Elisabeth Christman

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Elisabeth Christman
A black-and-white photograph of a white woman wearing a dark jacket with a lighter-color blouse with an open collar
Elisabeth Christman, from a 1918 publication
BornSeptember 2, 1881
Germany
DiedApril 26, 1975
New Delphi, Indiana, US
OccupationLabor organizer

Elisabeth Christman (September 2, 1881, Germany- April 26, 1975, New Delphi, Indiana) was a trade union organizer.

Christman was born to Barbara Guth Christman and Henry Christman, a laborer and clarinet player for a union band, in Germany 1881. Her family soon moved to Chicago, Illinois after she was born. She attended a German Lutheran school until she was 13, when she left school to become a glove factory worker at the Eisendrath Glove Factory.[1][2]

Union organizing[]

In 1902, after several years of working long hours, she and her co-worker Agnes Nestor lead a successful 10-day strike out. This strike led to the creation of Glove Workers of America Local 1. Christman and 27 other others formed the . She served as the organization's secretary-treasurer from 1913-1931.[1]

Women's Trade Union League[]

In 1903, the Women's Trade Union League was founded, and Christman became a leader at both the Chicago- and national-levels in 1904. She was one of the few working-class women to participate in the day-to-day functioning of the organization until its demise in 1950.[1] She served many positions during her time in the League as:

  • Treasurer of Local 1 (1905-1911)
  • President of Local 1 (1912-1917)
  • Member of the executive board (1910-1929)
  • Administrator of the WTUL Training School for Women Organizers (1914-1926)
  • Member of WTUL national executive board (1919)
  • Secretary-treasurer of National WTUL (1921-1950)
  • Delegate for the (1923)[3]
  • Editor of WTUL's monthly journal Life and Labor Bulletin (1921-1950)[1]

Christman once said, "Good times or bad,the Labor Movement can not afford to stand still."[1]

In 1915, she led a strike at the , where she gathered over 800 workers to propose a contract. She managed to organize the workers and a contract, though most of the employees spoke little-to-no English and were new to the ideas of trade unionism.[2]

United States government[]

During the First World War, she was appointed by two Republican presidents to commissions in 1921 and 1931 addressing unemployment, although she had been a Democrat her entire life. She served the United States government throughout the Second World War in several advisory positions such as:

  • Chief of women field representatives for the National War Labor Board (1917-1918)[4]
  • Appointed member of the (1921)
  • Appointed member of the (1931)
  • Appointed member of the National Recovery Administration (1934), first woman to have this accomplishment, she was appointed by long term friend Mary Anderson[2]
  • Appointed member of the (1936)
  • Appointed member of the Women's Bureau advisory committee (1940)
  • Director of the Women's Bureau of investigation of women's wages in war industries (1942-1943)[1]

In the early 1930s, Christman ran into Eleanor Roosevelt in the streets of Washington, DC and secured a room in the White House for some women in the WTUL to stay in.[5]

Personal life[]

Christman never married, nor did she have any children. Towards the end of her life, she spent much time in a hospital as a patient, though she also organized and led women hospital workers. She died in her niece's home of cerebral arteriosclerosis on April 26, 1975.[1]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Christman, Elisabeth (1881–1975) | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c Sicherman, Barbara; Green, Carol Hurd (1980). Notable American Women: The Modern Period : a Biographical Dictionary. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674627338.
  3. ^ Orleck, Annelise (1995). Common Sense & a Little Fire: Women and Working-class Politics in the United States, 1900-1965. Univ of North Carolina Press. ISBN 9780807845110.
  4. ^ Henry, Alice (1914). The Glove Workers Bulletin.
  5. ^ O'Farrell, Brigid (1996). Rocking the Boat: Union Women's Voices, 1915-1975. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 9780813522692.
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