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Communications Workers of America Audio Tape Inventory

Call Number

OH.026

Date

1952-1987, inclusive

Creator

Communications Workers of America (Role: Donor)

Extent

9.9 Linear Feet in 12 cassette boxes, 1 manuscript box, and 81 boxes
410 audiocassettes

Language of Materials

Materials are in English.

Abstract

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) was founded in 1947 as an industrial union of telephone industry workers. The union frequently commissioned or otherwise acquired audio recordings of major union events, speeches by union officers and others, broadcasts, and publicity and educational materials. The Communications Workers of America Audio Tape Inventory includes audio recordings of speeches and broadcasts by CWA presidents Joseph A. Beirne, Glenn E. Watts and Morton Bahr. Also included are audio recordings of CWA conventions, conferences, and Bargaining Council meetings, as well as radio broadcasts and interviews conducted on picket lines. The unprocessed portion of the collection includes a series of oral history interviews with local and national CWA officers conducted by John N. Schacht in the 1970s.

Historical Note

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) which was founded in 1947 as an industrial union of telephone industry workers expanded in the latter decades of the twentieth century to include a variety of categories of workers, among them television and radio technicians, journalists, healthcare workers, and a large and growing division of public employees. The union frequently commissioned or otherwise acquired audio recordings of major union events, speeches by union officers and others, broadcasts, and publicity and educational materials.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in chronological order.

Scope and Content Note

The processed portion of this collection of audiotapes includes speeches and broadcasts by CWA presidents Joseph A. Beirne, Glenn E. Watts and Morton Bahr, as well as presentations by such notables as Lyndon B. Johnson, Walter Reuther, Hubert Humphrey, Arthur J. Goldberg, George Meany, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, and Walter F. Mondale. Also included are recorded sessions of CWA conventions, conferences, and Bargaining Council meetings, as well as radio broadcasts and interviews conducted on picket lines. The unprocessed portion of the collection includes a series of oral history interviews with local and national CWA officers conducted by John N. Schacht in the 1970s.

Access Restrictions

Open for research without restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by Walden, Sanchez, Pratt, Myerscough, Macey, Banker, McCracken, Gross, Clark, Allen, Collins, and Saprezare maintained by New York University. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from repository. Please contact tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu.

Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection, created by the Communications Workers of America, was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date; Communications Workers of America Audio Tape Inventory; OH 026; box number; folder number or item identifier; Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by the Communications Workers of America in 1995. The accession number associated with this collection is 1987.016.

Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures

Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, special.collections@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596 with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.

Collection processed by

Finding aid prepared by Gail Dancy

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-20 16:45:20 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English

Processing Information

Decisions regarding arrangement, description, and physical interventions for this collection prior to 2021 are unknown. In April 2021, box numbers were attached at interview level and collection level notes were written for compliance with DACS and ACM Required Elements for Archival Description.

Revisions to this Guide

April 2021: Edited by Megan O’Shea for compliance with DACS and ACM Required Elements for Archival Description, and to reflect addition of box numbers to individual interviews

Repository

Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012