Vintage Union Dues Pinback Button Collection Lot (80 Pcs) 1950-1962 IWA Local 15 For Sale

Incredible Archive of Mid-Century Maritime Labor History!Up for sale is a complete, masterfully preserved collection of eighty (80) vintage union dues pinback buttons from the International Watchmen\'s Association (I.W.A.) Local No. 1536 based in Philadelphia, PA. This localized union guarded and monitored the ships, drydocks, and cargo terminals across the historic mid-century Philadelphia ports.
Who They Were: The International Watchmen\'s Association (I.W.A.) was a specialized, independent union separate from general longshoremen. Its members were the waterfront security forces—dock guards, port watchmen, and gatekeepers who protected multi-million dollar shipping freights, dry docks, and military cargo terminals along the Delaware River.
The shifting colors of the pins (yellow, teal, orange, crimson, split-tones) were a built-in security measure:

• The Visual \"Pass\": At a busy, chaotic mid-century shipyard port, union stewards couldn\'t stop every worker to read small print.
• Instant Verification: The bright color allowed shop stewards to verify from 20 feet away that a watchman on duty was fully paid up for that exact month. If a guard wore the \"wrong month\'s color,\" they were flagged immediately. This makes a complete multi-colored grid highly historic and visually striking for a collector tray.