Labor unions and communism

AFT Inventory Part I Records

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

Contains Series I, III, IV, VI.

Series I Presidents department, 1920-1964 4W-B-8(1-6), 4W-B-7(9)
Series III Executive Council, 1916-1980 4W-B-7(6-9)
Series IV Defunct Locals, 1916-1958 4W-B-7(3-6)
Series VI Old correspondence with locals, 1914-1940s 4W-B-7(1-2) 4W-B-6(9)

Papers consist of correspondence, ballots, proceedings from meetings, clippings, local finances, per capita reports, charter applications. Subjects include integration, federal works programs, loyalty oaths, academic freedom, federal aid to education, communist issues. read more »

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

Brookwood Labor College: Mark and Helen Norton Starr Papers

aergas — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 09:37:10 -0400

With a background in teaching history and economics in England, Mark Starr moved to the U.S. and went to work for Brookwood Labor College as extension director in 1928. He became Director of the Ladies Garment Workers Union Educational Department in 1934, where he served for almost 30 years publishing pamphlets and articles on workers' education and labor history. In the 1960s he traveled for the International Labour Office gathering information and training labor leaders in foreign countries. The Mark and Helen Starr papers relate to Mark Starr's research, writing, and travels.

CIO Office of the Secretary-Treasurer Records

drice — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:58:06 -0400

Part 1 contains James B. Carey records, secretary-treasurer of the CIO from 1938 to 1955. Mr. Carey served as chairman of the CIO Civil Rights Committee and secretary-treasurer of the Philip Murray Memorial Foundation. He was the CIO representative to many international conferences, held a number of advisory positions with U.S. government agencies, and was on the executive boards of many private organizations. The topics cover a wide range of CIO activities. Among these are attempts to reunite the AFL and the CIO from 1937 to 1942 and again in 1955; Harry Bridges; communism in the labor movement; financial affairs of the CIO; International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and World Federation of Trade Unions; disputes within electrical workers' unions; CIO and Latin America; labor in World War II; anti-communism, and political action. Correspondents include nearly every major labor figure for the period.

Part 2 contains George L.P. Weaver records. In addition to serving as assistant secretary-treasurer of the CIO, he also held at various times the positions of assistant to the president of the United Transportation Service Employees Union; director of the ClO's Civil Rights Committee; assistant to the chairman of the National Security Resources Board; and member of the Committee to Reorganize the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. Mr. Weaver also played leading roles in the senatorial and presidential campaigns of Stuart Syrnington. In addition to labor topics, the Weaver papers cover Americans for Democratic Action; civil rights; Atlantic Conference of 1959; tin missions to Bolivia and southeast Asia (1951-52); housing; defense; manpower; McCarran-Walter Immigration Bill; NAACP; and the Taft-Hartley Act.

Part 3 contains records from the office of James Carey. In addition to material relating to his tenure as Secretary-Treasurer, there are some records relating to his role in the IUE. Topics covered include: UE; anti-Communism; expulsion of left-led unions from CIO; and HUAC.

Charles M. Dewey Papers

abarker — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:40:22 -0400

A militant labor activist, Charles Dewey was a member of United Auto Workers Local 155 and supported a number of UAW dissident groups, including the Independent Skilled Trades Council. Mr. Dewey’s papers relate his work with Local 155 and UAW dissident groups.

Ken Eckert Papers

pneirink — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 10:39:35 -0500

Kenneth Eckert was a Toledo-born organizer for the UAW, the National Association of Die Casting Workers, and International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers, and a member of the Communist Party. Eckert became involved with the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers when it absorbed the die casters union in 1942, a remaining regional director and board member until the merger was dissolved in 1948. The Ken Eckert collection contains court documents, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and photographs pertaining to the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers, its Die Casting Division, and their significant shared membership with the Communist Party. Of particular interest is documentation of the 1942 merger between the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers and the National Association of Die Casting Workers; the 1948 dissolution of that merger; and Eckert’s testimony to United States Senate committees investigating Communist membership in labor unions. The collection also includes labor and Communism pamphlets, court subpoenas, administrative union documents, and Eckert’s notes and research materials for a book he was planning in the 1950s.

Ben Edelbrock Papers

aergas — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 08:42:46 -0400

The papers of Edelbrock consist of a contract agreement, minutes of meetings of Joint Council of West Side Local 174, the UAW Detroit District Council and several pieces of miscellaneous correspondence. Subjects include UAW Local 174.

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Papers

drice — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:25:06 -0500

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn joined the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) as a high school student in 1906, but left school a year later to dedicate herself to organizing full time. A gifted and popular speaker, over the next several years she participated in IWW free speech and legal defense fund-raising campaigns and helped organize the Lawrence and Paterson textile strikes. A tireless defender of labor and political agitators facing deportation, Ms. Flynn helped found the ACLU in 1920, only to be expelled in 1940 for having joined the Communist Party three years earlier. She also wrote and lectured extensively on women’s issues. In the mid-1950s she was imprisoned for violation of the Smith Act and in 1961, became the first woman to serve as chair of the U.S. Communist Party, a position she held until her death in Moscow on September 5, 1964.

The Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Collection consists primarily of family correspondence, mostly letters she wrote to her nephew, Peter Martin, while in prison and while traveling in the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and the western United States in the 1960s. While its content largely concerns family and personal matters, including her health, it also contains some political commentary as well as her impressions of prison life and the places she visited.

William C. Gausmann Papers

abarker — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:37:10 -0400

William Gausmann held positions in Europe, the United States and Vietnam as a labor advisor, news analyst and policymaker with various European and United States government agencies. Mr. Gausmann’s papers relate his work concerning labor issues, Communism, and the Vietnam War and to a lesser degree, his associations with the Socialist Party and the Lutheran Church of America.

John Herling Papers

drice — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:38:31 -0500

John Herling was a prolific journalist, working for several publications and serving as White House correspondent and syndicated columnist specializing in labor affairs throughout the 1950s & 1960s. He owned "John Herling's Labor Letter," which he edited and published from 1947-1990, as well as authoring several books, including Strikes Under the New Deal, The Great Price Conspiracy and The Right to Challenge. Herling was also working on other books about the labor movement, including a book about the UAW, at the time of his death in 1994.

His papers reflect his interest in writing about the labor movement in America. The records in Part 2 consist primarily of interviews conducted by Herling as research for a book on the UAW, which was ultimately written by John Barnard and published in 2004 under the title, American Vanguard: The United Auto Workers During the Reuther Years, 1935-1970. The interviews were conducted mainly with people associated with the UAW, however several involve people in other labor unions. The records consist of transcripts or notes (taken during interviews that were not recorded), although there are a few speech and panel transcripts as well (noted in inventory). There are also audio recordings of interviews, panels, and conferences. Researchers should note that some pages of interview transcripts are missing, some audio recordings are unmarked, and not all interviews exist in both transcript and audio recording format.

Mary J. Herrick Papers

drice — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:34:48 -0500

Long active with the AFT, Miss Herrick was its director of research and vice-president, and served in other positions with that union. During the 1930s, she was particularly concerned with organizing teachers in the Chicago area. The communist controversy in the AFT, federal aid to education, Workers Defense League, and teacher salaries and problems are covered. Correspondents include Irvin Kuenzli, Jerome Davis, Selma Borchardt, Charles Cogen, Estes Kefauver, and Paul Douglas.

Joseph Jablonower Papers

drice — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:39:37 -0500

Mr. Jablonower began teaching in the New York Public School System in 1910. The trial of three New York teachers (1917-18) led Mr. Jablonower to join other teachers founding the New York City Teachers Union, associated with the New York Teachers Guild and the American Federation of Teachers. His papers include correspondence, speeches, clippings, and other materials on his appointment to the Board of Examiners (1938); the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture; his aid to European refugees, and his receiving the Linville Award (1959). Other important subjects covered include communism in teachers' unions, DeWitt Clinton case, 1960 New York teachers strike, progressive education, and the United Federation of Teachers. Among the correspondents are Charles Cogen, Jacob Greenberg, and Arthur Levitt.

W. Jett Lauck Papers

drice — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:08:36 -0500

The collection consists of correspondence between W. Jett Lauck, an advisor to John L. Lewis during the 1930s, and Jay Lovestone. Among the topics discussed are United Auto Workers' factionalism; developments in the labor movement, especially the CIO and John L. Lewis; the CIO and the Communist Party; the late 1930s UAW Strikes at GM; the International Ladies Garment Workers Union under David Dubinsky.

Abraham Lefkowitz Papers

drice — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:38:09 -0500

Abraham Lefkowitz was a teacher and principal in the New York elementary school system and active in teachers unions, civic and social reform movements, and championed minority causes and civil liberties. He was one of the founders of the American Federation of Teachers, serving as Vice-President for fourteen years. His papers reflect his professional and social contributions made during his years in the New York public school system, particularly his fight against communists in the AFT.

Wyndham Mortimer Papers

abarker — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:04:01 -0400

As United Auto Workers (UAW) Vice-President, Wyndham Mortimer worked to organize the employees of General Motors Fisher Body Plant, which led to the Flint Sit-Down Strike of 1936-1937, and later participated in the negotiations that achieved the first UAW-GM contract. Mr. Mortimer was active in factional struggles within the UAW as a leader of the Unity Caucus and was ultimately expelled from the UAW with charges of Communist allegiance. Mr. Mortimer’s papers document his work in the UAW, particularly concerning his efforts to organize the West Coast aircraft industry, and the factional struggles within the UAW

Included in Mr. Wyndham’s papers are the papers of John M. “Scotty” Orr, who was an active organizer for American Federation of Labor (AFL), and the UAW. Mr. Orr’s papers largely relate to his efforts as a UAW organizer in the West Coast aircraft industry.

Matthew and Elizabeth Serviss Fox Papers

drice — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:09:05 -0500

Matthew and Elizabeth Serviss Fox were both members of the IWW. Mrs. Fox served as the secretary-treasurer, William D. Haywood's secretary during his tenure. These papers consist of three letters Haywood wrote to Elizabeth Serviss Fox during his appeals process and subsequent flight to Russia.

Leo D. Shaffer Papers

drice — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:30:41 -0500

Correspondence, clippings, and leaflets collected by Mr. Shaffer, who has served as committeeman, editor, convention delegates, and president of UAW Local 163 (Detroit Diesel Division of General Motors Corporation), and as chairman of the Wayne County Retired Workers Council of the UAW. Subjects include General Motors & Ford contract comparisons, H.L. Hunt, McCarthyism, and the Rosenberg case. An oral history interview with Mr. Shaffer is available.

Stanton and Nancy Smith Papers

abarker — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:37:58 -0400

Stanton Smith served as Vice-President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and as president of AFT Local 246, Chattanooga. Mr. Smith played a prominent role in the investigation and hearings of AFT locals charged with communist affiliations. Also a member of AFT local 246, Nancy Smith served on the Nominations and Elections Committee to the 23rd Annual Convention and was an active advocate for passing the referendum to revoke the charters of communist affiliated locals. The papers of Nancy and Stanton Smith reflect the dissension within the AFT in the 1930’s and 1940’s and the move to oust communists from the union.

UAW Local 248 Records

kschmeling — Tue, 19 Sep 2017 10:18:25 -0400

This collection consists of the records of UAW Local 248 from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Local 248, founded in 1937, was a workers’ union of the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company – West Challis Works. The records cover the time period of the beginning of the local, strikes and internal struggles, and a time of rebuilding. The collection includes correspondence, transcripts from hearings and negotiations, organizational documents for Local 248 and other local groups, along with other records.

[Podcast] Communists and Community in Wartime Detroit

teller — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 09:57:06 -0400

Dr. Ryan Pettengill explains how communist activists in Detroit worked with labor activists during and after the Second World War to enhance the quality of life in the community by advocating for civil rights, affordable housing, protections for the foreign-born, and more. read more »

[Podcast] Labor Radical Harry Bridges and the Cold War Ire of the US Government

teller — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 15:26:40 -0400

In the second of a two-part series, Dr. Robert Cherny recounts how immigrant Harry Bridges successfully led the powerful International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) for four decades beginning in the 1930s, even as his militant unionism and association with communists placed him at odds with the American government during the Cold War and at the center of several deportation hearings. read more »

[Podcast] The Long Deep Grudge: How the Haymarket "Riot" of 1886 Evolved into a Bitter Battle Between the Farm Equipment Workers Union and International Harvester in the Mid-Twentieth Century

teller — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 18:59:49 -0500

Labor historian Dr. Toni Gilpin explores how the McCormick family’s greed and union-busting in the late 19th century set the stage for a bitter battle between the International Harvester corporation and the radical Farm Equipment Workers union in the 1930s and 1940s. read more »