Biographical Information:
Scope and Contents
Arrangement of Materials:
Conditions Governing Access:
Conditions Governing Use:
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Preferred Citation:
Processing Information:
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: John Janosco United Packinghouse Workers of America (UPWA) Collection
Creator:
Janosco, John
Identifier/Call Number: URB.JJ
Extent:
2.00 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1908-1973
Abstract: John Janosco was a West Coast
Representative for the United Packinghouse Workers of America (UPWA) from 1949-1960. His
area of coverage included California, Oregon, Washington, and Arizona. Janosco through most
of his life was an active participant in the labor movement. Records included in this
collection document Janosco's activities as UPWA West Coast Representative and include
weekly field reports, correspondence with union locals, and photographs.
Language of Material: English
Biographical Information:
John Janosco was a West Coast Representative for the United Packinghouse Workers of America
from 1949-1960. His area of coverage included California, Oregon, Washington, and Arizona.
Janosco through most of his life was an active participant in the labor movement. He began
his labor involvement as a rank and file member of the Furniture Workers Union (FWU), Local
1859 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He also served as the local's financial secretary and
business representative from 1936 to 1944. After a dispute over Janosco's strong disapproval
of the Minneapolis local of the Teamsters' International, which was responsible for raiding
the Furniture Workers Union, Local 1859, Janosco was suspended. Eventually he left the Local
for private work.
His next involvement with union activities was with the United Packinghouse Workers of
America when he became their West Coast Representative in 1949, a post he served in for ten
years. During his time with UPWA, Janosco served as the field representative for District 4
and worked closely with local unions and their members. He taught classes on collective
bargaining and enforcement of labor contracts for officers and stewards. He also was
involved with arranging grievance cases for presentation before the National Labor Relations
Board's Unemployment Division, and other governmental departments. His most prominent labor
activities involved negotiating with employers for local union contracts, working out wage
scales and working conditions for various packinghouse plants and industries.
In 1957, Janosco made frontpage news when he was charged for subversive activities under
the McCarran-Walter Act. He was the first person to be charged under the Act for suspicion
that he belonged to the Socialist Workers Party. As part of the indictment Janosco was
charged with attempting to overthrow the government of the United States by the use of force
and violence. Deportation proceedings by the Immigration and Naturalization Service to his
native Hungary began in 1957. After several months, Janosco was acquitted of all charges
based on the lack of evidence.
Janosco remained with the UPWA as a field representative until 1960 when he ran for the
post of District Director during the UPWA International Convention against Joe Ollman,
Administrator of Local 667. Ollman had warned Janosco prior to the election not to run
against him. After the election, winner Ollman terminated Janosco's employment with
UPWA.
After leaving the UPWA, Janosco worked as a custodian for the Los Angeles Unified School
District until his retirement. Janosco passed away in 1973.
Scope and Contents
The
John Janosco
United Packinghouse Workers of America (UPWA) Collection
documents his activities as UPWA West Coast Representative. The collection includes weekly
field reports, correspondence with union locals, and photographs. A small amount of
correspondence and union bulletins document his previous membership in the Furniture Workers
Union in Minnesota. Papers in the collection document through newspaper clippings, court
proceedings, and immigration documents the attempt to charge Janosco with subversive
activities. Tax records, paycheck stubs and performance of evaluation records document
Janosco's employment with UPWA and the Los Angeles Unified School District. The collection
also contains correspondence between Janosco and his brother, Peter. It has been divided
into four series:
UPWA, Minnesota (1947-1961),
UPWA Weekly Field Reports (1951-1960),
Personal
and Family Documents
(1908-1973), and
Non-Manuscript
Material
(1911-1965).
Series I,
UPWA, Minnesota, consists of information linked to
Janosco's work with United Packinghouse Workers of America Local Union #4, which includes
credentials, correspondence for nomination and a withdraw transfer certificate.
Series II,
UWPA Weekly Field Report, consists of information
related to John Janosco's work as a United Packinghouse Workers of America representative.
The reports are categorized by year.
Series III,
Personal and Family Documents, consists of several
documents that include income taxes, property taxes, employment applications, personal
receipts, court proceedings, newspaper clippings and correspondence.
Series IV,
Non-Manuscript Material, includes ephemera,
photographs, and oversized newspaper clippings. Ephemera includes several metals and
delegate pins associated with John Janosco's work under the UPWA and personal metals. The 24
photographs are comprised of union conventions and several union meetings in which John
Janosco participated. Oversize newspaper clippings deal primary with John Janosco
deportation case.
Arrangement of Materials:
Series I: UPWA, Minnesota, 1941-1961
Series II: UPWA Weekly Field Reports, 1951-1960
Series III: Personal and Family Documents, 1908-1973
Series IV: Non-Manuscript Material, 1911-1965
Conditions Governing Access:
The collection is open for research use.
Conditions Governing Use:
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge.
Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires
the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Steve Dakota, 2006
Preferred Citation:
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual,
or see the
Citing Archival Materials
guide.
Processing Information:
Robert G. Marshall, Abraham Barragan; 2006
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Documents
Photographs