Hispanic Apparel Union Officers Oral History Collection
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Abstract
The collection is comprised of interviews with 26 organizers, which were conducted by Geoffrey Fox as part of a study entitled "Hispanic Organizers and Business Agents." The study was published as an occasional paper of New York University's Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies in 1984. It explored how Hispanic immigrants were assimilated into labor organizations and how they, in the process, adapted and reformed these organizations for themselves. Interviewees were mostly members of the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union and the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union. Except for four New York-born Puerto Ricans, all interviewees are immigrants from Latin America, including: Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Chile, and Honduras. Interviewees discuss their careers, experiences in the industry and unions, organizing methods, and views on the labor movement.
Historical/Biographical Note
The interviews were conducted by Fox as part of a study entitled "Hispanic Organizers and Business Agents," published as an occasional paper of New York University's Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies in 1984. The study explored how Hispanic immigrants were assimilated into labor organizations and how they, in the process, adapted and reformed these organizations for themselves.
Arrangement
Access compact disks, transcripts, and interview notes are arranged alphabetically by interviewee. Master cassettes are arranged by an an assigned numbering scheme.
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of interviews in English and Spanish with 26 organizers, most of whom worked for the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union and the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union. Except for four New York-born Puerto Ricans, all interviewees are immigrants from Latin America, including: Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Chile, and Honduras. Interviewees discuss their careers, experiences in the industry and unions, organizing methods, and views on the labor movement. Additionally, there is one box of transcripts and interview notes, which also contains Geoffrey E. Fox's "Hispanic Organizers and Business Agents in the New York Apparel Industries," a paper derived from the interviews.
Subjects
Donors
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Because of the assembled nature of this collection, copyright status varies across the collection. Copyright is assumed to be held by the original creator of individual items in the collection; these items are expected to pass into the public domain 120 years after their creation. Repository is not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce materials from this collection. Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection, created by Olga Velasco, Ernesto Castillo, and Juan Laboriel, was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Hispanic Apparel Union Officers Oral History Collection; OH.004; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Geoffrey Fox in 1984. The accession number associated with this collection is 1950.132.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Access to audiovisual materials in this collection is available through digitized access copies. Researchers may view an item's original container, but the media themselves are not available for playback because of preservation concerns. Materials that have already been digitized are noted in the collection's finding aid and can be requested in our reading room.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Original audiocassettes were digitized in 2013.