AFL-CIO. New York City Central Labor Council Records: Inventory
1933-2003
(Bulk 1970-2000)

Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 998-2630
Fax: (212) 995-4225
E-mail: gail.malmgreen@nyu.edu

© 2007 Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive. All rights reserved.
New York University Libraries, Publisher
Processed by Paul Sager, 2007
Machine-readable finding aid derived from a MS Word Document, dated: 2007. Machine-readable finding aid created by Evan Friss. Description is in English.

Descriptive Summary

Creator: AFL-CIO. New York City Central Labor Council
Title: AFL-CIO. New York City Central Labor Council Records: Inventory
Dates: 1933-2003, (Bulk 1970-2000)
Abstract: The collection consists of records of the New York City Central Labor Council (founded, after a merger with the New York City CIO Council, in 1959) as well as some files, including minutes, of its predecessor organization, the Central Trades and Labor Council of Greater New York (chartered in 1920). For the later period (from 1960) the collection includes General Files and extensive files of individual officers of the Council. Files for the 1980s and 1990s are mainly from the offices of Council Secretary Ted H. Jacobsen and Council President Brian M. McLaughlin. They include reference material, reports, correspondence, flyers and copies of proposed legislation on a wide range of topics of concern to the labor movement: housing, health care, safety issues in the workplace, immigrant rights, political campaigns and matters relating to collective bargaining rights. There are also files on the various ethnic labor committees created by the Council beginning in the early 1970s and files on negotiations, strikes and disputes involving individual unions affiliated to the Council.
Quantity: 278 linear feet (278 boxes)
Call Phrase: Wagner #49
Return to top

Historical/Biographical Note

The New York City Central Labor Council had its origins in the Central Trades and Labor Council of Greater New York City, chartered in 1920 by the American Federation of Labor (AFL). The Council represented AFL-affiliated local unions in the New York City area. After the split between the AFL and the newly-formed Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in the mid-1030s, CIO unions in the city were represented by a separate CIO Council. The Central Trades and Labor Council merged with the New York City CIO on February 19, 1959 to form the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO. This move followed the 1955 national merger of the AFL and the CIO, and the 1958 merger of New York state-level AFL and CIO bodies.

The New York City Central Labor Council is an organization comprised of nearly 400 local union affiliates. It only acts on local activities and concerns. It issues no statements on AFL-CIO policy and does not participate in the affairs of its local affiliates or their parent organizations. Its purpose, according to its constitution, is to further the rights of workers to organize in unions and bargain collectively; to advocate legislation which is beneficial to workers and oppose that which is not; to correct abuses and to insure the workers their just rights. It also has the broader purposes of helping all workers to improve their working conditions and raise their standard of living; to preserve workers' rights to act together for mutual aid and advancement; to further the cause of trade unions; and to strengthen civil rights. It acts as the central body of the City's labor movement, providing assistance and education through its various committees and councils.

The regular activities of the New York City Central Labor Council are directed by its executive officers, Executive Board, and Delegates' Council meetings. The planning and execution of programs and conferences is the province of a number of standing and special committees. These committees are composed of members from affiliated local unions, and each has its own officers and advisory staff. And is responsible for conducting specific programs and conferences. An important special committee is the Labor Day Parade Committee.

Harry Van Arsdale, Business Manager of International Brotherhood of Electricians Local 3, was elected the president of the Central Trades and Labor Council of the AFL in 1957. With the merger in 1959 he became the president of the Central Labor Council. During his presidency (1957-1986), the council established many committees and programs such as the Rehabilitation Council (1963), Hispanic Labor Committee (1970), and the Black Trade Unionists Leadership Committee (1972). After Harry Van Arsdale Jr.'s death in 1986, his son, Thomas Van Arsdale was elected to the post of president. During the Van Arsdales' tenure the Council campaigned to organize taxicab drivers, helped to found a worker education program (the Harry Van Arsdale, Jr. Center for Labor Studies at Empire State College, SUNY), mobilized the labor movement to confront the City's fiscal crisis of the late 1970s, and generally worked to foster a spirit of solidarity throughout the many disparate sectors of the New York City labor movement

Thomas Van Arsdale was succeeded as president by Brian M. McLaughlin, also of IBEW Local 3, in 1995; and Gary LaBarbera of the Teamsters union was elected to replace McLaughlin in June 2007, with Ed Ott serving in the newly created position of Executive Director.

The Council's web site is http://www.nycclc.org/

Return to top

Scope and Content Note

The collection is unprocessed, and files are in their original order, as received. No series have been created for the collection.

No series have been created for the collection.The collection includes some records, including minutes, of the Council's predecessor organization, the Central Trades and Labor Council of Greater New York. For the later period (from 1960) the collection includes General Files and extensive files of individual officers of the Council. Files for the 1980s and 1990s are mainly from the offices of Council Secretary Ted H. Jacobsen and Council President Brian M. McLaughlin. They include reference material, reports, correspondence, flyers and copies of proposed legislation on a wide range of topics of concern to the labor movement: housing, health care, safety issues in the workplace, immigrant rights, political campaigns and matters relating to collective bargaining rights. There are also files on the various ethnic labor committees created by the Council beginning in the early 1970s and files on negotiations, strikes and disputes involving individual unions affiliated to the Council.

Return to top

Arrangement

This is an unprocessed collection; most sections are in original order, as received. Many boxes contain subject files arranged alphabetically within a given year (1995, A-D, etc.).
The files are grouped into one series:
I, Iventory
Return to top

Related Material at the Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives

New York City Labor Council, Minutes, 1933-1982. (Microfilm: Reels 7419/1-7)

Black Trade Unionists Leadership Committee Records. (Wagner #138)

New York City Central Labor Council Photograph Collection. (NP #20)

Return to top

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Open for research without restrictions.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the:
Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 998-2630
Fax: (212) 995-4225
E-mail: gail.malmgreen@nyu.edu

Return to top

Access Points

Subject Names:
Jacobsen, Ted H.
McLaughlin, Brian M.
Van Arsdale, Harry, -- 1905-1986.
Subject Organizations:
AFL-CIO. - New York City Central Labor Council.
Central Trades and Labor Council of Greater New York.
Subject Topics:
Black Trade Unionists leadership Committee.
Labor movement - New York (State) - New York - History.
Labor unions - New York (State) - New York - Political activity.
Subject Places:
New York (State)--New York
Document Types:
Clippings.
Correspondence.
Flyers.
Reports.
Return to top

Administrative Information

Provenance

Donated by New York City Central Labor Council in several installments, beginning in July 1986.

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:

Identification of item, date (if known); The AFL-CIO. New York City Central Labor Council: Inventory; Wagner #49; box number; folder number; New York University Libraries;New York University Libraries

Return to top

Container List

[The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.]

 

Box Inventory.
Box Folder Title Date
1 1 NYCCLC: Advisory Council Minutes (1973-1978);NYCCLC: Executive Board Minutes (1983-1985);AFL-CIO to China (1991) 1973-1991
Box Folder Title Date
2 1 Anti-Apartheid to CUNY 1991
Box Folder Title Date
3 1 Delegate Entitlement and Voting Strength to United Way. Includes Domsey Strike: ILGWU 1990-1991
Box Folder Title Date
4 1 General files 1990
Box Folder Title Date
5 1 General files 1990
Box Folder Title Date
6 1 Charter Revision to Circular Letters (1990);General files (1993) 1990-1993
Box Folder Title Date
7 1 General files;Unions: Engineers to Unions: Steelworkers 1995
Box Folder Title Date
8 1 Unions: Actors to Unions: Electronic;Unions: Roofers to Unions: Writers Guild 1995
Box Folder Title Date
9 1 General files (1994);Union locals files (1995) 1994-1995
Box Folder Title Date
10 1 General files 1959-1968
Box Folder Title Date
11 1 General files 1958-1972
Box Folder Title Date
12 1 Taxi Drivers Organizing Committee 1964-1966
Box Folder Title Date
13 1 Circular Letters to Transportation Bond Issue (1967); AFL-CIO to Con Edison Project (1968) 1967-1968
Box Folder Title Date
14 1 AFL-CIO to Newark Teachers' Strike 1972
Box Folder Title Date
15 1 National Advisory Council on Economic Opportunity to Workmen's Circle 1972
Box Folder Title Date
16 1 General files 1967
Box Folder Title Date
17 1 General files (1966); General files (1967) 1966-1967
Box Folder Title Date
18 1 General CLC to Voter Registration 1965
Box Folder Title Date
19 1 AFL-CIO to TDOC 1966
Box Folder Title Date
20 1 General files: includes Transit Strike 1966
Box Folder Title Date
21 1 Iushewitz, Morris 1967-1974
Box Folder Title Date
22 1 General files, mostly Van Arnsdale, Harry 1965-1966
Box Folder Title Date
23 1 Board of Education Activities (1966); Merger of CIO Council (1950s); Performing Arts (1950s & 1960s) 1950s-1960s
Box Folder Title Date
24 1 Taft-Hartley (1959); Elections (1970-1979) 1959, 1970-1979
Box Folder Title Date
25 1 Red Cross to US Savings Bonds (1976); AFL-CIO to NYC-based International Presidents (1977) 1976-1977
Box Folder Title Date
26 1 AFL-CIO to Job Placement Program 1978
Box Folder Title Date
27 1 Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee to Veterans' Affairs 1975
Box Folder Title Date
28 1 General files: includes Farah Strike 1974
Box Folder Title Date
29 1 Mayor's Office for Veterans' Affairs to US Savings Bonds (1974); General files (1975) 1974-1975
Box Folder Title Date
30 1 General files, mostly Van Arsdale, Harry 1975
Box Folder Title Date
31 1 American Arbitration Association to Public Development Corporation 1974
Box Folder Title Date
32 1 IBEW Local 3 to Workmens' Compensation (1973); AFL-CIO (1974) 1973-1974
Box Folder Title Date
33 1 General files: includes Farah Strike 1973
Box Folder Title Date
34 1 Arsdale, Harry Van to Labor Studies 1972
Box Folder Title Date
35 1 General files 1974
Box Folder Title Date
36 1 AFL-CIO/COPE to Local Union Correspondence 1973
Box Folder Title Date
37 1 General files 1969
Box Folder Title Date
38 1 Carnegie Hall to Van Arsdale, Harry 1968
Box Folder Title Date
39 1 American Foundation on Automation and Employment to Workers' Compensation (1970);Van Arsdale, Harry (1971) 1970-1971
Box Folder Title Date
40 1 American Arbitration Association to Public Development Corporation 1976
Box Folder Title Date
41 1 General files: includes J.P. Stevens Boycott 1977
Box Folder Title Date
42 1 Circular Letters to Van Arsdale, Harry 1978
Box Folder Title Date
43 1 AFL-CIO to NYCCLC Executive Board 1976
Box Folder Title Date
44 1 American Arbitration Association to Van Arsdale, Harry 1977
Box Folder Title Date
45 1 AFL-CIO to Local Union Correspondence 1979
Box Folder Title Date
46 1 Advisory Council to Strikes 1975
Box Folder Title Date
47 1 General files 1977
Box Folder Title Date
48 1 General files 1978
Box Folder Title Date
49 1 AFL-CIO to United Way/United Fund;Van Arsdale, Harry 1980
Box Folder Title Date
50 1 AFL-CIO to Local Union Correspondence 1981
Box Folder Title Date
51 1 AFL-CIO to Lincoln's Birthday Dinner 1982
Box Folder Title Date
52 1 AFL-CIO to Human Resources;Reisel, Victor to Workmen's Compensation 1971
Box Folder Title Date
53 1 Blue Cross (AHS) to Strikes 1971
Box Folder Title Date
54 1 American Arbitration Association to Public Development Corporation 1971
Box Folder Title Date
55 1 General files 1970
Box Folder Title Date
56 1 AFL-CIO to Non-partisan: Richmond 1970
Box Folder Title Date
57 1 Iushewitz, Morris (1968);Office of Collective Bargaining to Workmen's Compensation (1968);AFL-CIO to Demonstration Project (1969) 1968-1969
Box Folder Title Date
58 1 General files: A-R (1960s);Labor Day files (1970s) 1960s-1970s
Box Folder Title Date
59 1 General files: includes Local Union Correspondence 1968
Box Folder Title Date
60 1 Circular Letters to Strikes: includes General Electric Strike 1969
Box Folder Title Date
61 1 Local 174: Strike, Hebrew National to Van Arsdale, Harry, School of Labor Studies 1986
Box Folder Title Date
62 1 Advisory Council for Occupational Education to CWA Strike vs. AT&T 1986
Box Folder Title Date
63 1 General files 1986-1987
Box Folder Title Date
64 1 CIO newspaper clippings and counselor's manual (1945-1952);NYCCLC Community Services documents (1960s);Business/Labor Working Group documents and reports (1970s);Labor Day poster (1983) 1945-1983
Box Folder Title Date
65 1 General files: includes PATCO Strike 1981
Box Folder Title Date
66 1 Advisory Council to Van Arsdale, Harry 1980
Box Folder Title Date
67 1 AFL-CIO to Public Employees Committee 1980
Box Folder Title Date
68 1 General files: includes Polish Solidarity 1982
Box Folder Title Date
69 1 General files 1987
Box Folder Title Date
70 1 Miscellaneous to Van Arsdale, Harry 1979
Box Folder Title Date
71 1 Labor Day Parade Master Book (1959);Taxi Drivers (1965-1978);Labor Day Parade (1982-1985) 1959-1985
Box Folder Title Date
72 1 Appointment Books, Organizational 1961-1983
Box Folder Title Date
73 1 Van Arsdale, Harry;AFL-CIO Mortgage Investing to US Savings Bonds 1984
Box Folder Title Date
74 1 General files: includes numerous files on boycotts, rallies, and strikes, plus Mondale/Ferraro Campaign 1984-1987
Box Folder Title Date
75 1 General files: includes Van Arsdale, Thomas 1992
Box Folder Title Date
76 1 General files 1994-1995
Box Folder Title Date
77 1 General files 1994
Box Folder Title Date
78 1 General files: includes Clinton/Gore Election Campaign 1992
Box Folder Title Date
79 1 Jacobsen, Ted to Labor/Management 1994
Box Folder Title Date
80 1 Delegates/Credentials to Resumes 1992
Box Folder Title Date
81 1 No Union Label/Bug/Hotel to Political 1994
Box Folder Title Date
82 1 Association for a Better NY to Dompsey;Visitors to Workers' Memorial Day 1992
Box Folder Title Date
83 1 Black Trade Unionists Leadership to Naval 1994
Box Folder Title Date
84 1 General files: mostly AFL-CIO 1992
Box Folder Title Date
85 1 Advisory Council for Occupational Education to Alcoholism 1987
Box Folder Title Date
86 1 AFL-CIO 1987 Regional Conferences to Committee for Public Higher Education (1987);Frontlash to Greyhound (1990) 1987, 1990
Box Folder Title Date
87 1 Advisory Council to Delegates 1987-1988
Box Folder Title Date
88 1 Labor News to Strikes and Boycotts 1988
Box Folder Title Date
89 1 General files 1988
Box Folder Title Date
90 1 General files: includes Labor Day Parade (1984, 1987, 1989); 1984-1989
Box Folder Title Date
91 1 General files 1986
Box Folder Title Date
92 1 Certificate of affiliation with CIO (1949);General files (1986) 1949, 1986
Box Folder Title Date
93 1 Consumers Assembly to Jacobsen, Ted: Personal 1987
Box Folder Title Date
94 1 Cornell University to Van Arsdale, Harry 1985
Box Folder Title Date
95 1 Lincoln's Birthday to NYCCLC: Telephone Systems 1987
Box Folder Title Date
96 1 NY State AFL-CIO to Unions: Miscellaneous Correspondence 1987
Box Folder Title Date
97 1 Greyhound to Irish-American 1990
Box Folder Title Date
98 1 Labor Day (1968, 1983);Tax records (1980-1989);Union Label and Service Trades Department records (1987-1995) 1968-1995
Box Folder Title Date
99 1 Commercial Rents to NY State Financial Control Board 1988
Box Folder Title Date
100 1 Unions: Teamsters to world Rehabilitation Fund 1988
Box Folder Title Date
101 1 Jacobsen, Ted 1987
Box Folder Title Date
102 1 General files 1972-1976
Box Folder Title Date
103 1 Audio tapes of various meetings (1987-1988);Business cards and political and union buttonsGeneral files: mostly AFL-CIO (1990) 1987-1988, 1990
Box Folder Title Date
104 1 Labor Day 1968, 1981, 1983
Box Folder Title Date
105 1 General files 1976-1982
Box Folder Title Date
106 1 Telefaxes 1988-1989
Box Folder Title Date
107 1 General files 1988
Box Folder Title Date
108 1 General files: includes Parking Meter and Street Lighting 1979-1986
Box Folder Title Date
109 1 Accountant to Central America 1990
Box Folder Title Date
110 1 Unions: Bakery Confectionery & Tobacco Workers to Unions: Operating Engineers;General files: includes Daily News Boycott 1990
Box Folder Title Date
111 1 US Dept. of Labor to Workers Memorial Day;General files: mostly AFL-CIO 1993
Box Folder Title Date
112 1 AFL-CIO to Constitution 1988
Box Folder Title Date
113 1 South America to Van Arsdale, Harry: Labor College 1989
Box Folder Title Date
114 1 Housing Now to Labor Day Parade 1989
Box Folder Title Date
115 1 Labor Department, Friends of the, to NYCCLC Asian Labor Committee 1989
Box Folder Title Date
116 1 General files;NYCCLC Black Trade Unionists Leadership Committee to Picketing 1989
Box Folder Title Date
117 1 NYCCLC Executive Board Meeting Minutes 1951-1982
Box Folder Title Date
118 1 General files: includes Brian McLaughlin 1987-1988
Box Folder Title Date
119 1 NY State Labor History Association to Unions: Miscellaneous 1988
Box Folder Title Date
120 1 Constitution to Legislation 1988
Box Folder Title Date
121 1 Women to Xerox (1989);NAACP to NY State AFL-CIO Convention (1990) 1989-1990
Box Folder Title Date
122 1 Circular Letters to Foreign Visitors 1990
Box Folder Title Date
123 1 Adopt-a-School to Consortium for Workers Education 1989
Box Folder Title Date
124 1 Consumer Assembly to Hotel and Motel Trades Union 1989
Box Folder Title Date
125 1 Shared Work to Unions: Daily News 1990
Box Folder Title Date
126 1 Jacobsen, Ted to Labor Institute of Public Affairs 1990
Box Folder Title Date
127 1 Union Label to Unions: Automobile Workers Union (1991)Irish-American to Jacobsen, Ted (1992) 1991-1992
Box Folder Title Date
128 1 General files 1993
Box Folder Title Date
129 1 AFL-CIO 1993 campaigns manualGeneral files (1999) 1993, 1999
Box Folder Title Date
130 1 United Way to Youth Employment;Various others 1990
Box Folder Title Date
131 1 General files 1990
Box Folder Title Date
132 1 European Community to Invitations 1992
Box Folder Title Date
133 1 LRLP News Clippings 1963-1967
Box Folder Title Date
134 1 General files: includes Union locals files 1990
Box Folder Title Date
135 1 Unions: Daily News to Unions: Stage Employees 1990
Box Folder Title Date
136 1 Prison Labor to Unions: Graphic Communications 1993
Box Folder Title Date
137 1 Political Committees to South Africa 1995
Box Folder Title Date
138 1 General files: mostly AFL-CIO (1989);School Construction Authority to Unemployment (1993) 1989
Box Folder Title Date
139 1 General files 1995
Box Folder Title Date
140 1 General files 1988-1989
Box Folder Title Date
141 1 General files 1989-1990, 1995
Box Folder Title Date
142 1 General files (1989);Safety and Health to Union Label (1995) 1989, 1995
Box Folder Title Date
143 1 General files 1988, 1990, 1994
Box Folder Title Date
144 1 General files 1990
Box Folder Title Date
145 1 General files: mostly AFL-CIO. Includes photos. 1995
Box Folder Title Date
146 1 Daily News (1990);Van Arsdale, Thomas: Appointments (1990-1991)US Department of Labor to Visitors (1995) 1990-1991, 1995
Box Folder Title Date
147 1 Unfiled papers 1994
Box Folder Title Date
148 1 US Senate to Train Delays (1992);BNA Reports (1995);Van Arsdale, Harry: Memorial Association (1995) 1992, 1995
Box Folder Title Date
149 1 General files