Collective bargaining

AFSCME Central Regional Office: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Clerical Administrative Campaign Records

scaloia — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 16:34:16 -0400

AFSCME Local 698, chartered in 1944, initially consisted of laboratory mechanics and agricultural employees of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), with other groups later joining. During 1970-1971, clerical workers initiated an organizing campaign but ultimately failed to get majority support. In 1983, AFSCME sent one organizer, with more following in subsequent years, to UIUC as part of a wider organizing effort in the state of Illinois. In August 1991, a representation election was held and AFSCME won. Local 698 then had its charter amended, granting the clerical-administrative employees a separate local – Local 3700. Contract negotiations began in earnest in 1992. Local 3700 conducted an informational picket in August of 1992. Among the issues was a significant pay gap between state clerical workers (represented by AFSCME Council 31) and the UIUC clerical workers, as well as pay equity between men and women on campus. A group called the Committee of Concerned Clericals attempted to decertify the local, but failed after another election confirmed Local 3700’s status as sole bargaining representative. Members ratified a contract agreement in January of 1993. At that time, Local 3700 had over 1,500 members. The AFSCME Central Regional Office: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Clerical Administrative Campaign Records consist of a chronology of events, newsletters, flyers, brochures, and other organizing materials created in the course of the campaign. Also includes newsletters and publications related to the campaign produced by AFSCME headquarters and AFSCME Council 31.

AFSCME Michigan Council 25 Records

mcourtney — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 13:39:51 -0400

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is an international union that maintains affiliates at the council and local level. Councils generally cover a greater geographic area than locals, and locals report to councils.

AFSCME Council 25, previously Council 29, had offices in Lansing, Detroit, and Southfield. Upon consolidation in the mid-1980s, these records were deposited at the Reuther. This collection spans 1973-1980 and contains meeting minutes and notes from contract negotiations with the City of Detroit for higher wages, shift specific wages, and sick and vacation days for municipal employees. Additionally, this collection holds executive board meeting minutes, negotiation notes, and memorandum from Council 77, a Detroit area council.

AFT Affiliate Lake County Federation of Teachers Records

scaloia — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 15:34:04 -0500

The American Federation of Teachers chartered Local 504, the Lake County Teachers’ Federation, in 1937. The Local began with teachers from Waukegan High School, but in 1977 it federated with seven other AFT-affiliated unions in the county under the Lake County Federation of Teachers (LCFT). The individual unions retained some autonomy, becoming known as councils, and delegates from each council form the governing body of the LCFT. Additional councils formed and joined the LCFT at later dates. The LCFT won collective bargaining in Waukegan in 1967 over the Illinois Education Association (IEA)-affiliated Faculty Association, though Illinois state law did not guarantee such rights until 1984. In addition to collective bargaining, the LCFT has worked to secure tenure rights for teachers, improve pay and working conditions, and eliminate de facto segregation in Lake County schools. Members of the LCFT include primary and secondary school teachers, paraprofessionals, support staff such as secretaries and bus drivers, psychologists and social workers, and higher education faculty and support staff. The LCFT is affiliated and often works in conjunction with the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT), and the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO.

The AFT Affiliate Lake County Federation of Teachers Records consist primarily of organizing, negotiation, and grievance files. Extensive grievance files include cases related to involuntary transfers, pay, benefits, family and medical leaves of absence, certification, retirement, contested evaluations, and conflicts with administration. LCFT Defense Files from IFT field representative Glenn Smith contain bills, correspondence, and other documents related to legal services for grievances. Also included are files related to LCFT history, including its 50th anniversary celebration in 1987 and newsletters published by the IFT, LCFT, and councils within the LCFT. Additional document types include correspondence, contracts, reports, meeting minutes, handwritten notes, and news clippings.

Dearborn Federation of Teachers Local 681 Records

drice — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:22:20 -0400

Part of the national American Federation of Teachers and statewide Michigan Federation of Teachers, the Dearborn Federation of Teachers, was chartered on February 28, 1945. Twenty years later, in1965, Michigan passed the Public Employee Relations Act; a law making organization and collective bargaining legal for public employees. Members of the union serve at four high schools, seven middle schools, 21 elementary schools, a community college and one early learning center within the city of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights.

The collection consists of materials related to the organization and activities of the Dearborn Federation of Teachers. The bulk of the collection is comprised of DFT subject files. The files cover topics such as the 1967 strike, the decline in enrollment that lead to surplus teacher layoffs, implementation of peer-review, the increase in the Arabic speaking population, and the schools’ efforts to increase bilingual education. The Organization Files series includes board and general meetings, contracts, elections, bargaining and negotiations, and some national conventions. The Fordson High series consists of materials from the high school, collected by John Fowler, reflecting his role in the school, DFT and in the Social Studies department, and includes the activities of students and other teachers.

AFT Great Lakes Regional Office Records

scaloia — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 12:34:48 -0500

The American Federation of Teachers is a labor union representing primary and secondary school teachers, paraprofessionals, higher education faculty, professional staff, and nurses and other health care professionals. Regional offices fall under the auspices of the Department of Organizing and are responsible for organizing efforts and other assistance to local and state federations. The Great Lakes Region includes Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, West Virginia, and Indiana. The Great Lakes Region was once part of the Midwest Region, and records from that office are also included. The Midwest region included Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The records cover organizing projects, collective bargaining campaigns, field director and staff meeting notes and minutes, AFT Executive Council meeting packets, mergers between AFT state offices or locals and National Education Association affiliates, and national, regional, and local conferences. Audiovisual materials include VHS tapes, audiocassettes, photographs and negatives. Files from former Midwest Regional Director Mark Chaykin’s work in other areas of the country are also included.

AFT Inventory Part II Records

dgolodner — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:06:07 -0400

Contains Series VIII-XIII. read more »

Series VIII State publications, 1950s-1963
Series IX, miscellaneous materials 1935-1964
Series X communications to locals, 1934-1963
Series XI memos and mimeographed materials, 1921-1964
Series XII Locals, 1914-1960s 4W-B-5 (1-3) 4W-B-4(5-9)
Series XIII AFT conventions, 1916-1967

AFT Local 691: Kansas City Federation of Teachers Records

scaloia — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:06:08 -0400

The Kansas City Federation of Teachers, Local 691 of the American Federation of Teachers, represents classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, secretaries, bus drivers, security officers, and school nurses in Kansas City, Missouri.

Part I consists of correspondence, reports, minutes, clippings, and publications documenting negotiations, strikes and grievances. There is also information on integration, education reform issues and the rivalry between the AFT and the National Education Association.

Part II of the Kansas City Federation of Teachers Records contain a significant amount of material related to a desegregation case involving the Kansas City School District. The KCFT was involved in the case, which began in 1977. District court rulings resulted in segregation efforts in the district with busing programs, magnet schools, increased funding for facilities, programs, and salaries for teachers and other personnel. Eventually the case reached the Supreme Court in State of Missouri, et al. v. Kalima Jenkins, et al. in 1995. Other topics of note in the records are collective bargaining and organizing, a dispute between the KCFT and Blenheim elementary principal Gloria Jenkins, a collaboration between the KCFT and the district on a peer review and intervention program, and the KCFT newsletter, The Local’s View.

AFT Local 698: East Detroit Federation of Teachers Records

dgolodner — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:06:08 -0400

Teachers of East Detroit, Michigan, were first organized into the American Federation of Teachers in 1942, as members of the Macomb County Federation of Teachers, Local 698. The papers of the EDFT, beginning in 1953, include correspondence, minutes, constitutions, school board policy papers, and material on collective bargaining, co-ops, financial statements, conferences, grievances, merit rating, millage campaigns, strikes, mediation, insurance, retirement, and other matters of interest to teachers. Correspondents include Henry Linne, Carl Megel, Mary Ellen Riordan, Harold Ryan, and August Scholle.

Local 1175: Alaska Federation of Teachers Records

dgolodner — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:21:02 -0500

The Alaska Federation of Teachers Local 1175, originally named the Alaska State Employees Association, formed in 1959 before state employees were allowed to bargain collectively. In 1972 Alaska passed a public employee relation act giving the ASEA the power to bargain for its members. In 1988 the association joined the AFT. The records contain information on the 1978 strike; the decertification and joining of the AFT campaign, membership information, executive board minutes, and legal issues pertaining to public employees in Alaska.

AFT Organizing Department Records

scaloia — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 16:37:56 -0500

The Organizing Department facilitates the growth of local affiliates of the American Federation of Teachers. Under the tenures of David Selden and Albert Shanker, both of whom had extensive organizing experience prior to their respective presidencies, organizing efforts ramped up significantly in the 1960s and 1970s. The AFT was the fastest growing union in the mid-1970s when organizing became a distinct department. The department provides services and resources to state and local affiliates across the country. Field representatives and other department staff members assist locals in organizing campaigns and collective bargaining elections. Individuals who have served as head of organizing in the past include Jim Mundy, John Schmid, Phil Kugler, and Lou Nayman.

The AFT Organizing Department Records include correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, contracts and bargaining agreements, grievance files, surveys, newsletters and brochures, personnel files, material related to workshops and conferences, and organizing campaign files. Organizing efforts revolve around primary and secondary school teachers and paraprofessionals, bus drivers, college and university employees, and nurses and other health care professionals.

AFT Secretary-Treasurer's Office Records

dgolodner — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 14:27:04 -0400

Papers covering the activities of various secretary-treasurers of the AFT. The secretary-treasurer oversees departments within the national office, collects per capita dues, responds to affiliates’ needs such as strike and collective bargaining assistance, and is closely involved with the AFT Executive Council and the AFL-CIO secretary-treasurers.

Part I topics of note include organizing, segregated locals, worker education, international teacher unions, federal aid to education, and academic freedom.

Part II contains additional content related to the subjects in Part I, as well as material related to union finances, various assistance programs, strikes, the AFT Executive Committee and Council, AFT National Conventions, the National Education Association, and the AFL-CIO, especially jurisdictional disputes and secretary-treasurers' meetings.

AFT Southern Regional Office Records

drice — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 10:56:38 -0400

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), was founded in 1916 to improve the working lives of teachers through-out the country and has grown to be one of the largest unions in the United States that is affiliated with the AFL-CIO. The southern regional office is one of five satellite offices of the AFT. The southern region represents teachers from elementary school through higher education, paraprofessionals, and school-related personnel who are members of the AFT in the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington D.C. The function of the office is to assist in organizing local affiliates in the region, help with negotiations, lend support in various education reform initiatives and train AFT members in the region.

The majority of the office’s records consist of correspondence between locals, school districts, and the AFT. These records also give detailed information on organizing campaigns and negotiating contracts. Other materials include state constitutions, education related issues, lawsuits, legal decisions, state and federal legislation, pamphlets, salary information, news releases, newspaper articles, and union newsletters.

AFT Higher Education Department: Graduate Student Organizing Files

dgolodner — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 14:03:57 -0500

The AFT Higher Education department was started in the late 1960s to focus on organizing faculty and staff on campuses across the country. This collection focuses on the organizing drives with graduate students. The collection is made up of correspondence, newspapers clippings, journal articles, flyers and contracts.

American Federation of Teachers Publications

dgolodner — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 10:23:31 -0500

The American Federation of Teachers was founded in 1916 and immediately made the American Teacher, published by the New York City Teachers Union, as its official organ. Since then the AFT has published numerous publications that range from organizing tools to professional development materials for its members. It has also published materials dealing with the labor movement, tenure, civil and human rights as well as teaching tools. Official publications of the AFT also spoke directly to the AFT’s diverse membership, which includes higher education higher education faculty and staff, paraprofessionals, public employees and health care workers.

This is an artificial collection made up of these publications from AFT headquarters, AFT affiliates and individuals associated with the AFT drawn from the preexisting library collection and from various other shipments.

AFT Research Department: Contracts

dgolodner — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 09:40:25 -0500

The Research Department of the American Federation of Teachers is one of the oldest departments of within the AFT and this particular collection contains collective bargaining contracts negotiated by AFT affiliates and from the NEA, AAUP and other unions that represent teachers in K-16, paraprofessionals, nurses and public employees. Of note in series II there are contract language for community education and charter schools. The rule books and handbooks are especially interesting for some are pre collective bargaining and contain unique language on the duties of employees and what was expected of students.

Gabriel Alexander Papers

abarker — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:58:26 -0400

Attorney Gabriel Alexander served with the Region XI National War Labor Board and the National Wage Stabilization Board during World War II. In the private sector he served in the American Arbitration Association, and acted as arbitrator for cases such as General Motors and the UAW from 1948 to 1956, and as a permanent arbitrator for Great Lakes Steel-United Steelworkers. The papers of Mr. Alexander reflect his work in both the government and private sector as it relates to the interaction between union and management.

Part I contains government service files documenting Mr. Alexander's role as hearing officer, public panel member, or advisor in labor matters of importance to state and federal government agencies.

Part II contains private sector case files documenting Mr. Alexander's role as an arbitrator or referee in dispute cases.

ALPA New York PAA MEC Records

bbealmear — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 07:37:20 -0500

The New York Pan American World Airways (PAA) Master Executive Council (MEC) records span the years 1974-1991. In January 1991, Pan Am declared bankruptcy, and ceased to exist by year’s end. The MEC’s office was located in New York City. The bulk of the collection is related to contract negotiations. Other materials include correspondence with MEC officers, and weekly logs of activities.

Ken Barger Papers

drice — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 16:46:10 -0400

Ken Barger (1941-), who was raised in east Tennessee, became active in social change after his experiences serving in the Vietnam War. He was a professor of Anthropology for thirty years at Indiana University Indianapolis, focusing professionally on social change. Through these professional interests, he got involved with the farm labor movement and the immigrant rights movement. Barger has been an active member of the FLOC movement since 1979. He participated in many activities, such as building boycotts, farm labor education, immigrant rights, and public education about migrant worker justice. He was the vice president of the Farm Labor Research Project and the community organizer for FLOC. As of 2011, he serves on the board of directors for the Campaign for Migrant Worker Justice as secretary.

The Ken Barger Papers are predominantly FLOC materials. Included are packets from the FLOC Constitutional Conventions and collective bargaining agreements between workers and companies like Vlasic Foods, Heinz U.S.A. and Campbell Soup. Several campaigns are covered with an abundance of material relating to the Campbell Soup Campaign and Mt. Olive Campaign. There are also copies of FLOC publications and Nuestra Lucha.

Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Records

drice — Fri, 03 May 2013 11:45:20 -0400

The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (BMWE) was founded at Demopolis, Alabama, in July, 1887 under the name of the Order of Railroad Trackmen, and eventually came to include all workers who build and maintain the tracks, bridges, buildings and other structures of the railroads. Its Grand Lodge headquarters was permanently established in Detroit, Michigan in 1913, and is comprised of System Divisions or Federations, each of which has under its jurisdiction one or more railroad systems and the Subordinate Lodges located on those systems. In 2004, the BMWE merged with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, to become the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Part 1 of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Collection consists primarily of outgoing presidential correspondence for the years 1899-1900 and 1912-1914, preserved in letterpress copybooks, Grand Executive Committee meeting minutes and proceedings for the years 1918-1920, and BMWE Ladies' Auxiliary convention proceedings as well as minutes and correspondence of the Denver and Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul) Auxiliaries.

Part 2 of the records are a comprehensive documentation of the organization’s activities related to the growth and decline of railroad systems on an international, national and divisional scale. Organizational documentation includes governing documents, correspondence to and from Presidents and union members, and agreements from 1906-2004, which give insight into a union that at one time had more than 350,000 members. Records specifically document the organization’s founding and history, its administration, and the evolving activities of its members.

David Burciaga Papers

kschmeling — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 09:10:42 -0500

David Burciaga worked with many farm worker movement leaders, including Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta and Gilbert Padilla in various capacities, from the 1950s to the 1980s. He served as the United Farm Workers’ top contract negotiator, working with both farm workers and growers. Prior to his involvement with the UFW, Burciaga worked with the American Friends Service Committee as the El Porvenir community development advisor from 1964 to 1970 and for the Community Service Organization (CSO). David Burciaga died in 2011.

The files of David Burciaga mainly consist of his activities with the American Friends Service Committee, the Community Service Organization and The United Farm Workers of America.

Irwin L. Deshetler Papers

drice — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 09:49:43 -0400

Material collected by Mr. DeShetler as secretary-treasurer of the AFL Flat Glass Workers Union (1935-37), president of the CIO Federation of Glass, Ceramic and Sand Workers (1939-42), CIO regional director of southern California (1946-52), CIO assistant regional director of Region 13 (1952-55), AFL-CIO assistant regional director of Region 22 (1955-68) and National AFL-CIO coordinator for Farm Workers (1968-71). Various activities of the Glass Workers Union, such as Executive Board meetings (1935-39), factional disputes and organizing, political campaigns in California (1953-68), jurisdictional raiding, AFL-CIO merger, the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee, and welfare programs in Los Angeles (1947-56) are covered.

Detroit Symphony Orchestra Hall, Inc. Records

drice — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:13:58 -0500

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) grew out of an attempt by a group of ten young women in 1914 to provide Detroit with culture. A permanent home, Orchestra Hall, was built in 1919 by C. Howard Crane. The DSO performs regular subscription and special concerts, as well as provides a number of special events and programs outside of Orchestra Hall. The records of the DSO relate its administration, marketing, and public relations, as well as the orchestra's community outreach, cultural activities, and influence of its music directors.

Detroit Typographical Union No. 18 Records

drice — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:53:55 -0500

Detroit Typographical Union (DTU) No. 18 was established in 1852 in conjunction with the establishment of the National Typographical Union (later known as the International Typographical Union or ITU). Throughout its history the union has represented three major dailies: The Detroit News, The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit Times as well as suburban newspaper publications and non-newsprint publishers of the Detroit metropolitan area.

The DTU records document its administration and activities from the turn of the 19th century, including strikes, grievances, and attempted mergers. The Detroit Mailers Union is also documented.

The portion of the records processed as of January 2024 includes DTU and other union contract booklets; ITU Books of Laws; various publications such as The ITU Review, the Typographical Journal, and the No. 18 Reporter; some materials from the Communications Workers of America (CWA); souvenir books from ITU conventions, 1940s-1980s; a small number of photographs and artifacts; a bound volume of the Detroit Reporter strike newspaper from 1955-1956; a scrapbook of clippings from suburban Detroit newspapers from 1966.

Walter Dorosh Papers

abarker — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:37:58 -0400

Walter Dorosh served as president of United Auto Workers Local 600. His papers reflect his chairmanship of the UAW Convention Resolutions Committee and to a lesser degree, his work with the UAW Ford National Negotiations Committee, the UAW Skilled Trades Department, and the UAW Community Action Program.

Dan Forchione Papers

drice — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 11:31:49 -0400

Dan Forchione was an active member of the UAW from the 1940s until his retirement in 1988. He helped organize UAW Local 542 at the Ford Motor Company forge plant in Canton, Ohio, in the 1940s and served as the Local’s president and bargaining committee chairperson. In 1954 he was appointed an International representative and assigned to the UAW Ford Department staff. He transferred to the UAW Region 2 staff in 1957 and serviced local unions around Ohio. Forchione was elected director of UAW Region 2 and served from 1968 to 1970. He returned to the National Ford Department in the 1970s and served as administrative assistant under UAW vice-presidents Ken Bannon, Donald Ephlin, and Stephen Yokich from 1974 until the 1980s. In this role he was deeply involved in collective bargaining, contract negotiations and union membership, leading the UAW bargaining team in the 1980s in negotiations over job security, profit sharing and worker participation in management.

These papers reflect Forchione’s work primarily in the UAW National Ford Department, but also his work with local unions in Ohio and UAW Region 2. There are records, notes and correspondence from contract negotiations beginning in the 1950s, with the bulk in the 1970s-1980s. There are many documents on the history of specific local unions, the UAW and Ford Motor Company, as well as records of union arbitration cases.

Charles T. Hawkins Papers

drice — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:21:12 -0500

Captain Charles Hawkins was an airline pilot with Pan American Airlines (PAA) and served various terms as a representative in the the Airline Pilots Association throughout his career. His papers reflect his work as an official representative of the ALPA-PAA negotiation committees in the 1950s and 1960s.

Francis Heisler Papers

drice — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:46:17 -0500

Francis Heisler practiced law, representing numerous labor unions, conscientious objectors and draft resisters, and handled many civil rights and civil liberties cases in both Chicago, IL and California. His papers reflect his legal career with primary emphasis on labor-related cases.

Helen Bowers Papers

dgolodner — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 11:56:31 -0400

Helen Marie Newman Bowers was born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin on May 16, 1908. After graduating from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, she began teaching art in Detroit, Michigan in 1933 and quickly got involved with the Detroit Federation of Teachers (DFT), Local 231. She left the teaching profession in 1958 to become the executive secretary of the DFT. Together with DFT President Mary Ellen Riordan, Detroit teachers won collective bargaining in 1964. Helen Bowers won duty-free lunch hours for elementary teachers, and conceived of “demonstration picketing” before schools opened in the morning to raise awareness to the community about why teachers were demanding collective bargaining. Ms. Bowers served on the Executive Board and became editor of the DFT newspaper, The Detroit Teacher.

The papers of Helen Bowers reflect her work with the DFT and education reform initiatives. This involves pre-collective bargaining rights in dealing with academic freedom, civil liberties as well as a living wage for teachers. Communism files contain a thorough documentation of the Maki Case trial from clippings from the three Detroit newspapers. The collection also contains very useful information about how the union gained power after collective bargaining was won. Their influence in education issues is seen in issues about accountability, decentralization and student rights.

Dolores Huerta Papers

drice — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 15:04:27 -0400

Dolores Huerta champions the rights of farm workers and Latinos. As a young teacher her experiences in classrooms filled with hungry children of migrant farm workers led her to believe that an even greater need was organizing farm workers. Dolores first met Cesar Chavez in the late 1950s while organizing farm workers under the name of the Agricultural Workers Association. In 1962 they founded the National Farm Workers Association in Delano, California. Today, Dolores Huerta continues to place La Causa first. She remains a boundlessly energetic and charismatic leader for the United Farm Workers union as an executive board member, union negotiator and lecturer. In addition, Huerta has been honored with numerous awards across the country for her work as an advocate for the rights of women, immigrants and people of color.

The papers of Dolores Huerta primarily deal with boycotts, strikes, and the ongoing struggle for workers’ rights and organizations involved in such matters.

Lloyd Lampher Papers

drice — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 10:48:13 -0500

Lloyd Lampher was a member of the International Pressman and Assistants Union of North America and an officer of the Detroit Printing Press Union #2. His papers reflect his work with these unions.

Michael W. Kerwin Papers

srafferty — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 14:17:13 -0400

Mike Kerwin moved to Detroit in 1950 and began work at American Metal Products Co. which led to his membership with the UAW Local 174. Mike Kerwin also served as an Editor of the Local 174 newsletter, Union Voice. After 3 years in this position and becoming increasingly involved in Local 174’s Education Committee, Kerwin began working directly for the UAW as a Technician in the Education Department. Kerwin worked in the UAW Education Department until his retirement, creating educational programs for union members. Kerwin’s work with the UAW, as well as his own interests, led him to be very active in a number of Detroit and Michigan area groups related to the Democratic Party, Detroit Public Schools, Catholic faith, and labor. Among his many accomplishments, Kerwin helped found the Michigan Labor History Society in 1977 where he remained an active member until his passing on July 19, 2021.

Jewell Mills Papers

drice — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:27:31 -0500

Jewell Mills was active in organizing the Utica Federation of Teachers and was a vice president of the Michigan Federation of Teachers. This collection contains issues surrounding teacher bargaining in the mid-1960s.

Bette Murphy Papers

aergas — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 10:34:44 -0400

An active member of United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 148 (Douglas Aircraft-Long Beach), Bette Murphy was the first woman at Douglas to hold positions of supervisor and manufacturing engineer. Ms. Murphy’s papers document the affairs of Local 148 throughout her career.

NALC City Delivery Director Records

drice — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:22:44 -0400

The national position of City Delivery Director of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) was created in 1972 to focus on all organizational activities relating to city delivery service, including grievances, training programs, and policies and regulations. Records in this collection reflect the activities of two directors: Gustave J. Johnson, the first City Delivery Director, and his sucessor, Joseph H. Johnson. The majority of the materials relate to grievances and arbitration proceedings.

NALC Office of the President: Vincent Sombrotto Records

kschmeling — Tue, 10 Jul 2018 11:31:50 -0400

Vincent R. Sombrotto was elected the 16th president of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) in 1978, serving nearly 24 years until his retirement in December 2002. Bolstered by the rank and file movement in the early 1970s, Sombrotto was overwhelmingly elected president following the adoption of reforms he advocated to make the union leadership more responsive to its members. His accomplishments included wage increases, improving working conditions, passing reform of the Hatch Act, and actively promoting community service and charity fund raising including the annual NALC Food Drive.

Parts 1 and 2 of NALC President’s Office: Vincent R. Sombrotto Records document his presidency, beginning with his first term in 1979. The materials in the collection create a cohesive picture of his time in office, detailing day-to-day activities and administration, organizational affiliations, political action, community service, and interaction with the union membership.

Archie W. Robinson Papers

abarker — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:20:16 -0400

Journalist Archie Robinson served as the labor editor of the Detroit News, as a press officer for the National War Labor Board, as labor editor of the U.S. News and World Report, and authored George Meany and His Times, a history of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and its president. Mr. Robinson’s papers document his career in journalism and his coverage of major labor issues.

Adair Damman Papers

aorchard — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 14:49:58 -0500

Adair Damman’s affiliation with SEIU began in 1981, and Damman worked at SEIU for a number of years, most notably as an organizer. Presently. Damman works as the Legislative Director of Local 925 in Seattle, Washington.

These records primarily document Damman’s earlier work during the 1980s and 1990s. Much of the material focuses on Local 1864 in Nevada, Local 707 and the Mendocino County Employees Association in California, Local 880 in Boston, and organizing Local 6. Predominate topics are organizing and campaigns, but training and leadership are also heavily featured. Material types include correspondence, clippings, campaign materials, training materials, and audiovisual materials such as stickers, buttons, photographs, and tapes.

SEIU Communications Department Records

aorchard — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 10:52:19 -0500

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) was founded in 1921 as a union of flat janitors. Over the years it has grown in size and scope, and now comprises three divisions: healthcare, property services, and public services. The records of SEIU’s Communications Department document the International’s mass mailings from 1974 through 1987. Included in the collection are (predominately) monthly summaries listing all the mass mailings sent by the International (with the exceptions of June 1983-October 1983, January 1985-March 1985, and January 1986-December 1987) and copies of the individual mass mailings (with the exception of January 1974-June 1976).

These mass mailings collected by the Communications Department were generated by a variety of individuals and departments (including Research and Publications). Topics include human rights and health issues, union resolutions, pensions, politics (including COPE), women (especially 925), scholarships, legislative actions, and various topics relevant to SEIU members. Document formats found within the records include correspondence, memos, articles, newsletters, and flyers.

SEIU Executive Vice President's Office: Patricia Ford Records

aorchard — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 14:41:28 -0400

In 1973, Pat Ford, then a clerical worker at Alameda County Hospital, aided in the creation of Local 616 by affiliating the 4000-member association with SEIU. Ford held various leadership positions in Local 616, including president (the Local’s first African-American woman president), and Executive Director. In addition to Ford’s service to Local 616, in 1996 she was elected as SEIU Executive Vice President, and reelected in 2000. During her tenure with SEIU, Ford helped to found the Caucus of African Descent (AFRAM), lead SEIU’s government affairs program, and coordinated SEIU’s civil and human rights activism. A full biography on Patricia Ford, may be found in Ford’s oral history held at the Reuther Library.

The SEIU Executive Vice President’s Office: Patricia Ford Records contains digital transcripts of 25 speeches given by Patricia Ford during her tenure as SEIU Executive Vice President. The records particularly reveal Ford’s involvement with organizations such as CBTU, CLUW, and NAACP. Also included is one folder of photographs, primarily featuring Ford at various SEIU events.

Speech transcripts may be found here:
https://www.reuther.wayne.edu/search/node/pat+ford+speech+transcript

SEIU Healthcare Division Records

aorchard — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 11:43:46 -0500

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) was founded in 1921 as a union of flat
janitors. Over the years it has grown in size and scope, now comprising three divisions:
healthcare, property services, and public services. The Healthcare Division Records primarily
detail various aspects of Hospital and Healthcare Workers Union Local 250’s trusteeship and
transition back to self-governance from 1986 through 1989. Additional subjects covered are the 1986 Healthcare Division Conference, and the 1986 Kaiser Strike. Document formats found within the records include correspondence, speeches, briefings, agenda, and clippings.

SEIU Local 517M Records

aorchard — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 15:24:25 -0500

Two SEIU Michigan locals, Local 517M and Local 591, created the materials found within this collection. Local 591 represented multiple school districts within the state of Michigan and in January 2005, Local 591 merged into Local 517M. Local 517M primarily represented public employees working for the state of Michigan and previously merged with Local 31M in 2002. Local 517M is still active today, and as such, this collection will likely continue to grow.

Materials in this collection include publications, constitutions and bylaws, agreements and contracts, and audiovisual materials including photographs, videocassettes, and DVDs.

SEIU Publications

aorchard — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 11:34:53 -0400

SEIU Publications is primarily comprised of serials created by the International, Locals, Joint Councils, and Conferences. Included in the collection are International convention proceedings dating back to the official inception of SEIU, constitutions and bylaws, and serials published at the International level. However, the bulk of the materials are serials created by SEIU Locals, Joint Councils, and Conferences, documenting member concerns and plights, as well as important events and issues of the various coverage eras.

SEIU Publications is an artificial collection, its contents pulled from other SEIU collections (processed prior to 2012) to create a single grouping of all SEIU publications. SEIU collections processed after 2012 will retain their publications, with the exception of full runs.

SEIU Research Department Records

ljones — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:09:02 -0500

The SEIU Research Department was established in 1942 as the Research and Education Department. It was created mainly to help prepare negotiators at the bargaining table during World War II. Its main purpose was to gather data and information from the locals. The department would analyze the data, synthesize it and distribute reports throughout the organization. The department was expanded in 1945. Additional responsibilities grew to include analyzing new labor trends and organizational methods, fiscal and economic data and tracking federal budgets.

The SEIU Research Department Records, Part One and Two, largely contain reports and surveys (mostly SEIU related and largely providing stats) regarding benefits, collective bargaining agreements, contracts & data surveys, death gratuity, economic issues, industry surveys, locals, membership, scholarship competitions, research, companies with which SEIU organizes, gender, health and safety, anti-discrimination/affirmative action, policies,
laws, school employees, technology, video display terminals, organizing, cost containment, and wages.

The SEIU Research Department Records, Part Three, largely contain key contracts spanning from the early 1930s until the mid 1990s. Correspondence, reports, company profiles, surveys, employer financial records, contract votes, employee policies, clippings, newsletters, bulletins, and other material comprise the collection as well.

SEIU Secretary-Treasurer's Office: Richard Cordtz Records

aorchard — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 09:48:40 -0500

Richard Cordtz’s affiliation with SEIU spanned nearly 50 years, beginning in the late 1940s as a member of Local 102 while he worked at the Del Mar Racetrack, and ending in 1996 as President of the International. During his journey from member to president, Cordtz held a variety of positions within SEIU including union organizer, Local 79 President, Joint Council 35 President, Central States Conference President, and Secretary-Treasurer of the International. Cordtz was also active in the AFL-CIO serving as Vice-President of Metropolitan Detroit AFL-CIO, and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Michigan AFL-CIO. Cordtz was elected to Secretary-Treasurer in 1980 and remained in this position until President John J. Sweeney resigned to assume presidency of the AFL-CIO in October 1995. Cordtz was immediately elected president to finish Sweeney’s term (through April 1996). Cordtz initially planned to run for reelection, but ceased his bid when it became clear that opponent Andy Stern held more support.

The majority of the records in this collection are from Cordtz’s time as International Secretary-Treasurer. The collection is divided into four series. Series I: Meetings, Speeches, and Conferences, contains meeting minutes and agenda, speeches, conference ephemera, and correspondence related to Cordtz’ positions as International Secretary-Treasurer and President of Local 79. Series II: Revoked Locals, contains charters, correspondence, and bonding documents from revoked, amalgamated, and disbanded locals over the course of 1940-1992. Series III: Topical Files, contains subject files mostly created during Cordtz’s tenure, relating to both his SEIU positions and his external interests. Series IV Historical Files, contains historical materials that Cordtz appears to have inherited from his predecessors. These historical SEIU records include booklets and pamphlets, but most significantly, include correspondence from the 1920s to SEIU’s first president, William Quesse, as well as correspondence related to George Hardy’s 1974 White House testimony at the Conference on Inflation, such as signed letters from President Gerald Ford.

Mark Sharwood Papers

drice — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:43:51 -0400

Mark Sharwood was as a full time volunteer for the United Farm Workers from 1976 until 1982. He worked towards passing Proposition 14, for which he traveled through California, Texas, Mid-west states and New York, assisting with various boycotts and campaigns. Beginning in 1978, Sharwood handled the propaganda for the Imperial Valley election. He created graphic fliers in order to communicate ideas that did not translate into words.

Sharwood’s records consist of leaflets, pamphlets and flyers used in organizing campaigns from 1977 through 1979. The material pertains largely to organizing efforts from Lamont-Delano, Coachella Valley, Imperial Valley, Oxnard, Santa Maria, and Salinas-Watsonville UFW field offices. Additional materials regarding the 1978-1978 Lettuce/Vegetable strike and the Texas, Rio Grande Valley are included. The collection also includes Anti-UFW leaflets from the same areas in California.

State Workers Organizing Committee Records

drice — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 15:10:18 -0500

The State Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC) was a semi-caucus and political movement that worked within several unions, including the Welfare Employees Union (WUE), the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the Michigan State Employees Association (MSEA), and the United Auto Workers (UAW) in the late 1970s and early 1980s. SWOC was born from within the WEU and served as an activist organization that played a key role in establishing local union chapters, including the UAW Local 6000 and the AFSCME 1880. Additionally, SWOC took part in rallies, job actions, and legal endeavors on issues related to worker concessions, bargaining rights, layoffs, reassignments, grievances, and welfare rights.

The State Workers Organizing Committee Records contains material related to SWOC and affiliated labor groups, such as the Welfare Employees Union and the Michigan State Employees Association. Material included in the collection consists mostly of paper records documenting the efforts of SWOC and the MSEA to establish local union chapters and to agitate for workers rights, including meeting and convention information, legal proceedings, promotional materials, and correspondence with various labor groups and government agencies.

Stuart Strachan Papers

drice — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:37:01 -0400

Stuart Strachan held several positions in the United Auto Workers Locals 615 and 174, throughout his career. His papers reflect UAW activities at the time, both local and national.

Beverly Takahashi Papers

pneirink — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 14:00:25 -0400

Beverly Takahashi worked as a doctoral student on their dissertation about organizing homecare workers. These records are a collection of documents about the fight for unionization of 74,000 home health-care workers in the SEIU (Service Employees International Union) between 1992-2001 in Southern California, as well as the fight and struggle between IHSS (In Home Supportive Services) and significantly disabled citizens receiving inadequate care that was promised to them. This collection includes correspondence, reports, personal statements, newsletters, draft contracts, collective bargaining agreements, and others.

UAW Chrysler Department Records

drice — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:28:29 -0500

The UAW Chrysler Department was formed in the year following the tumultuous sit-down strikes of 1937. Responsible of the department included planning, developing, negotiating, and administering collective bargaining agreements for Chrysler workers in the United States and Canada.

The records of the department reflect its administration and activities and largely include the files of Arthur Hughes, an administrative assitant and assistant director in the department from 1940-1978.

UAW Ford Department Records

drice — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:39:42 -0500

The UAW signed its first contract with Ford Motor Company in 1941 after years of confrontation between labor and management. They achieved many gains for Ford employees, including a pension plan, health care benefits, workplace health and safety protection, skilled trades recognition, a shortened work week, more paid days off, supplemental unemployment benefits, and a guaranteed annual income credit. Their records document department affairs under the leadership of Richard Leonard and Ken Bannon.