Inventory of the Boilermaker's Union, Local Lodge 6 Collection, 1919-1985 (Bulk: 1938-1950)
Processed by The Labor Archives & Research Center staff; machine-readable finding aid created by
James Ryan
Labor Archives and Research Center
San Francisco State University
480 Winston Drive
San Francisco, California 94132
Phone: (415) 564-4010
Fax: (415) 564-3606
Email: larc@sfsu.edu
URL: http://www.library.sfsu.edu/special/larc.html
© 1998
San Francisco State University. All rights reserved.
Inventory of the Boilermaker's Union, Local Lodge 6 Collection, 1919-1985 (Bulk: 1938-1950)
Accession number: 1990/080
Labor Archives & Research Center
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California
Contact Information:
- Labor Archives & Research Center
- San Francisco State University
- 480 Winston Drive
- San Francisco, California 94132
- Phone: (415) 564-4010
- Fax: (415) 564-3606
- Email: larc@sfsu.edu
- URL: http://www.library.sfsu.edu/special/larc.html
- Processed by:
- The Labor Archives & Research Center staff
- Encoded by:
- James Ryan
© 1998 San Francisco State University. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Boilermaker's Union, Local Lodge 6 Collection,
Date (inclusive): 1919-1985 (Bulk: 1938-1950)
Accession number: 1990/080
Creator:
Boilermaker's Union, Local Lodge 6
Extent: 4 cubic feet
Repository:
San Francisco State University. Labor Archives & Research Center
San Francisco, California 94132
Shelf location: For current information on the location of these
materials, please consult the Center's online catalog.
Language:
English.
Administrative Information
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the Labor Archives & Research Center. All requests
for permission to publish or quote from materials must be submitted in writing to the
Director of the Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Labor
Archives & Research Center as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to
include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the
reader.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Boilermaker's Union, Local Lodge 6 Collection, 1990/080, Labor
Archives & Research Center, San Francisco State University.
Introduction
This collection was donated to the Labor Archives and Research Center following a visit
to the Boilermakers' Union Local 6 by Susan Goldstein while she was conducting the Bay
Area Labor History Survey, a project which examined the records of 100 local unions in
five San Francisco Bay Area counties. Guy Brooks, Secretary-Treasurer and Business
Manager of Local 6, offered these records which they had removed from their files. This
collection was processed by Carol Cuenod, assistant archivist.
History
The boilermakers in San Francisco have a long history of organization. By 1867, a group
identified as the Journeymen Boilermakers' Protective Union became a part of the San
Francisco Trades' Union. They were among the founding unions of the Federated Iron Trade
Council of San Francisco in 1885
1
. The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship
Builders and Helpers was organized in 1893, and the San Francisco lodge received its
charter in 1900.
The work of boilermakers is heavy-gauge metal fabrication and includes welders, burners,
drillers, and rollers. Among the many industries employing boilermakers are
manufacturing, railroad, dams, and shipbuilding. Lodge 6's records include the World War
II period when tremendous growth and changes occurred in these industries. There was a
boom in shipbuilding on the Pacific Coast and the boilermakers were among the trades
negotiating master contracts for shipbuilding and manufacturing as members of the Pacific
Coast Metal Trades Council and the Bay Area Metal Trades Council. The years of World Was
II also saw African-Americans and women struggling to becoming members of Lodge 6 for the
first time.
This collection documents the unique career of a labor leader named Edgar Rainbow, a
Native American (Cherokee). Mr. Rainbow was first elected business manager of Lodge 6 in
1936 and continuously held that position for 36 years until 1972. He also served
concurrently as president of the Lodge from time to time and was a prominent figure in
the Bay Area Metal Trades Council.
1Ira B. Cross,
A History of the Labor Movement
in California
(Berkeley: University of California Press, 1935), pp.
32-36.
Scope and Content
This collection of non-current records was slated for disposal by Lodge 6. Because LARC
surveyor, Susan Goldstein, expressed an interest, the Union granted permission for the
collection to be transferred to the Archive. Due to Lodge 6's original intent, there had
been no effort to maintain the existing order. Although some of the records were in
manila folders, much of the material consisted of loose documents.
The material covers a wide scope of activity and has been divided into ten series. With
the exception of the Minute Books, researchers should assume that this collection made up
of fragmented series. The earliest material is minutes of regular meetings beginning in
1929; the bulk of the records cover the period 1938 to 1950.
Most important are two groupings of records within the Contract Administration Series
(Series VIII). Files concerning conventions and negotiations for the master shipbuilding
contract of the Pacific Coast Metal Trades Council along with records pertaining to the
Shipbuilding Division of Bethlehem Steel Corporation,
Note
The
Bay Area Metal Trades Council administrated the contract with Bethlehem Steel
Corporation.
MarinShip and Chicago Bridge and Iron Co. serve to record the
growth of the Boilermakers during World War II, as well as the initial entry of women in
the union.
Correspondence is arranged with other materials by subject. Minutes of committees or
affiliated organizations are also kept by subject. The Series Description will set forth
the detail of arrangement.
Series Description
Seven Volumes.
Minutes, 1929-1953
Scope and Content Note
Two notebooks (1929-1932) and four bound minute books (1933-1953) include minutes of
Lodge 6 regular meetings, special meetings and the executive board meetings. Most of the
regular and special meeting minutes are handwritten; most of the executive board minutes
are typed. Also included in these books are lists of elected officers, and in some cases,
lists of committee members (1935-1938). A seventh book contains minutes of the welders
regular meetings from 1936 to 1939. Minutes of some affiliated organizations (district
councils, etc.) are with other documents generated by these groups.
Two Folders.
Constitutions and By-laws, 1923-1987
Scope and Content Note
Most of the constitutions are printed booklets. The Lodge 6 folder also includes
documents which revised the constitutions. This series also includes the constitutions of
affiliated groups including District 51, the Metal Trades Councils, California Labor
Federation, AFL-CIO and the Int'l. Bros. of Boilermakers.
Nine Folders.
Administration, 1934-1956
Scope and Content Note
Incoming and outgoing correspondence is limited to administrative activities of Lodge 6.
This series records the participation of Lodge 6 in District 44 and District 51. Included
are the Districts' constitutions and minutes. There is also material on Lodge 6 elections
of officers, and some financial reports. A record book contains telephone messages from
1938 to 1941.
Two Folders.
Conventions, 1944-1949
Scope and Content Note
These are the Boilermakers Consolidated Conventions. There are a few documents from the
17th Convention (1944). Material from the 18th Convention (1949) is more comprehensive.
Five Folders.
Jurisdictional, 1920-1964
Scope and Content Note
This series defines jurisdiction between lodges and districts within the Boilermakers
Union as well as records of jurisdictional disputes. The original order of material on
jurisdiction disputes between Boilermakers' Lodges 6 and 9 has been maintained and fills
three folders. There is one folder with material on jurisdictional disputes between the
Boilermakers and the Machinists. For additional correspondence on jurisdictional disputes
between Lodges 6 and 9, see Box 8, Folder 3--Contract Administration -MarinShip.
Six Folders, Two Volumes.
Membership Records, 1938-1978
Scope and Content Note
This series holds records of job assignments, membership clearances, apprenticeships and
examinations for skilled categories, organizing materials, and death benefits.
One Folder.
Maritime Federation of the Pacific, 1939-1941
Scope and Content Note
The Boilermakers Union was an affiliate of this Federation. (The records of the Maritime
Federation of the Pacific are deposited at the Labor Archive and Research Center.)
Twenty-Three Folders.
Contract Administration, 1919-1985
Scope and Content Note
This series contains agreements for major bargaining groups in which Boilermakers' Lodge
6 participated, along with contract conventions and negotiating documents. Correspondence
with companies under contract is included as well.
Eight Folders.
Government Agencies, 1943-1964
Scope and Content Note
This series includes joint projects by the Department of Labor and unions, wage
chronologies, cases before the National Labor Relations Board, and a Presidential
executive order.
One Folder.
Non-Textual Materials
Scope and Content Note
Unidentified photographs remain with the collection. Badges and Buttons were transferred
to the LARC button collection. One poster of a welder during WWII was transferred to the
LARC poster collection.
Container List
box-_folder 1/Vol. 1
Lodge 6 Meetings
1929-1930
box-_folder 1/Vol. 2
Lodge 6 Meetings
1931-1932
box-_folder 1/Vol. 3
Lodge 6 Meetings
1932-1935
box-_folder 1/Vol. 4
Lodge 6 Meetings
1935-1938
box-_folder 1/Vol. 5
Lodge 6 Meetings
1938-1943
box-_folder 2/Vol. 1
Lodge 6 Meetings
1943-1953
box-_folder 2/Vol. 2
Welders' Meetings
1936-1939
box-_folder 2/3
Constitutions and By-Laws, Lodge 6 (booklets)
1923-1987
box-_folder 2/4
Constitution and By-Laws, Affiliated Groups
1939-1956
Series III ADMINISTRATION
box-_folder 3/2
District 44 Constitution and By-Laws
1939-1956
box-_folder 3/3
District 44 Correspondence and Minutes
1945-1951
box-_folder 3/4
District 51 Constitution and By-Laws
1938-1939
box-_folder 3/5
District 51 Correspondence and Finances
1935-1938
box-_folder 3/6
District 51 Minutes
1934-1939
box-_folder 3/9
Financial Reports
1940-1941, 1946, 1948
box-_folder 3/V. 10
Ledger of Telephone Messages
1938-1947
Series IV CONVENTIONS AND CONFERENCES
box-_folder 4/1
17th Consolidated Convention
1944
box-_folder 4/2
18th Consolidated Convention
1949
box-_folder 4/4
Boilermakers Lodge 6 - General
1938-1966
box-_folder 4/5
Boilermakers District 44 and District 51
1920-1939
box-_folder 4/6
Boilermakers Lodge 6 and Lodge 9 (Folder 1)
1916-1959
box-_folder 4/7
Boilermakers Lodge 6 and Lodge 9 (Folder 2)
1938-1964
box-_folder 4/8
Boilermakers Lodge 6 and Lodge 9 (Folder 3) (For Boilermakers Lodge 6 and Lodge 9, see: CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION - MarinShip)
1938-1947
box-_folder 4/9
Boilermakers Lodge 6 and Machinists Lodge 68
1942-1945
Series VI MEMBERSHIP RECORDS
box-_folder 5/1
Apprenticeship and Skills Examinations
1947-1963
box-_folder 5/2
Membership Referral Procedures
1938-1966
box-_folder 5/3
Coast Guard Port Security Clearance
1965-1970
box-_folder 5/4
Death Benefits
1939, 1954
box-_folder 5/5
Organizing Materials
1956-1958
box-_folder 5/6
Safety and Occupational Hazards
1940-1958
box-_folder 5/Vol. 7
Ledger Listing Unemployed Members
1938-1946
box-_folder 5/Vol. 8
Ledger Listing Job Requests and Assignments
1969-1978
Series VII MARITIME FEDERATION OF THE PACIFIC
box-_folder 5/9
Maritime Federation of the Pacific
1939-1941
Series VIII CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION
box-_folder 6/1
Master Shipbuilding Contract - Agreements (booklets)
1919-1985
box-_folder 6/2
Master Shipbuilding Contract - Memorandum of Agreements
1937-1947
box-_folder 6/3
Master Shipbuilding Contract - Interpretative Committee
1947-1948
box-_folder 6/4
Master Shipbuilding Contract - Convention
1938-1940,
box-_folder 6/5
Master Shipbuilding Contract - Convention
1955
box-_folder 6/6
Master Shipbuilding Contract - Negotiations
1957
box-_folder 6/7
Master Shipbuilding Contract - Negotiations
1958
box-_folder 6/8
Master Shipbuilding Contract - Negotiations
1959
box-_folder 6/9
Master Shipbuilding Contract - General
1942-1969
box-_folder 7/1
Manufacturing and Construction Contracts - Agreements (booklets)
1950-1963
box-_folder 7/2
Manufacturing and Construction Contracts - Negotiations
1946-1963
box-_folder 7/3
Negotiating Information from Research Dept.
1957-1958
box-_folder 7/4
Bethlehem Steel Co. - Agreements
1951-1962
box-_folder 7/5
Bethlehem Steel Co. - Correspondence
1936-1944
box-_folder 7/6
Bethlehem Steel Co. - Correspondence
1945-1954
box-_folder 7/7
Bethlehem Steel Co. - Correspondence
1955-1959
box-_folder 7/8
Bethlehem Steel Co. - Correspondence
1960-1964
box-_folder 8/1
Chicago Bridge & Iron Co. - Correspondence
1941-45
box-_folder 8/2
General Engineering & Dry Dock Co. - Correspondence
1943, 1947
box-_folder 8/3
MarinShip Corporation - Correspondence
1943
box-_folder 8/4
Pacific Ship Repair, Inc. - Correspondence
1947-1971
box-_folder 8/5
United Engineering Co. - Correspondence
1944-1945
box-_folder 8/6
Western Pipe and Steel Co., - Correspondence
1938-1940
Series IX U. S. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
box-_folder 8/7
Department of Labor - Shipbuilding Stabilization Committee
1946
box-_folder 8/8
Department of Labor - Pacific Coast Shipbuilding Zone Conference
1946
box-_folder 8/9
Department of Labor - Publications - Wage Chronologies
1941-64, 1957
box-_folder 8/10
National Labor Relations Board - Dulansky Case Legal Documents
1949-1950
box-_folder 8/11
National Labor Relations Board - Dulansky Case Correspondence
1949-1950
box-_folder 8/12
National Labor Relations Board - Dulansky Case
1943-1949
box-_folder 8/13
National Labor Relations Board - Pacific Coast Shipbuilders & Ship Repairs - Craft Jurisdiction
1951
box-_folder 8/14
Presidential Executive Order 9651
1945
Series X NON-TEXTUAL MATERIAL
box-_folder 8/15
Photographs (unidentified)
