Guide to the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the American Federation of Labor PE.014
Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
10th Floor
New York, NY 10012
(212) 998-2630
tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu
Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Collection processed by Adrien Hilton
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on August 20, 2018
Description is in English
Descriptive Summary
| Creator: | Tamiment Library |
|---|---|
| Title: | Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the American Federation of Labor |
| Dates [inclusive]: | 1892-1992 |
| Abstract: | The American Federation of Labor (AFL) Printed Ephemera Collection is an artificial collection, collected and assembled by the Tamiment Library over the course of several decades. Founded in 1886, the AFL served as a large federation of labor unions for the United States and Canada. Unions affiliated with the AFL were traditionally organized by craft rather than industry-wide. The AFL joined with the more industrial focused Congress of Industrial Organization (CIO) in 1955 to form the AFL-CIO. In the date range of the late 1800s up through the 1990s, the collection consists of constitutions, rosters, directories and manuals as well as printed ephemera such as fliers, brochures, circular letters, newspaper clippings, pamphlets and other publications. In addition to the material that was generated at the national level of the AFL and by its various departments and committees including the Workers Education Bureau, which later became a part of the AFL, the collection consists of material from city, state and regional Federations of Labor. The New York State Federation of Labor is represented in the collection with convention proceedings and reports, circular letters, press releases, pamphlets as well as the merger agreement reached with the New York State Industrial Union Council. |
| Quantity: | 3 Linear Feet (3 boxes) |
| Language: | Materials are in English |
| Call Phrase: | PE.014 |
Historical/Biographical Note
The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was founded in Ohio in 1886, its precursor was known as the Federation of Trades and Labor Unions of the United States and Canada. Samuel Gompers was elected the first president. One of the first campaigns of the AFL was to fight nationally for the 8-hour day, a campaign that spread across the US and into Europe. Initially, organizing unions into the Federation was difficult, but steadily membership began to grow as the benefits of amalgamation became evident. The AFL organized workers more traditionally along craft lines, consequently, due to a division in strategy of organizing all workers in an industry, the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was formed. The two merged in 1955 forming the AFL-CIO.
Scope and Content Note
The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the American Federation of Labor consists of constitutions, rosters, manuals and reports, as well as printed ephemera such as fliers, brochures, newspaper clippings, pamphlets and other publications.
Series I: General Files, 1892-1981, consists of the pamphlets and printed ephemera generated by the AFL at the national level, along with several of its departments and committees. The Workers Education Bureau of America, a national project devoted to the education of workers, was supported and heavily influenced by the AFL. Eventually, in 1951, the Bureau was officially transferred to the AFL. The collection contains material from the Bureau following its absorption by the AFL, including bibliographies, conference schedules and programs, and pamphlets on a variety of topics. Similar material from the Department of Education is represented in the collection, including steward's manuals, publications relating to building local education programs, as well as conference programs and bibliographies. The collection contains printed ephemera pertaining to consumer cooperatives, the AFL's union label campaign, the planning of the Samuel Gompers Centennial celebration that took place in 1950, as well as more general fliers and brochures on the history of the AFL and trade union organizing.
Series II: City, State and Regional Federations of Labor, 1916-1992, consists of the printed ephemera generated by the city, state and regional Federations of Labor. The material in this series comes from cities all around the United States, including Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland and Los Angeles, as well as from states such as Kentucky, Texas, New Jersey, and Connecticut. A sizable portion of this series is from the New York State Federation of Labor. There are annual reports, convention and conference materials, constitutions, as well as a number of circular letters, press releases and pamphlets following labor legislation. Included is the merger agreement signed with the New York State Industrial Union Council in 1958, following the merger nationally of the AFL with the CIO.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into two series: Series I: General Files, 1892-1955; Series II: City, State and Regional Federations of Labor, 1916-1961. Folders are arranged alphabetically within series.
Access Points
Document Type
- Printed ephemera.
- Fliers (printed matter)
- Constitutions.
- Circular letters.
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Publications (documents)
- Press releases.
- Pamphlets.
Subject Organizations
- American Federation of Labor
- Workers Education Bureau of America
Subject Topics
- Labor unions -- United States.
- Labor unions
- Labor unions -- New York (State)
- Labor unions -- Organizing -- United States.
Administrative Information
Custodial History
The provenance of the materials is varied. Items were obtained through purchases, donations, standing orders with publishers, arrangements with labor unions and other organizations, exchanges with other libraries, and through ongoing collecting by Tamiment staff.
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Because of the assembled nature of this collection, copyright status varies across the collection. Copyright is assumed to be held by the original creator of individual items in the collection; these items are expected to pass into the public domain 120 years after their creation. Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Archives is not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce materials from this collection.
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date; Collection name; Collection number; box number; folder
number;
Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012, New York University Libraries.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Materials in this collection have been compiled by the Tamiment Library. There is no accession record associated with this collection.
Container List
Series I: General Files, 1892-1981
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| Container 1 | Title | Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Box: 1 | American Federation of Women's Auxiliaries of Labor |
1942-1944, undated | ||
| Box: 1 | Argentina |
1946-1947 | ||
| Box: 1 | Building and Construction Trades Department |
1944 | ||
| Box: 1 | Central Trades and Labor Council of Greater New York and Vicinity |
1930-1949, 1954 | ||
| Box: 1 | Circular Letters and Open Letters |
1924-1954 | ||
| Box: 1 | Committee for Unemployment Insurance and Relief |
1935 | ||
| Box: 1 | Committee on Education/Committee on Industrial Education |
1912, 1923 | ||
| Box: 1 | Constitutional Conventions |
1888, 1935-1946 | ||
| Box: 1 | Constitutional Conventions: Committee on International Labor Relations: Reports |
1947-1954 | ||
| Box: 1 | Constitutional Conventions: Executive Council: Reports |
1912, 1923, 1943-1954 | ||
| Box: 1 | Constitutional Conventions: Speeches |
1934-1942 | ||
| Box: 1 | Constitutions |
1918, 1929, 1936-1954 | ||
| Box: 1 | Consumer Cooperatives |
1937-1948, undated | ||
| Box: 1 | Department of Education |
1954-1955, undated | ||
| Box: 1 | Department of Education |
1955 | ||
| Box: 1 | Department of Research |
1955 | ||
| Box: 1 | Directories and Rosters (of Affiliates) |
1942-1952, undated | ||
| Box: 1 | Fliers and Ephemera |
1935, 1950, 1952, undated | ||
| Box: 1 | Free Trade Union Committee |
1951-1955, undated | ||
| Box: 1 | Food and Service Trades Council |
undated | ||
| Box: 1 | Information Division |
undated | ||
| Box: 1 | Information and Publicity Service |
1952-1954 | ||
| Box: 1 | International Labor Relations Committee |
1946-1949 | ||
| Box: 1 | International Labor Relations Department |
1947 | ||
| Box: 1 | Labor's League for Political Education I |
1949-1954, undated | ||
| Box: 1 | Labor's League for Political Education II |
1949-1954, undated | ||
| Box: 1 | Manuals |
1951, undated | ||
| Box: 1 | Meany, George: Testimonial Dinner |
1953 | ||
| Box: 1 | National Committee for the Extension of Labor Education |
1949 | ||
| Box: 1 | National Legislative Committee |
1954 | ||
| Box: 1 | National Organizing Committee of Western Union Employees |
undated | ||
| Box: 1 | Non-Partisan Committee |
1941 | ||
| Box: 1 | Office of the General Counsel |
undated | ||
| Box: 1 | Organizations Affiliated |
1936 | ||
| Box: 1 | Pamphlets and Publications |
1892-1899, undated | ||
| Box: 2 | Pamphlets and Publications |
1911-1918 | ||
| Box: 2 | Pamphlets and Publications |
1920-1925 | ||
| Box: 2 | Pamphlets and Publications |
1926-1929 | ||
| Box: 2 | Pamphlets and Publications |
1930-1934 | ||
| Box: 2 | Pamphlets and Publications |
1935-1939 | ||
| Box: 2 | Pamphlets and Publications |
1940-1949 | ||
| Box: 2 | Pamphlets and Publications |
1950-1955, 1980-1981 | ||
| Box: 2 | Post War Planning Committee |
1944, undated | ||
| Box: 2 | Press Releases |
1938, 1951 | ||
| Box: 2 | Provisional AFL-CIO Trade Union Committee: Greek American Council |
circa 1945 | ||
| Box: 2 | Publications Relating to |
1928-1958, undated | ||
| Box: 2 | Railway Employees Department |
1927-1952, undated | ||
| Box: 2 | Retirement Plan |
1950 | ||
| Box: 2 | Sam Gompers Centennial Committee |
1950 | ||
| Box: 2 | Sam Gompers Federal Labor Union Council |
1949 | ||
| Box: 2 | Social Security Committee |
1954 | ||
| Box: 2 | Southern Policy Committee |
undated | ||
| Box: 2 | Trade Union Committee for Unemployment Insurance and Relief |
1932-1934, undated | ||
| Box: 2 | Trade Union Education League |
1926 | ||
| Box: 2 | Union Label Trades Department |
1935-1941, 1952, undated | ||
| Box: 2 | Union Label Trades Department: Central Union Label Council of Greater New York |
1926-1941, undated | ||
| Box: 2 | Union Label Trades Department: Holcomb, Desma, "The Effectiveness of Union Label Campaigns
by the Allied Printing Trades Council of New York from 1898 to 1916" |
1993 | ||
| Box: 2 | Union Label Trades Department: Union Label League of Pennsylvania |
1946 | ||
| Box: 2 | Veterans Committee |
1946, undated | ||
| Box: 2 | Western Union Telegraph Company: Agreement |
1946 | ||
| Box: 2 | Workers Education Bureau |
1950-1952 | ||
| Box: 2 | Workers Education Bureau |
1953-1954 | ||
| Box: 2 | World Trade Union Conference |
1945 | ||
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Series II: City, State and Regional Federations of Labor, 1916-1992
|
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| Container 1 | Title | Date | ||
| Box: 3 | Buffalo Federation of Labor (Buffalo, NY) |
1954 | ||
| Box: 3 | California State Federation of Labor |
1935-1957, undated | ||
| Box: 3 | California State Federation of Labor: Summer Labor Institute |
1948 | ||
| Box: 3 | Central Labor Union of Philadelphia and Vicinity |
1939 | ||
| Box: 3 | Chicago Federation of Labor |
1918, undated | ||
| Box: 3 | Chicago Federation of Labor: Radio Broadcasting Association |
1926 | ||
| Box: 3 | Cleveland Federation of Labor (Cleveland, OH) |
1934 | ||
| Box: 3 | Connecticut American Federation of Labor Committee for the Promotion of a Labor Party |
undated | ||
| Box: 3 | Connecticut Federation of Labor |
1950 | ||
| Box: 3 | Detroit and Wayne County Federation of Labor (Detroit, MI) |
1951 | ||
| Box: 3 | Florida Federation of Labor |
1951 | ||
| Box: 3 | Illinois State Federation of Labor |
1954, 1960-1961, undated | ||
| Box: 3 | Illinois Federation of Labor: Committee on Unemployment |
1916 | ||
| Box: 3 | Indiana State Federation of Labor |
1957 | ||
| Box: 3 | Kansas State Federation of Labor |
1953, 1958-1959 | ||
| Box: 3 | Kentucky State Federation of Labor |
1950-1952, undated | ||
| Box: 3 | Los Angeles County Federation of Labor |
undated | ||
| Box: 3 | Massachusetts State Federation of Labor |
1930-1935, 1952 | ||
| Box: 3 | Mercer County Central Labor Union |
1952 | ||
| Box: 3 | Milwaukee Federated Trades Council |
1955, undated | ||
| Box: 3 | Minnesota State Federation of Labor |
1955, undated | ||
| Box: 3 | New Jersey State Federation of Labor |
1922 | ||
| Box: 3 | New York State Federation of Labor: Annual Reports |
1930-1941 | ||
| Box: 3 | New York State Federation of Labor: Circular Letters and Memoranda |
1926-1952 | ||
| Box: 3 | New York State Federation of Labor: Committee on Education/Education Department |
1923-1955 | ||
| Box: 3 | New York State Federation of Labor: Committee on Health |
1918-1919 | ||
| Box: 3 | New York State Federation of Labor: Conferences |
1944-1956 | ||
| Box: 3 | New York State Federation of Labor: Constitutions |
1921, 1934-1954 | ||
| Box: 3 | New York State Federation of Labor: Conventions |
1936-1955 | ||
| Box: 3 | New York State Federation of Labor: Conventions |
1957, 1967 | ||
| Box: 3 | New York State Federation of Labor: History |
1933-1939 | ||
| Box: 3 | New York State Federation of Labor: Labor Legislation |
1922-1929, 1946-1955 | ||
| Box: 3 | New York State Federation of Labor: Labor's League for Political Education |
1948 | ||
| Box: 3 | New York State Federation of Labor: Lyons, Thomas |
1943 | ||
| Box: 3 | New York State Federation of Labor: Merger Agreement (with New York State Industrial
Union Council) |
1958 | ||
| Box: 3 | New York State Federation of Labor: Non-Partisan Committee of New York State Federation
of Labor |
1922 | ||
| Box: 3 | New York State Federation of Labor: Pamphlets and Publications |
circa 1932, 1992, undated | ||
| Box: 3 | New York State Federation of Labor: Press Releases |
1952-1958 | ||
| Box: 3 | New York State Federation of Labor: Reconstruction Program |
1919, undated | ||
| Box: 3 | Ohio State Federation of Labor |
1953 | ||
| Box: 3 | Oregon State Federation of Labor |
1945-1952 | ||
| Box: 3 | Oswego Federation of Labor |
1950 | ||
| Box: 3 | Pennsylvania Federation of Labor |
1924-1958, undated | ||
| Box: 3 | San Francisco Labor Council |
1951, undated | ||
| Box: 3 | Texas State Federation of Labor |
1953 | ||
| Box: 3 | Toledo Central Labor Union (Toledo, OH) |
undated | ||
| Box: 3 | Virginia State Federation of Labor |
1952, 1953 | ||
| Box: 3 | West Virginia State Federation of Labor |
1952-1956 | ||
| Box: 3 | Wisconsin State Federation of Labor |
1939, undated | ||
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