Tag Archives: Labor History

Women’s History Month: Coalition of Labor Union Women, Philadelphia Chapter

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Coalition of Labor Union Women pennant reading "we didn't come here to swap recipes."

The Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) was established in Chicago in 1974 as a constituency group within the AFL-CIO. Gloria Steinem was one of the founding members. Philadelphia’s chapter was chartered in 1975. CLUW united a diverse body of women across a broad spectrum of organizations. Broadly speaking, it aimed to connect the feminist movement to the labor movement, advocating for women’s health and equal pay, as well as organizing women and increasing their numbers in union leadership as well as in politics everywhere.

Locally, the Philadelphia CLUW has worked on a variety of advocacy campaigns with labor unions and other community and interest groups to advance the joint cause of labor and women. CLUW lobbied for a national single-payer health care system, as well as a women’s health agenda in the Pennsylvania state legislature that included contraception coverage and continued access to legal abortion. It fought for mandated paid sick time in Philadelphia, which was realized in 2015. It has also fought against the privatization of schools and Social Security and other governmental benefits.

Early 20th century broadside calling on women to strike; written in English and Italian

The March 2023 pop-up exhibit in the Special Collections Research Center reading room features the records of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women, a recent donation to the Urban Archives. They complement a large body of records already in the SCRC that document labor and unions in Philadelphia, extending back into the 1800s. Other collections include International Ladies Garment Workers Union; United Saw, File, and Steel Product Workers of America; and the Harold Ash Papers. Many of these colections were acquired for the archives in the early 1980s during an two-year National Endowment for the Humanities-funded special initiative to acquire Philadelphia labor collections.

Women in a late 19th century factory varnishing and polishing handsaw handles
Women in a late 19th century factory varnishing and polishing handsaw handles

–Courtney Smerz, Collection Management Archivist, SCRC



Harold Ash, Labor Activist

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AFL-CIO Solidarity Day flier, 1981
AFL-CIO Solidarity Day flier, 1981

Spanning nearly seven decades in the twentieth century, the Harold Ash Papers in the Special Collections Research Center document  Ash’s career and interest in labor unions in the United States.

Harold Ash was educated in Philadelphia and Atlantic City schools before attending Temple University. In 1934, he began his involvement with American labor unions,  becoming a staff member of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).

Ash actively followed the work of organizations representing teachers and industrial workers throughout the country. By corresponding with and collecting the materials of unions and federations as they sought to defend their rights and interests, Ash created reference files he could draw upon when tasked with assisting these groups.

Hat Worker Masthead
The Hat Worker, United Hatters, Cap and Millinery Workers International Union, September 15, 1950

Until his death in 2010, Ash served both educational and industrial unions. Portions of the Harold Ash Papers document his committed role as federation negotiator for the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) and the Pennsylvania Federation of Teachers (PaFT) during his time as a staff member of the Industrial Union Department of the AFL-CIO. Due to his experience with collective bargaining contracts, Ash received many thank-you notes in response to his assistance with  teachers’ organizations all over the United States, and the collection contains many agreement drafts and final agreements that Ash had a part in.

IUMSWA Constitution
Constitution of the Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers of America, 1940.

Additional material in the collection chronicle Ash’s work with the Telephone Workers Organizing Committee, Insurance and Allied Workers Organizing Committee (IAWOC), Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers of America (IUMSWA), and various other national unions. Ash also served as a teacher in Division of Extension, School District of Philadelphia, and compiled bargaining course materials for college students, federations, and individual workers alike. Materials touching on matters of race, gender, and religion suggest an interest in the array of issues facing workers in all fields.

Delaware Valley Coalition for Jobs demonstration flier, 1980s
Delaware Valley Coalition for Jobs demonstration flier, 1980s

Ash was not alone in his dedication to labor organization—his wife Martha also took part in union efforts, running as a delegate on the United Bargaining Slate of the PFT.

— Sarah Lerner, SCRC student worker