1199 Oral Histories

The Kheel Center is the official archival repository of the National Union of Hospital and Health Care employees (known as Local 1199 and District 1199). In Local 1199’s early days, the union was a major force in the history of organized labor in New York City, and since its evolution to representing heath care workers, the union has been a major political player nationally—in labor rights, as well as civil rights. With a large membership of African-American, Caribbean, and Latino workers, a robust arts and education program, and a broad and progressive political agenda, the union has been the subject of much study in recent years. This project aims to digitize and preserve interviews conducted between 1975 and 1980 with union leaders, delegates, and members, totaling an estimated 210 hours.