East Tennessee State University
Archives of Appalachia
Box 70295
Johnson City, TN 37614-0138
Request Information here.
Telephone: (423) 439-4338
|
Title: |
Communications Workers of America, East Tennessee Office Records |
|
Collection Number: |
Accession No. 63 |
|
Physical Description: |
4.5 linear foot (3 storage boxes) |
|
Creator: |
Communications Workers of America, East Tennessee Office |
|
Repository: |
Archives of Appalachia, East Tennessee State University |
Provenance: The Communications Workers of America, East Tennessee Office Records were transferred in two groups to the Archives of Appalachia on October 29, 1979 by Calvin Patrick, and on February 20, 1980 by R. Stanley Powell. Both men served as Directors of the East Tennessee-Kentucky Communications Workers of America.
Access: The records are open for research.
Processing Information: Processing was completed, and the records were opened to researchers on February 1, 1990.
The National Federation of Telephone Workers (NFTW), the former institution of Communications Workers of America, was founded in 1937. It was more of a confederation, a union of unions, than a federation of local unions. A high degree of decentralization and local autonomy made the NFTW a weak and ineffective organization; nevertheless, in terms of membership growth, the NFTW thrived. In 1947 a reorganization occurred, and the union was renamed the Communications Workers of America.
The end of the bitter 1947 strike and the organization of the CWA did not end the union's troubles. Occurring almost simultaneously with the organization of the CWA, the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) established the Telephone Workers' Organizing Committee (TWOC). This challenge of the CIO was a serious threat to the continued survival of the CWA, because some of the CWA's strongest affiliates and effective leaders left it to join the TWOC. As a consequence, in 1949, the CWA formally joined the CIO and merged into one organization, the Communications Workers of America.
During the years following the CIO affiliation, the CWA gradually strengthened
its collective bargaining position, expanded its membership, and increased the
authority of the national office. The CWA maintains its national headquarters
in Washington, D.C. and holds an annual convention. In 1985, the CWA reported
a membership of 650,000 located in 910 local unions. It publishes the CWA
NEWS monthly and the CWA NEWSLETTER weekly.
(Above Information taken from: Directory of Labor Unions by Gary Fink.)
The East Tennessee-Kentucky Office, closed in February 1980, was one of the regional offices of CWA. It was responsible for representing East Tennessee and southern Kentucky. This included workers from:
United Telephone. . . . . . . . . . . . Bristol, Tenn.
Southern Electric Company . . . . . . . Greeneville, Tenn.
Wright & Lopey, Inc., . . . . . . . . . Bristol, Tenn.
Sammons Communications. . . . . . . . . Bristol, Morristown, Tenn.
Highland Telephone Cooperative. . . . . Sunbright, Tenn.
Star Constructive Company, Inc.,. . . . Knoxville, Tenn.
North Electric Company. . . . . . . . . Johnson City, Tenn.
General Telephone . . . . . . . . . . . Lexington, Ky
Like many other unions, CWA office of East Tennessee-Kentucky served its members by conducting negotiations with respect to pay, wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment.
The records of the East Tennessee-Kentucky office of CWA contain minutes, correspondence, reports, grievance case files, research notes, pamphlets and posters. The records relate to training of stewards, directors, secretary treasurers, and local leaders. The majority of these records consist of files pertaining to stewards and local leaders. Much of this material was published and issued by the national office. The publications were given to members of regional offices during training sessions. There is also incoming and outgoing correspondence of The East Tennessee-Kentucky office dating between 1960 and 1970. The records date from 1959 to 1979.
Organization: The collection is divided into two series: Series I, General Office Files and Series II, Training Materials. Series II is divided into two subseries: Subseries II-A, CWA Leader Information and Subseries II-B, Steward Training Material.
AFL-CIO
Baker, Howard H. (Howard Henry), 1925
Brown, W. W. (Willard W.)
Browning, John T.
Buttram, W. E.
Collective bargaining--Telecommunication
Collective labor agreements
Communications Workers of America. East Tennessee Office
Daniel, Lonnie B.
Hunigan, Charles W.
Labor-Marketing Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959
North Electric Company
Salvi, Richard F.
Sasser, James R.
Trade-unions
Trade-unions--Political activity
Trade-unions--Telecommunication
Volk, T. J.
Series I is composed of reports, minutes, pamphlets and posters concerning grievances, arbitrations, and agreements between CWA and various companies, including North Electric Company. The files are arranged first alphabetically by subject/record type and then chronologically. Three pens and four name tags have been removed and placed in the Archives of Appalachia artifact collection. An audio disk was placed in the Archives audio visual collection under the accession number.
Series II, consists of instructors manuals, teaching guides and outlines, workbooks, pamphlets, visual aids, and sample grievance forms and budgets. This material was used in training local union presidents, vice-presidents, secretaries, treasurers, local leaders, and stewards. Much of this material was published and issued by the national office and utilized by regional offices for training sessions. The records are divided into two subseries: Subseries II-A, CWA Leader Information and Subseries II-B, Steward Training Material.
Subseries II-A, CWA LEADER INFORMATION, 1968-1979, Box 2.
Subseries II-A consists of material used for training leaders of the CWA. It is composed of a sample budget, a book of uniform reports, public relations information (community relations outlines and guides for editing a newspaper article). The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.
Subseries II-B STEWARD TRAINING MATERIAL, 1967-1979, Box 3.
Subseries II-B consists of information used to train stewards for the CWA. It is divided into general steward training material and advanced programs, posters, visual aid material and data from workshops. The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.
1. AFL and CIO - speaker's manual.
2. Agreement.
3. Analysis, Labor Management-Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959.
4. Arbitration, 1974-75.
5. Correspondence, January 1974-October 1976.
6. Correspondence, September 1976-August 1977.
7. Correspondence, September-October 1977.
8. Correspondence, File Number 1, January-March 1978.
9. Correspondence, File Number 2, March-May 1978.
10. Correspondence, File Number 2, January-March 1978.
11. Correspondence, File Number 2, March-July 1978.
12. Correspondence, File Number 2, July-August 1978.
13. Correspondence, File Number 3, August-September 1978.
14. Correspondence, File Number 3, September-November 1978.
15. Correspondence, File Number 3, November-December 1978.
16. Correspondence, January-February 1979.
17. Correspondence, February-March 1979.
18. Correspondence, March-April 1979.
19. Grievance, 1977.
20. Grievance, 1978.
21. Miscellaneous, 1973-74.
22. News Clippings, 1973-74.
23. North Electric Company files, 1967-74.
24. North Electric Company files, 1975.
25. North Electric Company files, 1976-77.
26. Pamphlets, 1975-76.
27. Surveys, 1976.
Series II, consists of instructors manuals, teaching guides and outlines, workbooks, pamphlets, visual aids, and sample grievance forms and budgets. This material was used in training local union presidents, vice-presidents, secretaries, treasurers, local leaders, and stewards. Much of this material was published and issued by the national office and utilized by regional offices for training sessions. The records are divided into two subseries: Subseries II-A, CWA Leader Information and Subseries II-B, Steward Training Material.
Subseries II-A, CWA LEADER INFORMATION, 1963-1979.
Box 2 - Folder #:
1. Community Relations, 1969.
2. COPE, Club Campaign, 1970.
3. COPE, Committee Outline, ND.
4. CWA Coordinator's Guide, 1968.
5. Director's Programme, 1975.
6. Grievance (sample), ND.
7. Guide to Developing Local Newspaper, ND.
8. A Handbook for Editing CWA Local Newspaper, ND.
9. Instructor's Guide for Steward, 1968.
10. Instructor's Guide for President and Vice-President Class, ND.
11. Instructor's Guide for Secretary and Treasurer's Class, ND.
12. Instructor's Guide for Two-day Steward, 1963.
13. Instructor's Guide for Week Long Conference, 1963-65.
14. Instructor's Two-day Education Institute Programme, ND.
15. Local Leadership Week-long School, 1967.
16. Local Leadership Week-long School, first year Course, 1967.
17. Local Leadership Week-long School, second year course, 1967.
18. Local Leadership Week-long, 1968.
19. Local Leadership Week-long Conference, Number 1, 1971.
20. Local Leadership Week-long Conference, Number 2, 1971.
21. Local Leadership Week-long Conference, Number 3, 1971.
22. Local Leadership Week-long Conference training course, 1973.
23. Local Official Training School, 1971.
24. Programs for President and Vice-presidents, 1976.
25. Sample Budget (R. Stanley Powell), ND.Subseries II-B STEWARD TRAINING MATERIAL, 1967-1979.
Box 3 - Folder #:
1. Administrator's Guide for New Steward Training Course, ND.
2. Advanced Steward Training Course Number 1, ND.
3. Advanced Steward Training Course Number 2, ND.
4. Advanced Steward Training-post and Test, ND.
5. CWA Training Program, ND.
6. Programs for Secretary and Treasurer, 1976.
7. Staff Conference, 1967.
8. Staff Planning Information CWA Local Leadership Week-long School, Number 1, 1967.
9. Staff Planning Information CWA Local Leadership Week-long School, Number 2, 1967.
10. Steward Manual, ND.
11. Steward Training for CWA Staff, 1975.
12. Steward Training Course Workbook, 1968.
13. Steward Training Course Workbook, 1970.
14. Steward Training Program, ND.
15. Steward Training Program, 1975.
16. Steward Training Staff Teaching Outline, ND.
17. Steward Training - Student Workbook, ND.
18. Steward's Training - Two Step, 1971.
19. Training for Steward, 1975.
20. Visual Aid Set for Steward Course, Number 1, ND.
21. Visual Aid Set for Steward Course, Number 2, ND.
22. Workshop (1-5), ND.
MTC 07/01