Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the National Maritime Union
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Abstract
The National Maritime Union, which represented workers in the merchant marine, was formed in 1937 in a split from the International Seamen's Union. The National Maritime Union merged with the Seafarers International Union of North America in 2001. The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the National Maritime Union of America contains a variety of documents on the National Maritime Union, including newspaper clippings, flyers, brochures, biographical material, convention proceedings, chapter and ships' meeting minutes, correspondence, and other items. Material in the collection dates from 1937 to 2005.
Historical Note
The National Maritime Union, which represented workers in the merchant marine, was formed in 1937 in a split from the International Seamen's Union. The International Seamen's Union was affiliated with the American Federation of Labor (AFL). At its first convention in 1937, the National Maritime Union (NMU) joined the Committee for Industrial Organizations (CIO). The union was led by Joseph Curran, who served as NMU president until 1981. By 1946, the NMU had 46 branches and 73,000 members. In 2001, the NMU merged with the Seafarers International Union of North America, which originally represented West Coast merchant mariners.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically within the series.
Organized in one series.
Scope and Contents
The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the National Maritime Union consists of materials relating to the activities of the Union. Material includes a variety of documents such as newspaper clippings, flyers, brochures, biographical material, convention proceedings, chapter and ships' meeting minutes, correspondence, and other items, and dates from 1937 to 2005. Much of the collection focuses on the leadership of Joseph Curran, who served as president of the National Maritime Union (NMU) from 1937 to 1981. The bulk of the material dates from 1944 to 1952 and consists of transcripts of ship, local port, and national meetings concerned with the struggle to remove Communist and other leftist influences from the union. Also well documented are internal conflicts in the 1970s and 1980s, including efforts led by Joe Morrisey. The collection also includes two histories of the union and materials documenting the activity of NMU dissident member Henry Spira.
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Conditions Governing Access
Edward Hendrickson NMU Papers in Box 4 contain sensitive materials and are restricted to researchers.
The rest of the 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 through various donations.
Gary D. Will donated a membership book from the National Maritime Union of America in 2013. The accession number associated with this gift is 2014.100.
Stanley Postek donated Edward Hendrickson NMU Papers in 1987. The accession number associated with this gift is 2018.071.
Custodial History
The provenance of this material 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. Some of the papers are personal in nature - correspondence, campaign materials, and may have come from James Morrissey or one of his colleagues.
