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Inventory of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America Collection, 1938-1986 (bulk late 1940s-early 1970s)
1988/086
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Title: United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America Collection,
Date (inclusive): 1938-1986
Date (bulk): (bulk late 1940s-early 1970s)
Accession number: 1988/086
Creator:
United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America
Extent: 20.0 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.
Collection is open for research.
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.
[Identification of item], United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America Collection, 1988/086, Labor Archives & Research
Center,
San Francisco State University.
This collection was donated by the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of
America (UE), Local 1412 in two segments in 1988. The first portion (15 cu. ft.) was picked
up at the UE 1412's Oakland office from Lloyd Vanderver. The second portion (5 cu. ft.)
was picked up at Paul Chown's home. Now retired, Mr. Chown, was a long time member of
UE, and he acted as a shop and field organizer for UE 1412. The collection was processed by
Edie Butler, January 1989, and Justin J. Gorman, May 1990.
Between 1931 and 1936 UE formed independently of the American Federation of
Labor (AFL) and other established craft unions. The primary figures in UE's leadership were
General-President Albert J. Fitzgerald, Secretary-General Julis Emspak and the Director of
Organization James J. Matles. UE functioned under the new formed Congress of Industrial
Organizations (CIO). UE was the first union chartered in a mass production industry outside
the AFL. In 1937 UE changed it's name from United Electrical and Radio Workers of
America to United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America. By an act of the UE
International convention, Local 1412 was chartered on June 3, 1938 to "organize the
unorganized"
1
in the Bay Area. Local 1412 adopted its Constitution and By-laws on October
28, 1949. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Local 1412 "collectively persued an
aggressive struggle"
2
to protect its members and shops from the organized forces of the
employers.
By 1943 UE had become the third largest of all CIO unions ranking behind the auto
and steel worker unions. In 1946 these three unions collectively fought for a $2.00 a day
increase in wages based on the fact that from 1940 to 1945 the cost of living increased 45%
and the wages only rose 15% while corporations posted a net profit of 117 billion dollars for
this period. UE waged a national strike against General Electric and Westinghouse.
Eventually the strike was settled with UE obtaining an 18% increase in wages for all its
members, men and women.
The major industrial corporations were threatened by what they perceived to be the
militant unity of the CIO. These corporations collectively pressured the Federal Government
to act. The Taft-Hartley bill was legislation aimed at halting union organization of unskilled
workers in mass production industries. Passed in 1947, its purpose was to fragment the
industrial union movement. It attempted to weaken the active shop steward system through
encouraging workers to bypass the shop steward and take up their own individual grievances
with management. It also encouraged the breakaway of craftsmen and professional workers
from industrial unions. Most importantly the bill made union members sign "noncommunist
affidavits." If a union refused to sign an affidavit it could not use the facilities of the National
Labor Relations' Board (NLRB) or cast ballots in labor board elections, and its individuals
would be expelled from the union.
Most of the unions in the CIO decided to comply with the Taft-Hartley bill. However,
UE, the West Coast Longshoremen and a hand full of other unions refused to sign the
noncommunist affidavits. This led to UE's subsequent break with the CIO in 1948. UE's
refusal to expell any member for a political belief led to a barrage of attacks from the CIO,
General Electric, Westinghouse and the Federal Government. Their assaults took the form of
slanderous redbaiting campaigns in local shop elections, the refusal from General Electric and
Westinghouse to recognize UE as a union, and an endless series of Congressional-sponsored
investigations. During the 1950s and early 1960s UE was investigated by a host of Senate
committees on "un-American activities," starting with the McCarthy committee, then
progressing through the Eastland, Butler and Kerstein committees and ending with an
investigation by the Subversive Activities Control Board. Throughout this period UE suffered
great losses in credibility and membership. In 1955 UE had 140,000 members and this
number had increased steadily until 1986 when UE boasted over 160,000 members.
In 1969 UE and the International Union of Electrical and Radio Workers, AFL-CIO
combined forces in a national strike and negotiation effort against General Electric and
Westinghouse. They effectively fought for improved working conditions and protected
workers against layoffs due to automation or plant closings. They countered GE's post-war
practice of shifting plants overseas or to low-wage areas of this country. Also UE ended
General Electric's tradition of avoiding the equal-pay-for-equal-work standard by classifying
certain jobs, mostly performed by women, at rates which might be lower than unskilled rates
for cleanup or sweeper jobs.
1UE Local 1412
CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS. October 28, 1949. Preamble, p.2.
2UE Local 1412
CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS. October 28, 1949. Object and Jurisdiction, p.3.
This collection consists of the office files of UE Local 1412. The bulk of the records date
from the late 1940s to the early 1970s. The earliest material is UE Local 1412's charter dated
June 3, 1938. The files show the daily functioning of Local 1412. Their interests and
activities are reflected through the minutes, grievances, printed material, contracts,
correspondance, strike files, NLRB activities and elections. The early part of the material
reflects Local 1412's involvement with individual shops. The later material concentrates more
on the national levels of the organization. Overall, the collection is a clear picture of the
wants, needs and interests of the men and women who built and repaired the heavy electrical
machinery that powered post war American industry.
The goals of UE were to defend the interests and improve the conditions of the wage
earner through bringing about a higher standard of living. UE's ultimate goal was to unite all
workers in the electrical industry on an industrial basis regardless of craft, age, sex,
nationality, race, creed, color or political beliefs.
This collection clearly demonstrates UE's active persuit of the union's goals. The
series on printed material chronicles UE's support of workers rights, minorities and women.
This series also contains materials which document UE's traditional strong anti-war stance and
support for the civil rights movement. Booklets and pamphlets reflect these issues as well.
This material may be found grouped with UE international convention proceedings this was
where these issues were brought forth and adopted into UE's working policy. Evidence of
UE's defense of workers' rights regardless of race, creed or sex is seen in the Dura-Vent
subseries (1980-1982). UE 1412 interceded into a three year old strike to defend workers of
Latin-American descent. A good portion of the material in this subseries is in Spanish as well
as English. The correspondence series highlights UE's tireless defense from the barrage of
Communist allegations and investigations throught the 1950s and early 1960s. UE's
democratic foundations are revealed by the shop level election and grievance processes which
functioned at all levels of the organization.
- Higgins, James and James Matles. Them and Us: Struggles of a Rank and File Union. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs: 1974.
- United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, Local 1412. Constitution and By-laws. Pamphlet; October 28, 1949.
- The pictures from this collection have been transferred to Photographic Collection #4, entitled UE 1412. Buttons from the UE collection have been transfered to the Button Collection.