John W. Bennett Labor Collection

The Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO) and the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel, and Tin Workers (AA) reached an agreement in 1936 leading to the creation of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC). The AA had failed to unionize a substantial proportion of the Steelworlkers, and by organizing basic steel, John L. Lewis, who headed both the CIO and the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), hoped to strengthen his bargaining position with the managers of the captive mines owned by the steel industry.

SWOC's main target was the U.S. Steel Corporation, which since 1909 had refused to deal with organized labor. SWOC's strategy was to capture or disrupt the company unions fostered by U.S. Steel, however, the group actually won its recognition through secret meetings of Lewis and the board chairman of U.S. Steel. As a result, in March 1937 the corporation's subsidiaries signed a contract recognizing SWOC as representative for its members. The union claimed a total of 200,000 members.

The items that represent SWOC in the Bennett Collection illustrate the union's transformation, which occured in 1942 following the first constitutional convention. The convention dissolved the AA and transformed SWOC into the United Steelworkers of America.

In Detroit on August 26, 1935, a group of auto workers started their own charter of the United Automobile Workers of America. From its inception, the union dealt with governance issues, and was directed and administered by the American Federation of Labor. In 1936, the union alienated the AFL and joined the Congress for Industrial Organization (CIO), a more militant organization. By this time more automobile workers joined the labor organization and in 1937 the UAW had between 20,000 and 30,000 members.

The Buttons within this collection illustrate an organizational split within the union. Some union members sought to be affiliated with the AFL, while a larger group remained faithful to the CIO. Buttons from both UAW-CIO and UAW-AFL are represented.

In December 1936 UAW local officials felt the union was numerically strong enough to demand recognition by the big three automobile companies: General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford. General Motors was picked as the test case because it had defied federal law by refusing to discuss collective bargaining or even recognition of the UAW. "Quickie" strikes occurred at the Atlanta, Cleveland, Toledo, and Flint, Michigan plants. In January 1937, UAW declared a nationwide strike against General Motors.

In 1937, General Motors recognized the UAW. Subsequently, a short sit-down strike forced Chrysler Motors to accept the UAW. In 1955 the AFL and the CIO merged to form the AFL-CIO. UAW president Walter Reuther, who was also the president of the CIO played a significant role.

The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) was the result of a constitutional convention of state, county, and municipal unions of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) on December 9, 1935. Growth did not come easily at first. The union's primary tactic was lobbying to pass or strengthen civil service laws. By the end of 1936, AFSCME had 10,000 members. Ten years later membership was up to 73,000.

The post-World War II era was marked on the one hand by inflation in the private sector resulting in new jobs and higher pay, and on the other hand by unrest among public employees. Reaction to the discontent was swift and by the end of 1947, eight states passed laws which would penalize striking public workers. That same year, the U.S. Congress passed the Taft-Hartley Act which restricted labor unions in private industry. Despite this opposition, AFSCME continued to grow. By 1955, the year of the AFL and CIO merger, membership passed the 100,000 mark. The attitudes of AFSCME members were changing as well during this time. Many of the union's new members came from big cities which had strong trade union roots and traditions. At conventions in the mid and late 1950s, AFSCME members began stressing public workers' rights and collective bargaining as a means to improve their working conditions. In 1958, responding to pressure from AFSCME, New York City Mayor Robert Wagner signed an executive order which granted collective bargaining rights to unions representing city employees. A turning point had been reached.

In 1961, President John Kennedy issued Executive Order 10988, which legitimized collective bargaining for federal employees and helped create a favorable atmosphere for similar demands from all public employees.

Angered over changes in wages and working hours, thirteen engineers at the Michigan Central Railroad issued a call to all engineers to meet in Detroit on March 17, 1863, to discuss grievances. As a result of this meeting came the establishment of Division Number One, Brotherhood of Footboard (BOF). In 1964, the organization became the Grand International Division of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers with membership specifically limited to locomotive engineers.

The buttons in this collection help resurrect an interesting history of the American railroads during the early 1900s. BLE followed an independent, conservative policy, but also cooperated with other railway unions in making influential changes within the industry. In 1911, BLE helped secure passage of the Locomotive Inspection Act and the Adamson Act, which established an eight-hour day for rail-operating employees.

After the 1920s increased competition from other forms of transportation, changes brought by technological advances, and deterioration of the railroads during the depression years of the 1930s reduced demand for engineers, but that demand revived dramatically during World War II. Since World War II, the railway industry has experienced significant changes and so have railway labor organizations. By 1960 BLE's membership had fallen from 86,000 in 1920 to 68,000.