Skip to main content Skip to main navigation

Taystee Bakery Organizing Campaign Records

Call Number

WAG.216

Date

1989-1996, inclusive

Creator

Community/Labor Campaign to Save Taystee Jobs

Extent

8.5 Linear Feet
in 8 record cartons and 1 manuscript box

Language of Materials

Materials are in English

Abstract

After the Taystee Bakery in Flushing, Queens shut down in 1992, the workers at the factory organized to attempt to create the first worker-owned commercial bakery in New York City. The collection is comprised of correspondence, reports, fliers, news articles, fundraising documents, newsletters, notes, photographs, legal and government documents, and other research and organizing materials related to both the protests against shutting down the Taystee Bakery and the attempt to create a worker-owned factory.

Historical/Biographical Note

Hundreds of workers lost their jobs when the Taystee Bakery in Flushing, Queens shut down in 1992. Citing the expense of operating in New York City, the bakery's parent company, Stroehmann Bakeries, moved to Pennsylvania.

Many of the workers at the now defunct Taystee Bakery joined forces in an attempt to create New York City's first worker-owned commercial bakery. By the fall of 1994, the Community/Labor Campaign to Save Taystee Jobs, Inc. had secured over $250,000 from banks, foundations, and religious organizations. Led by former Taystee workers Lynn Bell and Jennie Call, the nonprofit (sometimes referred to as the New York Bakery Project before the group's official incorporation) focused on finding a site for the new bakery and seeking out investment and partnership opportunities.

Arrangement

This collection has not been arranged by an archivist. The order in which the materials were sent to the Tamiment Library has been maintained.

Scope and Content Note

The collection is comprised of correspondence, reports, fliers, news articles, fundraising documents, newsletters, notes, photographs, legal and government documents, and other research and organizing materials related to both the protests against shutting down the Taystee Bakery and the attempt to create a worker-owned factory. The materials may have been compiled by Lynn Bell, one of the leaders of the Taystee campaign.

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open without restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Archives has no information about copyright ownership for this collection and is not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce materials from it. Materials in this collection, which were created in 1989-1996, are expected to enter the public domain in 2117.

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:

Identification of item, date; Taystee Bakery Organizing Campaign Records; WAG 216; Box number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.

Location of Materials

Materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please contact tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu at least two business days prior to research visit.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The provenance of this collection is unknown. The accession numbers associated with this collection are 1997.011, 1997.025, NPA.2000.227, and NPA.2000.236.

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.wagner@nyu.edu, (212) 998-2630 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

Rachel Schimke, 2014

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-02-06 14:07:48 -0500.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid is in English

Processing Information

Materials were rehoused in archival boxes. Some loose papers were placed in archival folders. Any folder titles added by the archivist are indicated with square brackets.

Photographs and graphic materials separated from this collection during accessioning were established as a separate collection, the Taystee Bakery Photographs (PHOTOS 158). In 2014, the photograph collection was reincorporated into the Taystee Bakery Organizing Campaign Records (WAG 216).

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