Another of the classic "Look for the Union Label" commercials produced by the I.L.G.W.U. (International Ladies Garment Workers' Union), this one from 1978.
For all of you who are so anti union I have one phrase to say to you . TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FIRE. Google it and you will know why we needed and still need labor unions!! May god rest the souls of all those who died in this historic tragedy . Let it be remembered that their sacrifice has benefited all working Americans union and non union. It has been one hundred years but we still remember and honor you. RIP
ADSOLUTELY!!! My uncle was the only survivor of the 1951 Orient #2 coal mine explosion in WEst Frankfort, Illinois. 120 men in a town of 3,000 were killed 3 days before Christmas.
I used to sing this as a.kid..My Grandmothers were all members of the union. And had a pension from it. Without that pension... I don't think my grandparents would have been able to make it financially
Stacy, I actually had tears in my eyes when I played this today. As a teen back in the early 1980s, I went to get my aunt/godmother at her job to take her to lunch for her birthday. She worked in Manhattan at one of the ILGWU shops. Walking into the shop and seeing all the hard working women sitting at the sewing machines making clothing made me start singing this song and seconds later everyone in the shop was singing it too, so proud of their jobs and their work. I hope someday our country will open its eyes and realize manufacturing needs to return to the USA.
A couple years ago, when we were in college, I watched the infamous 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special with my sister and a few of her friends. We specifically chose a recording of the original broadcast, commercials and all, in order to get the full experience. When this came on, one of my sister’s friends started losing his shit laughing. I don’t think it was out of mockery, but more so that he was incredulous at how earnest and sincere this was. The idea of a bunch of middle-aged to older, mostly female, regular workers would come out and sing their own song about buying union-made products without a hint of a joke was so foreign to us. It’s interesting how much things have changed, but I have hope that organized labor will make a comeback in this country
Gosh I wish the history of unions were better taught in school. I guess it's been so long since the old tragedies that people don't have it in their family stories anymore. People in America, locked in the garment factories, air full of cloth fibers. One accident with an open flame, and whoosh! Dozens of workers dead. Also on American soil, women and children working long, hot hours for desperately little pay. And then going home to do the cooking and cleaning. Denied childhood, denied security and safety, denied lives, all for the sake of cheap clothing. It still happens now, just mostly in countries where it doesn't get into the news. The pride of being able to support your family by working a reasonable number of hours, of being able to give your kids a comfortable childhood, is worth singing about! To know that you'll be there for your grandkids, not chewed up by the factory before your time. And the pride of buying a garment that gives someone that respectable life, and clothing that'll last decades, that's worth singing about!
It’s remarkable how “irony” as humor has made this earnest powerful ad about actual Americans working at factory jobs that paid to buy homes and cars seem like a joke now. It’s a shame how cynical we’ve all become; anyone who believes in something like these working women and men merits mockery in the new too-clever-by-half America. All it took was Reagan and the rich oligarchy to shut their factories … make a “deal with the devil” in the form of the Chinese Communist Party, and their profits soared from their new overseas factories, at the expense of working Americans. And of course the Chinese proletariat soon enriched themselves and grew into the healthy middle class that the USA had recently possessed. The owners of all these unionized factories sold out the American working class dream of rising to middle class wealth to the Chinese, just so they could break the unions and make more profit. That’s how “patriotic” the average rich American ruling class capitalist is, since the time of Reagan.
@@OrigamiMarieUnions helped to prevent the tragedies you describe. That’s the point. The point isn’t to have tragedies to talk about. Unions and labor solidarity are to promote the notion that only through organizing laborers can we prevent the kind of exploitation at the hands of capitalist oligarchs in our country that you describe. We can never have too much organized labor. It’s the only power we have against the massive economic power of the wealthy. Democracy and organized labor.
Unfortunately, there is no International Ladies Garment Workers Union anymore. In 1969, for example, the ILGWU had a membership of 450,000. It ended altogether in 2004 when the remaining ILGWU workers had to merge with the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Union. And the total membership of BOTH these unions combined now is barely 200,000. Our USA garment jobs went to Mexico under President Clinton when he signed NAFTA and the rest of the jobs went to China when Bush signed with WTO. It's awful!
Clinton started the trend but the bushes made it so much worse and now everything is still just as bad as before the agreements were supposed to be signed
Tragic. But....betcha most of those ranting 'pro union' shop primarily at Walmart and buy goods, including food, not made in or from U.S. - most from CHINA.
That’s Globalization for you! It screws over Americans and those who profit off of it bankrolled both Clinton and Bush into signing those laws into effect.
Imagine buying ready made clothes made in America today. As much as I hate to admit it... Ross Perot was right. Cheap imports only drove wages down and out of the country.
Our grandmother was a seamstress in NYC between 1915 and 1940. She was always so proud of being a union member and would sing out loud when this ad played on TV. She was no rabble rouser, but she was so glad to have contributed to bettering her family. She was a true American.
@@GayblazeJrMOST were not. But SOME leaders in SOME unions were corrupt schemers and criminals whose actions managed to not only demonize THEIR unions, but to negatively impact what began as a sound and beneficial concept.
and if you think about it, a good number of the population not only don't support, but would call her a "commie" or "socialist" ... it's ridiculous how brainwashed the american people were able to be
I moved to NYC in the early '80s, and remember seeing this ad many times on TV, and seeing the cleverly-worded signs plastered on the sides of buses. It is so sad to know that the once-vibrant union (whose beginnings started when a young girl, a factory-worker, had the guts to stand up at a meeting to say her piece. She showed the adults and everyone else in the meeting hall that night what courage really was!) is now just a memory! I haven't seen a union tag on any piece of clothing for ages.
Don't be conned by Trump. He does marketing by selling the sizzle not the steaks. The proof were those overpriced $900 Trump steaks. They came boxed with a couple steaks and mostly hamburgers. Even at $25, it was still a bad deal.
Loved this ad as a young man, in my 67 years of life I have now been downsized 2 times. Used to be long term workers were valuable now they push you out!
Solidarite as someone who doesn’t remember a time when high school educated workers could afford a good life for a household. I Was born into privilege but will never stop fighting for the middle and lower classes who have been fucked by globalism
I recently got a dress and I discovered it has a I.L.G.W.U. label on it. I decided to do some research into it and I found out about this jingle. It’s so cool! If anyone has any bits of information on the clothing made by this union, I would be more than interested to learn!
@@abbydabby9112 back in these ladies' Day, it was awesome & being part of a union made them proud to be held up by their families. Now in your day...it's almost "why bother". But you have to take the word of a union worker; how it is for them to be in a union. Or even fight to be in a union when big company holds you down to not unionize.
Another part of my childhood that disappeared. I remember this commercial in the late 70's I think, any way I was always drawing people in clothes, and my cousin said you are going to be a designer. I didn't know what that was, I was 11, years old, but that commercial sparked something in a little child, who eventually wound up working in the NYC garment industry. Memories
It is so sad that this union has disappeared even before everyone in gen z was born. It’s interesting that you see mostly blacks singing this song today because we usually think about middle class whites losing their factory jobs and turning to heroin but it was the whole working class. No matter what race working people need to unite against the corporations who are stealing livelihoods from working families
Seriously. The corporations have done their job making the media hammer the phrase white working class when it was really just the whole damned working class. Race counts and class counts. It is used to count against the weaker folks.
Bought a great dress at a thrift shop a couple of hours ago. It has the ILGWU label right there in the neck, made of Marcus Brothers textile (still in business on Ave. of the Americas, NYC) and I thought of this excellent TV ad from way back. I will proudly wear this vintage frock and remember the millions who raised their families sewing dresses and blouses and gowns, along with millions dying in sweatshops a la Bangladesh.
Mary Cornetti, you can find Made in America Merchandise with Union Label in my shop Surviving Sisters' Boutique in Hyde Park NY & we ship internationally!
This moves me, not just because I hadn't seen it in about 40 years, but because my parents provided well for me and my brothers due to my dad's living wages over 5 decades with the Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union, which allowed my mom to stay home (her choice- no attack on women who must or want to work outside the home) and raise us- and yes, keep us from burning down the neighborhood. Seriously though, those conditions afforded by that union wage are a big reason why I am who I am today.
It's funny to laugh at this camp commercial but nothing funny about how the working man has taken it right up the ass in the last forty years. Healthcare bankrupting millions , Kids can't go to college without graduating with a mortgage of debt, people working harder and harder and falling behind faster and faster. The joke is on all of us.
I agree with your comment-it is sooo funny to laugh at this commercial, but also to smile with respect for these workers. The working man would be better served if there were fewer illegals and those with working visa, though. The working class is exploited in this country by political and special interest forces. I did not say eliminate all working visa, just tighten it up, a lot and also reduce H1-N1 visas.
What do you mean by 'camp'? There's nothing effeminate or homosexual here, just a plea to consumers to do the right thing, and buy union. This is a song of solidarity that those in the labor movement used to sing in the 30's or 40's or 50's
When you into a thrift store today, you will find beatifically crafted clothes made by these Union workers 50 years ago. Walmart made in China clothes dissolve after 5 washings. Signed, A Libertarian who doesn't like unions, but damn they made clothes to last back then.
Blame it on labour, the labour which built the product, the labour which added value to assembled products or services. Blame it on labour; who only wanted a fair wage, a living wage, a middle class wage, so they could own a home and send their children to University. Why isn't management blamed for shipping well paying jobs to China and India? Why isn't management blamed for the shrinking middle class?
Management is only partially to blame. The American consumers are also at fault. They want everything at the cheapest prices and instead of buying union label which cost a couple dollars more, they reached for cheap imports to save a buck.
You do realize that most management types are middle class too don't you? People look for value for their hard earned dollars, and by and large union made goods can't compete for a variety of reasons. Yes, union workers tend to earn more than their non union counterparts (well, at least before union dues), but that adds to the cost of the finished product. So do union rules that increase the cost of production. I live in North Carolina and have seen the textile industry pretty much shut down... but funny thing is the reason we had the textile industry here to begin with is because the textile plants moved down here from the northeast because labor is cheaper. So now they've gone overseas for much the same reasons. It's sad, but it's economics, and they don't call economics the "dismal science" for nothing. Those jobs are gone and they aren't coming back. But there IS niche market for quality, American made clothing like this. raleighdenimworkshop.com/
Today the idea that if in general low income workers still earn a living wage then they can buy more goods (and possibly educate their children) which in turn means there's more demand (and more skilled labour) and so more people are ultimately employed, this isn't even seen as like "too left wing" or something, it's seen as too complex to be comprehensible. Like this charming and accurate song is more complicated than the public-facing content in this year's campaign.
Why did I start to cry during this commercial? Maybe it's a nostalgic trip back to my younger years and maybe it's because so many of our jobs are sent overseas now.
My great grandmother worked for the International Lady Garment Workers Union Local 40. she retired after working 70 years. I still have the hat we wore marching down the Avenue of the Americas.
This ad was made before my time, but it's still so cool to see. It's a reminder of how impactful unions can be. America needs organized labor now more than ever.
I just referenced this ad on FB, after seeing the devastation from the factory explosion overseas, with its great loss of life. The factory (surprise! surprise!) made clothes for Wal-Mart. This ad, I'll never forget because of it's "catchy tune" and how well-made it is. I used to see it all the time when living in NYC, in addition to ads/signs put on the sides of buses, with an eye-catching phrase that a model referenced her "union suit", while wearing a union-made suit. So sad now. Very sad.
Exactly this. Sam Walton had great pride in the fact that he bought American made as much as possible. And union labels were prevelant on many of their items. This ended with his passing - and those who inherited the fortunes focused less on giving back to the USA (and their workers and communities) and more on making a bigger and bigger profit - regardless of its impact on the same people who made it possible.
Actually it started in the early 20th century to protest for better working conditions after the Triangle Shirt Fire, which killed many workers in a textile factory who were mostly poor and/or recently immigrated young women and there were no fire exits in the building
Same here! In the 1970s, I had no appreciation of how important unions are, what a struggle it was to get them established, and how much good they did to protect the well-being of so many people-not just themselves but the whole economy around them. Now I get it.
I grew up with this and it taught me more than anyone in my life ever would signed GenX TeeVee Kid; now you know what happened when you left me alone Mom and Dad-I became my own person.
My grandfather was an ILGWU organizer back when downtown LA had child labor and sweatshops. He’s in a couple of LA times articles, one of those times when he was shot at by a shop owner. Back then the garment workers in LA were mainly Mexican and Jewish women from Boyle Heights. They were going against some very politically powerful gold rush era LA families. Eventually the Jewish mafia had to get involved on behalf of the workers. My grandfather used to fraternize with Mickey Cohen and Bugsy Siegel. But they handled things in a different manner than what happened with the Teamsters back east lol. They used their connections in city hall and the judiciary. All that work was for naught after Reagan, Bush and NAFTA. Now we’re all wearing clothes and shoes probably sewn together by some kid in Indonesia making a dollar a day.
“Look for the union label, when you are buying that coat, dress, or blouse, Remember somewhere, our union’s sewing, our wages going to feed the kids and run the house, We work hard, but who’s complaining? Thanks to the ILG we’re making our way, So always look for the union label, it says we’re able to make it in the U.S.A.
How right you are. I still have one of my late father’s cardigan sweaters that bears the union label inside and it still wears well and never once did a button fall off.
My favorite version. It came to me in my dream. My goodness, I wonder what it meant to hear this song as I was awakening tonight. A charming and meaning jingle. At least they pressed on and didn't form these evil little divisions amongst themselves as they are doing today. I respect this formality even as a child who once understood this ad. ...so many years ago and now I am 45 and I can still hear this in the middle of the night out of no where and find myself HERE to listen to the entire jingle. Thank you so much for uploading the tot days...
"Look for the union label, when you are buying that coat, dress, or blouse, Remember somewhere, our union’s sewing, our wages going to feed the kids and run the house, We work hard, but who’s complaining? Thanks to the ILG we’re making our way, So always look for the union label, it says we’re able to make it in the USA!"
I grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts. It was known as the Spindle city, I recall our downtown ILGWU and it seemed almost all I knew Female as well as Male worked in a Garment making Factory.
FYI, wild turkey1960: Jimmy Carter was president from 1977 to 1981. In 1958, the ILGWU and the New York dress manufacturer's signed a contract to agree to place Union Labels in the garments that were made in the USA. This labeling effort ran from 1959 through 1975. In 1975, an advertising copywriter (Paula Green), revitalized the sentiment of buying American with an ad campaign that focused on the song Look for the Union Label. Carter didn't take office until 1977.
It's amazing to SEE this old commercial on RU-vid! Where else, right? I remember this because both my sisters would sing it now & then as if it were a pop song from the radio! But I understand & sympathize also with the economy disasters & reformations beyond recognition since the 1970s.
It was on the radio as "Look for the Silver Lining." Written in 1918 (Jerome Kern, Buddy DeSylva) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fA02p6gSotk.html
It's funny - but it's not funny at all. Back in 1978, only a threat. Now a bitter reality that helped greedy companies destroy the U.S. working class. The Garment Center once supported many thousands of people in NYC, now it is all gone. Now we are all paying the price for the outsourcing.
@samnmman I've never belonged to a union, never had the opportunity to join, but I support them, and wish they'd try to make a come back. The poll numbers show that more and more people are disenchanted with their wages, and support union workers. I think it's time to start running these ads with the same song, but different lyrics to represent a national labor movement. THIS IS THE TIME! We'll never have a better chance.
WOW that's cool! The lead vocalist lady has a really nice voice. This is a touching commercial. Reminds us of the days when ILGWU made more than 60 percent of clothing in the USA. The ILGWU had 450,000 members in 1969 then dropped to 390,000 in 1975 and less and less as US garment jobs went to Mexico and China, etc. ILGWU doesn't even exist anymore. The few thousand remaining members merged with the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Union in 2004. Sad days for the USA.
Don't Take My Name The interesting thing is, they knew of this commercial from an old bootleg copy of the Star Wars Holiday Special which had the ads intact from airing on TV.
@68lincoln You are Absolutely correct, but remember one thing... Americans Did buy those foriegn products, we didnt have to. We as the "American People" cant separated ourselves from the government.
@@dogguy8603 tell that to people working in sweatshops or living in poverty or whatever. not everyone was born in your nice little rich town to upper middle class parents during an economic heyday asshat
This was spoofed on Sat. Night Live with an ad for the Marijuana Growers' Union. "So look for the union label, when you are buying a joint, lid, or pound."
THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS IMPORTANT VIDEO. HARD WORKING AMERICANS HAD JOBS THAT PAID A GOOD WAGE AND BENEFITS AND AS THE MAN IN THE VIDEO SAYS - AND WE ARE ABLE TO BUY OTHER PRODUCTS MADE BY OTHER AMERICANS. SINCE 1994, NAFTA, CAFTA AND THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION HAS ALLOWED OUR JOBS TO BE SENT TO CHEAP LABOR FOREIGN COUNTRIES. AND THAT IS A DAMN SHAME.
Heard this song practically daily while watching cartoons. I never quite understood why it played but during cartoons. I was too little to understand what a Union was... I guess hoping parents were listening?
And then came Bill Clinton to sign NAFTA. Don't kid yourself. Both parties were to blame. The Dems used to stick up for unions before they figured out Hispanics and immgrants vote Democrat. Between an open border undercutting wages and trade deals encouraging businesses to use slave labor overseas, the Lady's Garment Union never had a chance. Go watch the NAFTA Debate on RU-vid between Al Gore and Ross Perot.
@@westcoasthockeybias37 Then they screwed the Hispanics when they found that the Chinese and the Bangladeshis could work for even less money (that the Hispanics decided to also try and go union didn't help.)
I wonder how long since those union labels were found in the majority of American clothing and other textiles. Now it’s: “Look for the Chinese label...”