ACWA Boston Joint Board Records, 1926-1979. (8 linear feet). The
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America originated from a split
in the United Garment Workers in 1914 and quickly became the
dominant force for union in the men’s clothing industry,
controlling shops in Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, and New York.
The Boston Joint Board formed at the beginning of the ACWA and
included locals from a range of ethnic groups and trades that
comprised the industry. It coordinated the activities and
negotiations for ACWA Locals 1, 12, 102, 149, 171, 172, 173,
174, 181,183, 267, and 335 in the Boston area. In the 1970s the
Boston Joint Board merged with others to form the New England
Regional Joint Board. Records, including minutes, contracts,
price lists, and scrapbooks, document the growth and maturity of
the ACWA in Boston and the eventual decline of the industry in
New England. Abundant contracts and price lists show the steady
improvement of conditions for workers in the men’s clothing
industry. Detailed minutes refl