Uprising In Richfield Springs

By J.N. Cheney

Richfield Springs is similar to West Winfield in that things such as community radicalism and organized labor seem to be nonexistent, at least in one’s first impression of either town.

As has been seen in many of my articles here, though, West Winfield, in spite of its appearance as a quiet little village, has seen sparks of radical action in the forms of community action, student protests, and even labor disputes.

Just as West Winfield shocked me in the revelation of its hidden history of struggles and disputes, the “people’s history,” if you will, in my research I stumbled upon Richfield Springs’ own hidden gem of small-town militancy.

What sets this piece of history apart from everything else found in West Winfield’s surprisingly “revolutionary” history, is that rather than having their struggle seated mainly within their borders, this struggle in Richfield Springs was connected to two larger cities in the Greater Niagara region of New York state.

In January 1962, workers from the dressmaking company Barmon Bros. in three different cities, represented by the International Ladies Garment Workers Union Locals 501 and 345, respectively (though some reports say it was 435), decided to go on strike.

Though news of the strike first broke regarding the company’s Westfield location, it was soon after reported that the Buffalo and Richfield Springs locations would likewise be engaged in the strike effort.

Between Westfield’s 90 employees, Buffalo’s 100, and Richfield Springs’ 60, a total of 250 Barmon Bros. workers would be on the picket line.

Some figures say it was 265 and present different numbers of employees for each branch, but it appears that the 250 is the most commonly accepted total figure.

According to Alec Karensky, serving as the manager of the union’s district council in Upstate New York and Vermont, the main catalyst cited for this work stoppage is the expiration of an agreement between the union and the company and management’s insistence that the workers remain stagnant in their contractual prospects.

When the union made the choice to go on strike, they had been without a proper contract since Nov. 1 of the previous year.

The previous contract paid $1.20 an hour, only 5 cents ...