Series II: Union Democracy Cases
Scope and Content Note
The division of Series II into subseries highlights the fact that certain sectors of the labor movement generated a large proportion of the individuals seeking legal representation in union democracy cases. Burton Hall served as an advisor to efforts to reform the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) from its earliest days, and this series documents his contributions to the Professional Drivers Council (PROD), Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU), and F.O.R.E. (Fear of Reprisal Ends). The correspondence between principals such as Steve Early (PROD), Arthur Fox (PROD), and Ken Paff (TDU) is especially interesting for its consideration of strategies. Of the numerous cases represented in the collection (filed numerically by Local), interest centers on the myriad manipulations of the members and the response to these manipulations at the international level.
This series also richly documents significant cases within the construction trades. Certain of the Teamster locals fall within this category as well, such as Local 272 of the IBT. The Interim Report on "Corruption and Racketeering in the NYC Construction Industry," cited in the bibliography, is replete with references to cases litigated by Hall (Carpenters, Laborers, Steamfitters, Housewreckers, IBT Local 272).
The seafaring unions provided another disproportionate share of clients. Both East and West Coast Longshoremen were represented by Burton Hall, and the jurisdictional tangles between the various seafaring unions represented in the collection provides an inside look at the "maritime jungle." Their "robust unionism" is well represented in the vast amount of literature and correspondence produced in the course of their struggles.
There are also legal case files from unions in the transportation and entertainment industries, particularly the Transport Workers Union (TWU); the International Association of Machinists (IAM); the American Federation of Musicians (AFM); the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Moving Picture Operators (IATSE); and National Association of Broadcast Employees & Technicians (NABET). Additionally, cases involving the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU); the National Union of Hospital & Health Care Employees, District 1199; and numerous other unions are also present in this series.