Textile Workers' Union of America

Located in Boston, the TWUA began in 1937 as the Textile Workers' Organizing Committee of the CIO. By 1939, its success in organizing workers led to its becoming an independent CIO-affiliated union. One of the first victories was a contract with the American Woolen Co. in Lawrence, Mass. By 1942, mills in a number of New England cities were unionized. After World War II, the TWUA faced serious problems from national anti-labor legislation such as the Taft-Hartley Act, and the slump in the textile industry in New England due to competition from southern mills and those abroad. Internal division in the TWUA led to a faction of the union breaking away in the 1950's to join the AFL's United Textile Workers. Continued decline in the textile industry in New England necessitated the TWUA's joining forces in 1976 with the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union. In 1995, ACTWU merged with the ILGWU (International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union) to form Unite!(Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees), with headquarters in New York City.

From the description of [Business records]. 1939-1980. (American Textile History Museum Library). WorldCat record id: 49628060

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