Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the Transport Workers Union of America: Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the Transport Workers Union of America: NYU Special Collections Finding Aids

Call Number

PE.022

Date

1920-2009, inclusive

Creator

Tamiment Library

Extent

6 Linear Feet

(6 boxes)

Language of Materials

Materials are in English

Abstract

The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the Transport Workers Union of America is an artificial collection, collected and assembled by the Tamiment Library over the course of several decades. The collection consists of agreements, contracts and constitutions, as well as printed material such as fliers, leaflets, newspaper clippings, pamphlets and other publications. The collection offers a general feel for the types of printed matter put out by the Union as well as a brief introduction to and history of the Union and some of it's locals, particularly Local 100, the union for employees of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of New York (MTA).

Historical/Biographical Note

The Transport Workers Union of America came into existence in 1934 as a result of organizing efforts by a core group of workers on New York's Interborough Rapid Transit system, with assistance from Communist Party activists. After slow gains among NYC subway and bus workers and a brief period of affiliation with the International Association of Machinists, the union affiliated with the CIO in 1937 and was granted a broad jurisdiction over all categories of transport workers. Under the dynamic leadership of President Michael J. Quill and a group of organizers who shared his Irish nationalist background and radical outlook, the union soon grew to more than 40,000 members and began organizing nationwide. The largest and most powerful locals of the TWU have been Local 100 (NYC) and Local 234 (Philadelphia), but by the post-World War II period the TWU also had a substantial presence in Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, Miami, New Orleans, Omaha, and other cities and towns across the nation.

Arrangement

Files are arranged alphabetically. Collection is organized into three series.

Missing Title

I. General Files, 1920-2005
II. Locals, 1937-2009
III. Contracts, 1937-1998

Scope and Content Note

The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the Transport Workers Union of America consists of constitutions, circular letters, fliers, pamphlets and articles on the international and locals of the TWU, from 1937 to 2009. Contracts make up half of the collection and include agreements between transportation organizations, airlines and public utilities. Some universities are also represented. Of note are airlines such as Sabena, Eastern and Pan Am, which no longer exist.

The independent transit systems in New York City and the boroughs are represented in all series, with Local 100 comprising a significant portion. Civil rights and the role of women in the union are highlighted in the General Files Series I.

Subjects

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

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.

Transport Workers Union of America Flight Attendants brochure was found in repository in May of 2014 and added to this collection. The accession number associated with this material is 2014.071.

The accession number 2014.019 is also associated with 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.

Related Material at the Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives

Transport Workers Union, Local 100: Joseph Gayol Files (WAG 85)

Transport Workers Union Local 100: Naomi Allen Files (WAG 295)

Transport Workers Union of America Records (WAG 235)

Transport Workers Union of America: Records of Locals (WAG 234)

Transport Workers Union Oral History Collection (OH 11)

Transport Workers Union of America, Local 100 - Goldstein Interviews Oral History Collection (OH 47)

Transport Workers Union of America Photographs (PHOTOS 32)

Collection processed by

Rebecca Altermatt

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-20 16:28:27 -0400.

Language: Description is in English

Repository

Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives

Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the Transport Workers Union of America