Silvestro Ozzi Panoramic Photographs from the ILGWU's 30th and 31st Conventions

Founded in 1900 by local union delegates representing about 2,000 members in cities in the northeastern United States, the ILGWU grew in geographical scope, membership size, political influence to become one of the most powerful forces in American organized labor by mid-century. Representing workers in the women's garment industry, the ILGWU worked to improve working and living conditions of its members through collective bargaining agreements, training programs, health care facilities, cooperative housing, educational opportunities, and other efforts. In 1995, the ILGWU merged with the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU) to form the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE).

Silvestro Ozzi was born in Italy on May 22, 1898. He arrived in the U.S. on June 9, 1921. A member of Local 48, Ozzi joined the ILGWU in 1921 and participated in union activities and strikes. He began his career as a tailor. Ozzi was a member of the Executive Board of Local 48 from 1935-1937, a price adjuster between the years 1935 and 1937, a Business Agent from 1937 to 1944, and worked in a tailor in a shop from 1944 to 1953. Beginning in 1953, Ozzi was a Business Agent for Local 48 and manager of the Section Work Department for the Cloak Joint Board. He was a member of the American Labor Party, the Liberal Party, and the Italian American Labor Council. Ozzi died in April 1986.