Collection search - International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America fonds [multiple media]

Record information – Brief
1
International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America fonds [multiple media]

Hierarchical level:

Fonds

Date:

[ca. 1935]-1985.

Reference:

R2854-0-3-E, MG28-I264

Type of material:

Textual material, Photographs, Art, Objects (including medals and pins)

Found in:

Archives / Collections and Fonds

Item ID number:

99999

Context of this record:

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International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America fonds
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Record information – Details
Fonds includes:

6 lower level description(s)
View lower level description(s)

Date(s):

[ca. 1935]-1985.

Bilingual equivalent:

Click here

Place of creation:

Canada

Added country of publication:

United States

Extent:

46.1 m of textual records.
746 photographs : 745 b&w.
24 prints : posters, 12 col. and 12 b&w ; 58 x 80 cm or smaller.
4 bumper stickers : col. ; 8 x 44 cm and 6 x 8 cm.
22 buttons.
4 badges.
1 medal : bronze.
28 audio discs (Gray Audograph).
3 ribbons : col. ; 17 x 5 cm and 15 x 5 cm.
1 name tag : 8 x 5 cm.

Language of material:

English

Added language of material:

English, French
Accession:

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International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers fonds [textual record]

International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers fonds [textual record]

International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers [sound recording, object, textual record]
Scope and content:

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Fonds documents: the operation and administration of the national office; the Montreal office, including IUE activities in Quebec, local unions, subject files, IUE conference board, labour relations with Canadian General Electric and Westinghouse; records of IUE representatives Al Knipfel (regarding locals in Western Ontario) and William "Bill" Miller (regarding locals in Eastern Ontario, organizing); the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE); the IUE national and international offices; and reference files of print matter on the IUE and UE., Fonds includes photographs taken at IUE conventions, seminars, council meetings, strikes, contract negotiations, union executives, and unionized plants (1935-1979).

Fonds includes posters that document public outreach (regarding strikes, lockouts) and union education (regarding charitable causes, union programs, strike meetings, rival unions, etc.).

Provenance:

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International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers

Additional name(s):

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Canadian Congress of Labour

Biography/Administrative history:

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International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers : The International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (IUE) was established in November 1949 by dissident members of the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE) following the expulsion of that union from the Canadian Congress of Labour, and (in the United States) from the Congress of Industrial Organizations. In Canada, the UE expulsion was caused by its long support of Communist Party policies in areas of economic development and international politics, which its critics charged violated its basic purpose as a trade union. With the beginning of the Cold War in North America, the major labour federations wanted to end the influence of the communist trade unionists within their ranks.

In Canada, the expulsion of the UE and other left-wing unions allowed the more moderate socialists within the labour movement to consolidate their influence and establish formal links to the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation. In the United States, the IUE and its president James Carey were able to win over a large number of former UE members to the new union, but in Canada the progress of the IUE was somewhat slower. In part this was due to the labour legislation in Canada which limited the opportunities for the IUE to solicit support from UE members.

With the assistance of the Canadian Congress of Labour and a few staff representatives from the United States, the Canadian IUE established locals in Brockville, Cobourg, and Montreal, but lost a key battle with the UE over the Peterborough Canadian General Electric plant in the early 1950s. The bulk of the IUE membership was from Ontario and Quebec among employees working in the production of radio, television and sound equipment in such companies as RCA, Canadian General Electric, Canadian Admiral, Westinghouse, and a number of smaller manufacturers. Its membership included a high proportion of women, skilled workers, and white-collar employees.

IUE locals in Canada were part of District 5 of the union, which was officially established in 1954 with George Hutchens as president. Before 1954, the Canadian district was under the control of its first director J.G. Morton, and from 1952 was directed by a provisional District Council. The President and Secretary-Treasurer of the District served on the International Executive Board of the IUE and represented the interests of Canadian workers.

Leadership in the union was very stable with Hutchens serving as president until 1976 when he became the International Secretary-Treasurer. Evelyn McGarr served as Secretary-Treasurer of District 5 from 1954 to 1980. Glenn Pattinson became Canadian president in 1976. In 1982, the Canadian District separated from the International and soon afterwards began merger talks with the Communications Workers of Canada. In January 1984, convention delegates from these two unions approved the merger and created the Communications, Electronic, Electrical, Technical and Salaried Workers (later shortened to Communications and Electrical Workers of Canada). Glenn Pattinson became a vice-president of the new union.

Finding aid:

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Textual records, graphic material and objects (Electronic) Finding aid for vols 1 to 163 is only available in paper format. Volumes 168 to 169; 198 to 242 are described at the file level electronically. MSS1648 (90: Open)
http://data2.archives.ca/pdf/pdf001/p000000291.pdf

Graphic (photo) (Paper) List of photo captions in accession file. (90: Open)

Additional information:

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General note:

Please see official history "The IUE in Canada" by Terry Copp and Al Knipfel (Cummock Press, Elora, 1980). The conflict between the IUE and the UE is studied in sections of Douglas Neil Caldwell's "The United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers District 5, 1937 to 1956," (M.A. Thesis, University of Western Ontario, 1980) and in Irving Abella's "Nationalism, Communism and Canadian Labour" (Toronto University of Toronto Press, 1973).
The national office records were received in yearly instalments from 1981 to 1986; the Montreal office records in 1981; Al Knipfel's personal papers in 1981; and the personal papers of William Miller in 1975 and 1983.

Related material:

Related records on locals of the former IUE are available in the Communications and Electrical Workers of Canada (CWC) fonds (R3027 ; MG 28 I 443), and in particular in series on the CWC's Industrial Sector.
Subject heading:

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Trade-unions - Organizing - Canada, 1936-1986 Canadian Labour Congress, 1949-1978

Trade-unions - Electricians, 1936-1986 Ontario Federation of Labour, 1949-1978

Trade-unions - Machinists - Canada, 1936-1986 New Democratic Party, 1949-1978

Trade-unions - History, 1936-1986 Canadian General Electric, 1949-1978

Trade-unions - Records and correspondence, 1946-1982 Westinghouse Canada, 1950-1979

Trade-unions - Law, legislation, etc. - Canada, 1949-1978 Le Circuit, 1950-1979

Labour leaders - Canada, 1953-1978 Fédération des Travailleurs du Québec, 1950-1979

Labour leaders - United States, 1953-1978 Al Knipfel (William Allen), 1949-1978

Trade-unions - Local unions, 1936-1974 Automatic Electric company (Lethbridge, Alberta), 1949-1978

Bill Miller, 1936-1984

Philips Electric Company, 1936-1984

United Electrical Workers, 1936-1984

Congress of Industrial Organizations, 1947-1975

Brockville and District Labour Council, 1947-1975

Proctor-Silex, 1946-1978

Radio Corporation of America (R.C.A.), 1949-1979

Labour - unions and organizations - archival fonds
Source:

Private

Related control no.:

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121-020154-2
1983-037 MED
1986-159 NPC
1986/0053
1989-350 DAP
1989/0210
1993/0172
2019-00241-8
242-89
MG28-I264

Former archival reference no.:

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MG28-I264
Ordering and viewing options

Conditions of access:

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Access restriction document

http://data2.archives.ca/pdf/pdf001/r000000167.pdf

Textual records

[Consultation96 Restrictions vary]

Finding aid box [FA 1648] 127

[Consultation 10 Closed]

Graphic (photo)

[Consultation96 Restrictions vary]

Graphic (art)

[Consultation18 Restricted]

Object

[Consultation90 Open]

Terms of use:

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Photographs: No restrictions. Various copyright. Credit: Name of photographer / National Archives of Canada / Copy negative no.

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Date modified:: 2024-04-09