Guide to the UE International Representatives Records, 1935-1990s UE.7.2
Arrangement
Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
UE International Representatives Records
Creator
United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America. International Officers
Collection Number
UE.7.2
Extent
15.42 Linear Feet(13 boxes)
Date
1935-1990s
Abstract
This collection contains records related to the efforts of five men in the role of International Representative for the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE). Neil Brant, Ed Bloch, Arthur Garfield, Charles Rivers, and Jim Brown all fulfilled this geographically defined organizing role at different points in time. Their cumulative records span from 1935 to the 1990s and contain correspondence, flyers, and other materials related to UE organizing activities during that period. The collection is arranged in five separate series corresponding to the individual representatives.
Language
English
.
Author
Jaimie George, Shaun Hayes, and Sean Kilcoyne.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System Archives & Special Collections Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
History
The position of International Representative was assigned through an appointment by the General Executive Board of the UE. International Representatives were responsible for directing the organizational work of one of up to fourteen UE geographical districts, and for performing these activities in conjunction with the District Council and Vice President of that particular region. Neil Brandt, Ed Bloch, Arthur Garfield, Charles Rivers, and Jim Brown all worked in varying districts in this capacity.
Scope and Content Notes
This collection contains records related to the efforts of five men in the role of International Representative for the UE. Neil Brant, Ed Bloch, Arthur Garfield, Charles Rivers, and Jim Brown all fulfilled this geographically defined organizing role at different points in time. Their cumulative records span from 1935 to the 1990s and contain correspondence, flyers, and other materials related to UE organizing activities during that period.
A majority of the collection consists of correspondence related to organizing activities. Several letters describe various hearings with the National Labor Relations Board involving the UE. Included in this category is a 1963 to 1965 case involving a dispute between the UE and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) regarding which union represented the workers at Star Expansion Industries, a plant in Mountainville, New York. More recent documents detail activities within western Pennsylvania.
A variety of flyers and other published materials detail the efforts of the UE in combating the perception that it was a communist organization. Material related to the UE's opposition to the war in Vietnam is also included. More complete scope notes exist for each series.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged at the series level with folder level content description.
Series 7.2.1. Neil Brant, 1941-1947
Series 7.2.2. Ed Bloch, 1959-1972
Series 7.2.3. Arthur Garfield, 1948
Series 7.2.4. Charles Rivers, 1935-1938
Series 7.2.5. Jim Brown, 1990s
Access Restrictions
Records of the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America are closed for a period of twenty-five years after their creation. Usage of files in Series 7.2.5 regarding a grievance filed by Fred Tarr requires a signed confidentiality agreement.
Acquisition Information
Gift of the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America in 1976 and 1986.
Preferred Citation
UE International Representative Records, 1935-1972, UE.7.2, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Previous Citation
UE International Representative Records, 1935-1972, UE.7.2, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Portions of this collection have been previously cited as the Papers of Neil Brant, UE:NO-IR-BrantN, Archives Service Center, University Library System, University of Pittsburgh.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Shaun Hayes and Sean Kilcoyne in December 2008.
Copyright
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
Related Material
Federal Bureau of Investigation on the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE)Records, 1940-1985, UE.9.5, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
UE Campaign Materials Collection, 1942-1990, UE.7.1, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
UE Organizers Records, 1937-2003, UE.7.3, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
UE Organizer Bulletins, 1937-1977, UE.7.4, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Subjects
Corporate Names
Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company
General Motors Corporation
Star Expansion Industries
Thermatron Co.
United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America. Organizing Department
United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America
United States. National Labor Relations Board
Personal Names
Bloch, Ed
Brant, Neil
Brown, James L.
Garfield, Arthur
Rivers, Charles
Genres
Correspondence
Other Subjects
Industrial relations -- United States -- History -- 20th century
Labor unions -- United States -- Officials and employees
Electric industry workers -- Labor unions -- United States -- History
Labor unions -- Organizing -- United States
Labor laws and legislation -- United States -- History -- 20th century
Labor
Container List
Scope and Contents note
This series encompasses the records of Ed Bloch during his time as an UE International Representative in District 4, which was comprised of New York City and Northern New Jersey, from 1957 to 1972. Materials include bargaining agreements, meeting minutes, organizing flyers, and correspondence related to particular labor issues of the era including wages, health care, and employer responses to work stoppages. Campaigns of note involve UE Local 402 from the Thermatron division of Wilcox and Gibbs in Long Island City, and a dispute between the UE and the IBEW over workers at Star Expansion Industries in Mountainville, New York, from 1963 to 1965.
As this collection spans some of the more turbulent times in American history, there is also significant evidence of the UE's involvement in the larger political sphere. Efforts on behalf of political prisoners and fired workers typify the variety of cooperative action documented within this collection. Materials issued on behalf of the Trade Union Division of the National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy attest to the UE's involvement against the Vietnam War and nuclear proliferation.
Containers
box 3, folder 1
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box 3, folder 2
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box 3, folder 3
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box 3, folder 4
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box 3, folder 5
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box 3, folder 6
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box 3, folder 7
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box 3, folder 8
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box 3, folder 9
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box 3, folder 10
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box 3, folder 11
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box 3, folder 12
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box 3, folder 13
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box 3, folder 14
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box 3, folder 15
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box 4, folder 1
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box 4, folder 2
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box 4, folder 3
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box 4, folder 4
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box 4, folder 5
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box 4, folder 6
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box 4, folder 7
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box 4, folder 8
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box 4, folder 9
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box 4, folder 10
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box 4, folder 11
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box 4, folder 12
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box 4, folder 13
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box 4, folder 14
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box 4, folder 15
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box 4, folder 16
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box 4, folder 17
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box 4, folder 18
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box 4, folder 19
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box 5, folder 1
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box 5, folder 2
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box 5, folder 3
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box 5, folder 4
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box 5, folder 5
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box 5, folder 6
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box 5, folder 7
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box 5, folder 8
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box 5, folder 9
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box 5, folder 10
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box 5, folder 11
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box 5, folder 12
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box 5, folder 13
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box 5, folder 14
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box 5, folder 15
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box 5, folder 16
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box 5, folder 17
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box 5, folder 18
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box 5, folder 19
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box 6, folder 1
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box 6, folder 2
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box 6, folder 3
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box 6, folder 4
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box 6, folder 5
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box 6, folder 6
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box 6, folder 7
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box 6, folder 8
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box 6, folder 9
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box 6, folder 10
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box 6, folder 11
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box 6, folder 12
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box 6, folder 13
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box 6, folder 14
Scope and Contents note
This series consists of letters and telegrams related to Arthur Garfield's role as an International Representative for the UE. The correspondence mostly details the progress of negotiations between the United Auto Workers and General Motors. Telegraphs between Garfield and UE headquarters in Dayton, Ohio, detail his unionizing efforts across the Midwest. The materials date from 1948. There are a small number of flyers and bulletins promoting the UE and encouraging workers to organize.
Containers
box 7, folder 1
Containers
box 7, folder 2
Scope and Contents note
This series includes a small body of material owned by UE organizer, Charles Rivers. Rivers served as International Representative of District 2, which covered all of New England. The papers in this series relate to the National Amalgamation Convention of the Independent Metal and Allied Unions which transpired in 1935, a year prior to the founding of the UE. Conference proceedings include meeting minutes and the individual constitutions of both The Federation of Metal and Allied Unions and the Electrical and Radio Union, one of the several independent unions which combined the following year to form the UE. A 1938 text published by the UE entitled Labor Unity in the Electrical Manufacturing Industry includes a number of letters, proposals, and statements from the early development of the organization, while the 1944 UE Handbook for Locals and Organizers details policy contract negotiations, the War Labor Board, and information addressing other crucial union activities.
Containers
box 7, folder 3
Containers
box 7, volume 1
Containers
box 7, volume 2
Access Restrictions
Usage of files in Series 7.2.5 regarding a grievance filed by Fred Tarr requires a signed confidentiality agreement.
Scope and Contents note
Jim Brown was a UE field organizer and later an international representative in District 6, which is located in western Pennsylvania. These records contain information regarding locals he worked with in organizing and negotiating contracts. Extensive files exist for Locals 612 at Industrial Ceramics Inc., Local 625 and 626 at ASEA Brown Boveri Inc.