reality television. I have no wish nor the endurance to run a sweatshop or be a greedy miser. I just wouldn't show up for that.

It's just been so eye-opening to see how small companies like ours, you put all of your effort into making a great product because that is what will help your company to grow. We depend on repeat customers to spread the word. And plus, I would not be willing to put so much effort into something I didn't believe in 100%. It makes it so much easier to talk to customers and say we make the finest product you can buy, literally. I don't have to be some used car salesman, I just show the product and it sells itself because we don't cut any corners.

When it's a bigger company, their entire focus is on eking out the most profit, so all their creativity goes toward cutting costs. Very shortly, just as with Made in Japan, goods from China will seem superior because all the factories and fabric mills are moving to Pakistan and Bangladesh. We had one of our major fabric suppliers, who used to sell gorgeous fabric from Korea, change to Pakistan without warning. The quality sunk so low, we could no longer buy from them. It's happening all over, so just wait until you see the next couple of years. It's going to get very bad in our race to acquire more and more junk.

So buying from a small company is not only the right thing to do, you will likely get a far superior product. A small company can't survive if they make crap. And I love putting "Made in the USA" on our labels!

[Bluenorthwest]

45. You speak as if everyone buys clothing at Walmart. You are not correct.

If you think all Americans seek the cheapest clothing, you don't know where to sell your clothing. Jeans cost 300 dollars. If that shocks you, you are not doing it right.

[BrotherIvan]

53. Well, thanks for the tip.

I guess we better shut down! We're all idiots!

Yes, I am well aware that people will spend incredible amounts of money for a label. Do you have any idea the amount of money that is put into advertising that label so you will pay $300 dollars for jeans that cost less than $15 to make? It's that big corporation thing again...

[zwyziec]

31. Sing along with the Union Ladies.....from 1981....

Sing along with the Union Ladies!

Here's an ad from 1981. It was thirty years ago and I was a mere 42 years old, moving to San Jose CA from Cleveland Ohio to take a job in Silicon Valley as a CEO of a high tech company.

We bought a home there with a mortgage interest rate of 18.5 % and refinanced it five times over the next ten years.
Natalie Wood died, the Iranian Hostages were freed, Ron Reagan was elected and began his war on the working class, he fired the air controllers, and America started its downward economic spiral.

[Liberal_in_LA]

35. that brings back memories

[dflprincess]

38. When I cleaned out my mom's place last year

I found a lot of old clothes in her closets with union labels - and most of them were in pretty good shape. She preferred more tailored styles so a lot of it didn't even look out of date so I could donate it with a clear conscience.

[myrna minx]

39. Thanks for sharing. K&R n/t

[tofuandbeer]

40. I was going through an old emergency kit...

and found disposable razor blades from the late 1990's that said "Made in the U.S.A."
It was strange to see those words on plastic items.

[UtahLib]

41. It's sad that people might realize too late

that Unions are needed even more now than ever before.

[JohnnyRingo]

42. K & double R

I remember a living wage.

I worked from 1972 on until 2003 in a unionized auto supplier factory. I supported a family of five.

Can your job do that?

[Enthusiast]

43. Symbol of decency.

K&R

[CanonRay]

44. That was my Grandmothers Union

she was a seamstress in Milwaukee. She was always very proud of her union membership and helped establish that local.

[H. Cromwell]

51. Also my union

My 1st Union job was in a ILGWU shop in the coal region of PA. I then got a job at a shirt factory making Uniform Shirts for various police, fire, prison and US Armed Forces etc. I have since left that industry but my wife still works there. Years back the ILGW and the shirt Unions merged to form UNITE. Believe it or not the US Coast Guard uniform shirts are NOT made in the USA. Most of the work my wife used to do is now going off shore, while she only works 2.5 days a week in a Union Shop.

[Bluenorthwest]

46. Buy Union Made clothing

http://madeinusaforever.com/unionmade.html

[delrem]

47. This shouldn't only be recollection of some bygone days.

Union movements are the *only* democratic tool that workers have and that isn't 'hyperbole' (the latest go-to word at DU).

*Of course* I emphasize that unions of workers are 'organic', or grow out of the soil that "free association" allows. Workers unions have different functions in different climates or environs.

But nothing, nothing, nothing substitutes for worker's unions, in politics.

[rickford66]

48. My Mother and the ILGWU

I grew up in Scranton PA. Our neighborhood and the surrounding communities had dozens of Mom and Pop garment factories. Some large and some tiny. My Mother and three of her sisters worked at several of them and all were union shops. One of her cousins owned one also. Those owners had good, loyal workers and weren't about to get rid of the unions. A relative of my wife's was in the industry in South Carolina. All this is gone now because of the importation of cheap clothes from near slave labor. Most is junk. A label from India or Bangladesh is highly prized in place of the usual Made In China one. Mom sewed for over 25 years, retired with a small union pension and even left us with death benefit. Back about 25 years ago, I worked with a paranoid right wing gun nut. He complained about everything, especially imported goods. One day we compared what we were wearing. I had on Levis, Woolrich shirt, Fruit of the Loom underwear and socks and New Balance sneakers. All US made at that time. He was wearing all imported stuff. He also drove an imported car while I drove a North American F150. I'm sure he's in the Tea Party today. Even back then he talked about making bombs out of pressure cookers. We shop at as many local stores as possible and avoid Wall Mart and Sam's Club (never joined). We can't avoid buying imports any more but we should all buy as much as we can from local establishments to have some of our hard earned cash circulate here first.

[sinkingfeeling]

49. I remember those and an era of strong union support.

[Eleanors38]

50. Watch the film: "The Inheritance."

[VPStoltz]

52. From the days when even the wealthy realized no one is a truly self-made success.

Business owners once had a modicum of respect for the class of worker willing to make them rich just to get a piece of the pie. Now? Who does Sam Walton think sold all that crap for him? It's nothing but exploitation and get out of the schmucks every once of energy the least amount of $. And don't complain or "you're fired."

[Rebellious Republican]

54. K&R