Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
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Abstract
The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) (1947-2007, bulk 1955-2000) is an artificial collection, collected and assembled by the Tamiment Library over the course of several decades. The collection consists of constitutions, by-laws, convention proceedings, press releases, reports, and rosters as well as printed ephemera such as fliers, brochures, circular letters, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and other publications. The material generally comes from the AFL-CIO's national body as well as its various departments and committees. There is also material from the governing city, state and central federations of the AFL-CIO from around the country, notably from the New York State AFL-CIO. The collection also contains material from the New York City Central Labor Council, a labor membership organization for New York City unions.
Historical Note
The AFL-CIO was formed when the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) merged in 1955. The AFL was formed in 1886 and was led by Samuel Gompers as a more traditional union that organized workers along craft lines. The CIO, initially a committee within the AFL called the Committee for Industrial Organization, broke away from the AFL in the late 1930s after disputes in how to organize all the workers of one industry into the same union. George Meany, the president of the AFL, was elected to serve as the first president of the newly merged AFL-CIO. He was succeeded by Lane Kirkland in 1979. As a voluntary federation of international labor unions, the AFL-CIO represents nearly all unionized employees in the United States and Canada. The AFL-CIO lobbies on behalf of organized labor and mediates disputes between member unions. It holds quadrennial conventions and member unions are proportionately represented with delegates who attend and vote. John Sweeney was elected as president in 1995, this was the AFL-CIO's first contested election. When Sweeney retired in 2009, Richard Trumka, of the United Mine Workers of America was elected president.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into three series. All series are arranged alphabetically. The series arrangement of the records is as follows:
Series I: General Files, 1950-2005
Series II: State, Regional, and Central Councils, 1956-2007
Series III: New York City Central Labor Council, 1959-2005
Scope and Content Note
The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) (1947-2007, bulk 1955-2000) consists of material that was generated by the AFL-CIO at the national, state, and municipal levels. The collection contains material from various departments and committees, and includes constitutions, by-laws, convention proceedings, reports, rosters, and press releases as well as printed ephemera such as fliers, circular letters, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and publications.
Subjects
Organizations
Genres
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; Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO); PE 021; box number; folder number or item identifier; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Materials in this collection have been compiled by the Tamiment Library. The accession numbers associated with this collection are NPA.2000.334, NPA.2001.040, and NPA.2003.085.
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 boxes Shared Tamiment 191 and Shared Tamiment 184 and integrated into the collection's existing alphabetical file list.
