Skip to main content Skip to main navigation

Department Store and Office Workers' Organizing Collection

Call Number

TAM.002

Dates

1916-1947, inclusive
; 1930-1941, bulk

Creator

Department Store Employees Union and Office Workers' Union
Rand School of Social Science (Role: Donor)

Extent

0.5 Linear Feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

Efforts to unionize New York City department store employees in the 1930s took place under the auspices of the Department Store Employees Union, Local 1250 (at first affiliated with the American Federation of Labor, and subsequently with the Congress of Industrial Organizations) and the Office Workers' Union, an affiliate of the Trade Union Unity League, a Communist Party labor initiative. The collection contains pamphlets, leaflets, newsletters and clippings relating to sit-down strikes, department store and office workers strikes and organizing in the 1930s, printed material from the Office Workers' Union, and of the Department Store Employees Union, Local 1250.

Historical/Biographical Note

Efforts to unionize New York City department store employees in the 1930s took place under the auspices of the Department Store Employees Union, Local 1250, at first affiliated with the American Federation of Labor. The local became a CIO affiliate in 1937 and later expanded into Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. The Office Workers' Union, a Communist Party labor initiative and an affiliate of the Trade Union Unity League, also organized workers in department stores, as well as clerical staff in a variety of businesses including newspapers, insurance and mail order companies.

Arrangement

The folders are arranged alphabetically.

The files are grouped into one series:

Missing Title

  1. I, General Files

Scope and Content Note

The collection contains pamphlets, leaflets, newsletters and clippings relating to sit-down strikes, department store and office workers strikes and organizing in the 1930s. Also included is printed material from the Office Workers' Union and the Department Store Employees Union, Local 1250 including some agreements. General information on AFL and CIO unions, TUUL strikes, sit-down strikes, coal strikes, and longshoremen's strikes in California and Hawaii is also included.

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open without restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

The Tamiment Library has no information about copyright ownership for this collection and is not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce materials from it. Materials in this collection, which were created in 1916 to 1947, are expected to enter the public domain in 2068.

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

Transfer from the Rand School Archives, 1963. The accession number associated with this collection is 1963.002

Custodial History

The Department Store and Office Workers' Organizing Collection was transferred from the Rand School Archives in 1963. The original donor to the Rand School is unknown.

Collection processed by

Tamiment Staff

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-20 16:45:03 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Description is in English.

Edition of this Guide

This version was derived from Department Store.doc

Repository

Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives

Series I: General Files.

Language of Materials

English.

American Federation of Labor: Statistics, Programs, Bibliography, 1930-1939, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Communist Party: Ohracle (Ohrbach's employees newsletter), May 1936

Box: 1, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Congress of Industrial Organizations and Independent Unions: Affiliation Listings, undated, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Department Store Employees Union, Local 1250: 1250 Organizer (newsletter), undated, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Department Store Employees Union, Local 1250: A & S Chapter - A & S Beacon (newsletter), 1947, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Department Store Employees Union, Local 1250: Bulletin (newsletter), 1939, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Department Store Employees Union, Local 1250: General Correspondence and Contracts, 1937-1941, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Department Store Employees Union, Local 1250: Hearn's Department Stores Contracts, 1935 , 1937, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Department Store Employees Union, Local 1250: Leaflets, undated , 1937, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Department Store Employees Union, Local 1250: Macy's Chapter - R.H. Macy Unionizer (newsletter), 1936, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Department Store Employees Union, Local 1250: Newspaper Clippings, 1934-1940, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 11 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Department Store Employees Union, Local 1250: Ohrbach's - Ben Goodman Case, 1936, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 12 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Department Store Employees Union, Local 1250: Pitkin Avenue Woolworth, 5310 Chapter - 1250 Chain (newsletter), 1937, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 13 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Department Store Employees Union, Local 1250: Stern Chapter - Stern News (newsletter), undated, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 14 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Department Stores: Organizing Information, undated , 1937, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 15 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Labor Research Association: "Labor Developments in 1940", 1940, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 16 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

National Industrial Conference Board and National Negro Congress, 1938 , 1941, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 17 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

National Recovery Administration: Code of Fair Competition for the Retail Trade, 1933, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 18 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

New Era Retail Clerks Union of America: Meeting Notice, May 1937

Box: 1, Folder: 19 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union: Clippings, 1935, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 20 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union: Leaflets, undated , 1935, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 21 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union: Office Worker (newsletter), 1935, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 22 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Accountants Section: Leaflets, undated, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 23 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Department Store Section: A & S Local - We Declare (newsletter), 1935, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 24 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Department Store Section: Bloomingdale's Local - Bloomingdale's Own Brand (newsletter), 1935, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 25 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Department Store Section: Gimbel Local (Leaflets), 1935, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 26 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Department Store Section: Hearn Local (Leaflets), 1935, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 27 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Department Store Section: Klein Local (Leaflets), 1935, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 28 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Department Store Section: Leaflets, undated , 1935, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 29 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Department Store Section: Lerner Group (Leaflets), undated, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 30 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Department Store Section: Lerner Group - Lerner Worker (newsletter), 1935, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 31 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Department Store Section: Macy Group (Leaflets & Newspaper Clippings), undated, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 32 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Department Store Section: Macy Group - The Macy Worker (newsletter), 1932-1935, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 33 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Department Store Section: Martin's Local - Martin's Events (newsletter), undated, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 34 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Department Store Section: Namm Local (Leaflets), undated, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 35 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Department Store Section: Ohrbach Local (Leaflets), undated , 1935, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 36 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Department Store Section: Ohrbach Local - The Green Box Moves On (newsletter), 1935, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 37 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Department Store Section: Petrie-Red Robin Local (Leaflets), 1935, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 38 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Dry Goods Section: Leaflets, undated, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 39 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Industrial Agents Chapter: Leaflets, undated, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 40 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Insurance Chapter: Leaflets, 1935, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 41 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union: Jewish Morning Journal Strike (Leaflets), 1935, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 42 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Literary Trades Section: American Mercury Strike (Leaflets), undated, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 43 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, National Bellas Hess Section: Leaflet, 1931, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 44 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Newspaper Section: Leaflets, 1935, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 45 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Receiving Department Workers Section: Receiving News (newsletter), undated, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 46 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Office Workers' Union, Wall Street Section: Leaflets, undated, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 47 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Retail Clerks International Protective Association (AFL), 1936-1937, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 48 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

San Francisco Department Store Strike: Statistics and History, undated, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 49 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Sit-Down Strikes: Bibliographies and Outline for Study, 1930s, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 50 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Sit-Down Strikes: House of Representatives, Resolutions and Remarks, 1937, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 51 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Sit-Down Strikes: Legal Opinions, 1937, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 52 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Sit-Down Strikes: Papers, 1937 , 1938, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 53 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Strikes, 1931, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 54 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Strikes, 1932, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 55 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Strikes, 1933, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 56 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Strikes, 1934, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 57 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Strikes, 1935, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 58 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Strikes, Jan 1941-May 1941

Box: 1, Folder: 59 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Strikes: Coal Workers, undated, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 60 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Strikes: Dock Workers of California and Hawaii, 1916, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 61 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Strikes: Red International of Labor Unions, 1932, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 62 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Strikes: Newspaper Clippings (Ohrbach's and Klein's), 1934-1935, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 63 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Strikes: Trade Union Unity League, 1933, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 64 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Strikes: White Collar and Professional Workers, 1934-Mar 1936, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 65 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

United Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Employees Union: Publications, 1945, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 66 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Works Progress Administration: Union Protests against Curtailment Program, 1936-1937, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 67 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012