Union Voice/Readers Write: Jewelry union card sparks memories

“I was thrilled to see the membership card of the International Jewelry Workers Union in this morning’s Union City,” writes Ben Ross. “My grandfather held card no. 1 in Local 1 of that union.  I have the certificate he received as founder of the union on its 50th anniversary in 1962, although a few years ago I learned that there were at least two attempts to organize the union before 1912, which ended in lost strikes.  The first was in 1905 which was a year before my grandfather came to this country.”