"The Democratic Initiative": The Promises and Limitations of Industrial Unionism for New York City's Laundry Workers, 1930-1950.

The article discusses the industrial organization and unionism of New York City laundry workers, focusing on the period 1930 to 1950. It explores issues of race and gender and notes that laundry workers were mainly women and people of color. The author considers tensions between trade union leaders and laundry workers. Unions examined include the Women's Trade Union League (WTUL), the American Federation of Labor (AFL)-affiliated Laundry Workers International Union (LWIU), the Congress of Industrial Organizations (ClO)-affiliated Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA), and the ACWA-affiliated Laundry Workers Joint Board of Greater New York (LWJB). The influence of communism is also discussed.