International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Local Lodge 6 (San Francisco, Calif.) Records, 1919-1985, bulk 1938-1950

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Summary

Title:
International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Local Lodge 6 (San Francisco, Calif.) records
Dates:
1919-1985, bulk 1938-1950
Creators:
International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Shipbuilders, Blacksmiths, Forgers, and Helpers. Local lodge 6 (San Francisco, Calif.).
Abstract:
The records of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Local lodge 6 include minutes, administrative records, membership records, contracts and documentation of relations with government agencies, along with materials from conventions and the negotiations for the master shipbuilding contract of the Pacific Coast Metal Trades Council.
Extent:
4.0 cubic ft. (8 boxes)
Language:
Languages represented in the collection: English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Local Lodge 6 Records, larc.ms.0110, Labor Archives and Research Center, San Francisco State University.

Background

Scope and content:

The records of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Local lodge 6 include minutes, administrative records, membership records, contracts and documentation of relations with government agencies, along with materials from conventions and the negotiations for the master shipbuilding contract of the Pacific Coast Metal Trades Council. Also included are materials from the Shipbuilding Division of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation which documents the role of the Boilermakers during World War II and the initial entry of women into the union, and correspondence correspondence with Marinship in Sausalito, 1943, and Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., 1941-1943 which documents the growth of the West Coast shipbuilding industry. The earliest material is minutes of regular meetings beginning in 1929; the bulk of the records cover the period 1938 to 1950.

Biographical / historical:

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. 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.

Ira B. Cross, A History of the Labor Movement in California (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1935), pp. 32-36.

Acquisition information:
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. Accession number 1990/080.
Processing information:

This collection was processed by Carol Cuenod, assistant archivist. This collection of non-current records was slated for disposal by Lodge 6; 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.

Arrangement:

The material covers a wide scope of activity and has been divided into ten series: Series 1: Minutes; Series 2: Constitutions and By-laws; Series 3: Administration; Series 4: Conventions and Conferences; Series 5: Jurisdiction; Series 6: Membership Records; Series 7: Maritime Federation of the Pacific; Series 8: Contract Administration; Series 9: Government Agencies; and Series 10: Non-Textual Materials.

Correspondence is arranged with other materials by subject. Minutes of committees or affiliated organizations are also kept by subject. With the exception of the Minute Books, researchers should assume that this collection is made up of fragmented series.

Physical location:
Collection is available onsite.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Labor Archives and Research Center staff.
Date Prepared:
© 1998, revised 2013
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2013-06-05T13:35-0700

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

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], International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Local Lodge 6 Records, larc.ms.0110, Labor Archives and Research Center, San Francisco State University.

Location of this collection:
J. Paul Leonard Library, Room 460
1630 Holloway Ave
San Francisco, CA 94132-1722, US
Contact:
(415) 405-5549
specialcollections@sfsu.edu
Website