Union Made Labels on Vintage Workwear

A Union Made label means the garment was sewn in a shop whose workers belonged to a union. On old American workwear that's usually the United Garment Workers of America, which ran from 1891 to 1994, so the label tells you a lot about where a piece was made and not much about when.

Who the United Garment Workers were

The UGWA was founded in New York City in 1891 and joined the American Federation of Labor. Its members made ready-to-wear men's clothing. In 1914 about two-thirds of the membership broke away to form the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America. The UGWA carried on until 1994, when it became part of the United Food and Commercial Workers.

Why the label was there

The union label was a promise to the buyer that the piece was made under union conditions. For a lot of working people that mattered, so makers put it where you'd see it. On workwear it was a selling point, not fine print.

Why it's hard to date by

The UGWA label stayed close to the same for most of its long run, and collectors say it's harder to date than some other union labels, like the ACWA's or the ILGWU's on women's clothing. So a Union Made label on its own puts a piece somewhere in about a hundred years of American manufacturing. Useful, but not a decade.

What to read it with

• Sanforized on the same label means 1930 or later (see what Sanforized means).
• A care label with washing instructions points to the 1970s or later. The US Federal Trade Commission's care labeling rule took effect in July 1972, so older American pieces usually have none.
• The zip and the buttons. The brand on a zip, or buttons that come off (see change buttons), narrow it down further.
• The cut and the cloth, which take more practice to read than any label.

Put two or three of these together and you can usually get to a decade with some confidence. One label on its own is a hint.

Archive Workwear sells vintage workwear, outdoor, ivy, military and true vintage from Denver, Colorado. See true vintage Americana, or follow new finds on Instagram at @archiveworkwear.