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[ABOVE] Lebanon, PA Herrmann, Aukam workers march in a World War I patriotic parade in April, 1917 while their fellow employees in South River are on strike.
"...Herrmann, Aukam & Company had 1000 girls costumed as Red Cross nurses in line."
--- Phila. Inquirer April 20, 1916
The Herrmann, Aukam & Co. was still in business according to Jesse Selover's history privately published in 1957, but research into the company history shows that the original Herrmann, Aukam & Co. was dissolved by the mid-1920s, and Herrmann family members started a new firm, Herrmann Handkerchief Company, with offices still in New York City. [RIGHT] Dec., 1932 AD in Motion Picture Herald's
Mickey Mouse Anniversary issue
According to city directories of Lebanon, that company moved it's operations several times in 20's and 30's within the town's small manufacturing district and had several managers.
Still apparently proud on their resistance to union-
The "agitators" at the Herrmann building were some of the estimated 300 David Crystal strikers from the company's plant in nearby Reading, PA. David Crystal had moved work from the struck plant to Lebanon. At the time, nearly 1300 needle trade workers were on strike against garment and hosiery firms there.
In September, 1933, David Crystal, Inc. in Reading signed a contract with the International Ladies Garment Workers Union.
In the early 1960s the company merged, and was known as Herrmann-Herzman of Pennsylvania with Stanley Herzman of New York City as president and it's main product was men's ties.
In 1983 the company dropped the Herrmann name from it's title, becoming Herzman & Co., Inc., and had been manufacturing Girl Scout clothes since the early 1970's.
It remained in operation into, at least, the 1990s, with Seymour Kaplan of NYC as owner.
ization, this small article about an attempt at organizing its neighbor, the David Crystal, Inc. company ("a manufacturer of fine dresses and garments for women")appeared on the front page of the Lebanon Daily News on July 20, 1933.During July, in the greater Lebanon industrial area, 500 workers had struck the New Bedford Silk Mills in East Lebanon as well as smaller strikes against Robins Silk Mill, Krieder Shoe, Liebovitz Shirt Co., Myersville Textile and Breen Silk Mills. This general strike of Lebanon workers saw the wife of progressive PA governor, Gifford Pinchot, Cornelia Bryce Pinchot, visit strikers at both the shirt company and David Crystal.
[BELOW] Help Wanted ad, circa early 1970s
Eventually, Lebanon had a strong union presence by the 1950's, with 5 locals of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union (CIO) as well as locals of the ILGWU and the United Garment Workers (AFL) in town. It cannot be determined if Herrmann was ever unionized.
NEXT PAGE >>> THE FACTORY AFTER HERRMANN, AUKAM & CO.
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