History of the ILCA

The International Labor Communications Association came into being as a byproduct of the merger of the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations on December 5, 1955. In the months following that merger, editors of union publications from both sides of the AFL-CIO hyphen met frequently to develop a constitution and program for a new organization to be known as the International Labor Press Association.

Membership in the ILPA at that time consisted almost wholly of newspapers, newsletters and magazines of the AFL-CIO and the Canadian Labour Congress, their constituent unions and locals, along with their affiliated departments and state and local central bodies. There were a few radio programs sponsored by labor organizations and one radio station owned by a city central labor body. But the communications revolution wrought by the rapid growth of television, the exploration of space, and the emergence of computers for home and business was still to come.

The first convention of the ILPA was held in December 1956 and drew 200 delegates. An account in the AFL-CIO News reported that the convention had approved programs to "drive out of existence the parasitive racket papers feeding on the fears of uninformed businesses." Also adopted was a broad agenda to "improve the readability, appearance and content of labor papers so that they can provide an effective line of communications between unions and their members."

These objectives are still at the core of the ILCA's being. Even before the 1956 convention, the ILPA had drawn up a code of ethics governing the advertising policies of its member publications. It had also established a Journalism Awards competition to inspire improvements in the quality and professionalism of union journals. At the 1956 assembly, the grand award for general excellence went to Union News of the Oil, Chemical & Atomic Workers. It was accepted by Ray Davidson, who was among the small cadre of editors who created the ILPA.

Presiding at the 1956 convention was Gordon Cole, editor of the Machinist, who was the first president of the ILPA. Pioneers of the organization also included Saul Miller of the AFL, Henry Fleisher of the CIO, Leon Stein of the Ladies' Garment Workers, Ted Ogar of the UAW, Ken Fiester of the Textile Workers Union of America, Marie Downey of the IBEW, Pete Terzick of the Carpenters, Max Steinbock of the RWDSU, Al Herling of the Bakery & Confectionery Workers, and Dick Howard of Labor, the weekly paper of the railroad unions.

Among the milestones in the ILCA's early years was the 1961 convention at which the luncheon speaker was A. J. Liebling, the New Yorker magazine's media critic. His topic was the labor press itself and its role in filling the 'vacuum' left by the daily newspapers of that period. His address so captured and aroused the delegates that many of them sat up with Liebling through the night to continue the discussion.

After his death, the ILCA's A. J. Liebling Memorial Lecture became a highlight of every biennial convention.

In the 1970s, the organization became a leader in the fight to preserve postage rates for non-profit publications. The ILPA worked with religious, farm and fraternal organizations and testified before Congress to keep the non-profit rates from soaring to levels that would have meant the demise of many labor journals.

On another front, the ILPA continued to cooperate with state and federal authorities to identify and put out of business the rackets that disguised themselves as labor publications, selling phony ads that bilked businesses and professionals, thereby staining the image of the labor movement. The expansion of the ILPA is especially evident in the broadening of its membership categories to encompass AFL-CIO fraternal organizations, international institutes and support groups, as well as new electronic communications ventures of affiliated unions, such as television productions and Internet web sites.

From 1971 through the year 2000, the ILPA operated out of a series of offices in the AFL-CIO headquarters, and was staffed by director Judy Robbins. According to Robbins, the ILPA grew over that period from 400 to 900 members and associates. During her tenure, the ILPA was best-known for its annual awards contest, which also grew, reaching 1800 submissions. One of the most evident and positive changes that occurred in that time, she said, was the emergence of women in the membership and the leadership. "They became more active beginning in the 1970s," she said, "and by 2000 they may have been half the membership. Beginning with Diane Curry, we've had a total three women presidents (Susan Phillips and Carolyn Jacobson were the others)."

By the mid-1980s, it was clear that the word "Press" in the title did not cover the broad range of the organization's membership and interests. In 1985, the name was changed to International Labor Communications Association, and "ILPA" became "ILCA."

The ILCA continues to press the objectives that inspired its creation. It is still a watchdog over the ethics of labor journalism. It still encourages higher journalistic standards among its members. It is an education facilitator for newcomers drawn to the craft from factories and shops. It promotes excellence through its competitions and workshops.

And in all these efforts it advances the cause of organized labor and working people everywhere.