Morris Sigman
Encyclopedia
Morris Sigman was president of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union
from 1923 to 1928.
. In 1905, the Independent Cloak and Skirt Pressers' Union was one of the founding unions of the Industrial Workers of the World
(IWW), but by 1908, the union had left the IWW and joined the ILGWU.
as their defense attorney, he and other cloakmakers were found not guilty in 1915. Sigman served as the manager of Local 35 New York Cloak Pressers Union (1913), and then general manager of the Joint Board of Cloakmakers in New York City (1917–1921). At the international level, Sigman was a vice president of the ILGWU (1910–1913), before becoming Secretary-Treasurer (1914–1915) and first vice president (1920–1923). He was elected president of the ILGWU in 1923.
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union
The International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union was once one of the largest labor unions in the United States, one of the first U.S. unions to have a primarily female membership, and a key player in the labor history of the 1920s and 1930s...
from 1923 to 1928.
Early life
Born in Russia, Morris Sigman spent his youth working as a lumberjack before moving to London in 1902. In 1903, Sigman emigrated to New York City and began work as a presser in the cloak industry. He organized the Independent Cloak and Skirt Pressers' Union (1904) and allied it with the Socialist Trade and Labor AllianceSocialist Trade and Labor Alliance
The Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance - commonly abbreviated STLA or ST&LA - was a revolutionary socialist labor union in the United States closely linked to the Socialist Labor Party , which existed from 1895 until becoming a part of the Industrial Workers of the World at its founding in 1905.The...
. In 1905, the Independent Cloak and Skirt Pressers' Union was one of the founding unions of the Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
(IWW), but by 1908, the union had left the IWW and joined the ILGWU.
Work with the ILGWU
Shortly after joining the ILGWU, Morris Sigman began to hold local and then national held leadership roles within the union. Sigman had been heavily involved in the garment workers' strikes of 1910, and was later arrested for murder in what became known as the "Trial of Seven Cloakmakers." With Morris HillquitMorris Hillquit
Morris Hillquit was a founder and leader of the Socialist Party of America and prominent labor lawyer in New York City's Lower East Side during the early 20th century.-Early years:...
as their defense attorney, he and other cloakmakers were found not guilty in 1915. Sigman served as the manager of Local 35 New York Cloak Pressers Union (1913), and then general manager of the Joint Board of Cloakmakers in New York City (1917–1921). At the international level, Sigman was a vice president of the ILGWU (1910–1913), before becoming Secretary-Treasurer (1914–1915) and first vice president (1920–1923). He was elected president of the ILGWU in 1923.