1930's Business and the Economy | Dubinsky, David 1892-1982

PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL LADIES GARMENT WORKERS UNION

Leadership.

In the early months of 1933 the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) stood virtually in ruins. Internal factionalism had ripped the union apart. By the end of the year, however, the ILGWU had become one of the most powerful unions in the United States. The man responsible for the dramatic turnaround was a short, squat, feisty leader named David Dubinsky. Dubinsky personally carried the union to the forefront. His deep commitment to industrial democracy and unionism placed Dubinsky among the great leaders of the 1930s.

Background.

Dubinsky may have the most interesting background of any union leader from the period. He was born David Dobnievski in Brest Litovsk, Russian Poland, on 22 February 1892. His family moved to Lodz, Poland, the industrial center of the country, where his father owned a small bakery. Dubinsky went...