Lithographers and Photoengravers International Union. No. 1-P (New York, N.Y.)

No. 1-P was chartered in 1894 following a decade of trying to organize a profession which was traditionally highly-skilled, highly-paid and generally indifferent towards unionization.

The impetus for organization arose from experiences associated with the demise of the wood-engraving industry and the training of reformatory inmates as photo-engravers by New York State. Through the years, the Union has continually faced technological change, drastically altering the nature of this specialized craft. Consequently, the membership of No. 1-P, which during its height in the 1950s was almost 4,000, presently (1984) stands at about 760. Non-union proliferation in the publishing business has exacerbated the situation even more.

No. 1-P was originally affiliated with the International Typographical Union, but friction following the five-month strike of 1900 led to its withdrawal. It subsequently affiliated with the International Photo-Engravers Union until 1964 when the IPEU merged with the Amalgamated Lithographers Association. It became part of the Graphic Arts International Union until 1983 when the GAIU and IPEU joined forces.