Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the Congress of Industrial Organizations
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Abstract
The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) (1936-1987, bulk 1936-1959) is an artificial collection, collected and assembled by the Tamiment Library over the course of several decades. The CIO was founded in 1935 as part of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and known as the Committee for Industrial Organization. Formalizing a break with the AFL over disputes in how to organize industrial workers, the CIO held its first convention in 1938, and it was there that it changed its name to the Congress of Industrial Organizations. The collection consists of contracts, agreements, and constitutions, as well as printed ephemera such as fliers, brochures, leaflets, newspaper clippings, pamphlets and other publications. Material comes from the international and national body of the CIO but also its regional, state, and city councils, most notably, the Greater New York CIO Council and the New York State Industrial Union Council.
Historical Note
The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was originally conceived in 1935 within the American Federation of Labor (AFL) as the Committee for Industrial Organization. After formalizing a break with the AFL, stemming from disagreements in how to organize industrial workers, the CIO established itself an independent federation in 1938. John L. Lewis was an influential force and served as president until 1940, when Philip Murray of the United Steelworkers of America succeeded him. The first unions chartered by the CIO were the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, the United Mine Workers of America, and the United Steelworkers of America. In 1955, the AFL, under the leadership of George Meany, merged with the CIO, led by Walter Reuther. As of 2009, the AFL-CIO represented over 11 million members.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into two series. Folders are arranged alphabetically within series. The series arrangement of the records is as follows:
Series I: National Council Files, 1936-1987
Series II: City, State and Regional Industrial Councils, 1938-1959
Scope and Content Note
The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) (1936-1987, bulk 1936-1959) consists of agreements, contracts, constitutions, by-laws, and reports, as well as printed ephemera such as clippings, flyers, broadsides, leaflets, programs, and pamphlets produced by the CIO nationally as well as by its city, state and regional industrial councils.
Series I: National Council Files, 1936-1987, consists of material from various committees and departments of the CIO, including the Committee on Civil Rights, the Department of Education and Research, the Political Action Committee, as well as the early formation of the CIO, known as the Committee for Industrial Organization formed in 1935 as part of the American Federation of Labor (AFL).
Series II: City, State and Regional Industrial Councils, 1938-1959, consists of printed material from the CIO's city, state and regional industrial councils. Notably, this series contains files from the Greater New York CIO Council and the New York State Industrial Council.
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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
Identification of item, date; The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the Congress of Industrial Organizations; PE 005; 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.
In 2025, materials from accession 2019.056, which is associated with Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on Subjects (PE 029), were transferred to this collection.
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.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Decisions regarding arrangement, description, and physical interventions for this collection prior to 2025 are unknown.
In 2025, unprocessed materials from the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on Subjects (PE 029) were transferred to this collection and placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. These materials were housed in box Shared Tamiment 190 and integrated into the collection's existing alphabetical file list.
