International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, Local 25 records,

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1 International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, Local 25 records, Overview of the Collection Creator International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers. Local 25 (Tacoma, Wash.) Title International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, Local 25 records Dates (inclusive) Quantity 3.61 cubic feet (4 boxes and one oversize vertical folder) Collection Number 1608 (Accession No ) Summary Repository Access Restrictions Records of a Tacoma, Washington union of Mine, Mill and Smelter workers relating to grievances and negotiations, arbitration of several grievances, agreements University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections Special Collections University of Washington Libraries Box Seattle, WA Telephone: Fax: speccoll@uw.edu Access restricted: For terms of access, contact repository. Records are stored off site; advance notice required for use. Languages Sponsor English Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Historical Note The International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers (formerly the Western Federation of Miners) was formed in 1916, and weathered repeated accusations of Communism against its leadership during the 1940s and 1950s; in 1967 it merged with the United Steelworkers of America. Local 25 of the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers was organized in 1933 by workers at the Tacoma Smelter of the American Smelting and Refining Company. It continued as Local 25 of the United Steelworkers of America when the International merged with the United Steelworkers. The Tacoma Smelter, located on Commencement Bay in the company town of Ruston, Washington, had been in existence since1889. It was founded by William R. Rust as the Tacoma Smelting and Refining Company, and began operating in In 1905 the smelter was purchased by the American Smelting and Refining Company. The facility was originally used to smelt and refine lead, but in 1912 it was converted to a copper smelter and refinery. 1

2 Content Description The papers consist primarily of Local 25's administrative records, including materials relating to grievances and negotiations, arbitration of several grievances, agreements with the Tacoma Smelter, and Local 25's newsletter The Straight of It. There is minimal documentation of a strike in 1946 and a lockout in 1950, and a more significant amount of material relating to a lockout and extended work stoppage in Most material dates from before the merger of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers with the United Steelworkers of America, but some ephemera from after the merger are present in Administrative Records. The Ladies' Auxiliary material consists primarily of minutes and a ritual book. The Workmen's Safety Committee material includes minutes, correspondence, accident reports and newsletters. The Hospital and Benefit Committee material includes correspondence, minutes and summaries of health and welfare plans. The material from the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers consists primarily of board meeting minutes, reports, fact sheets, newsletters and bulletins, and subject files concerning bargaining with the American Smelting and Refining Company, and a union representation campaign in Idaho. Major correspondents include John Caughlan, Local 25's attorney and several executive officers of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, Local 25, 19 early 1960's: William E. Lee, Business Agent/Financial Secretary; Elmer Olson, Secretary/Secretary-Treasurer/Financial Secretary; Irving Dichter, Secretary-Treasurer; Arthur W. Stuart, Research Director; John Clarke, President; and Al Skinner, President. Use of the Collection Alternative Forms Available The papers are also available on microfilm. Restrictions on Use Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries. Preferred Citation International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, Local 25 Records, Special Collections Division, University of Washington Libraries. Administrative Information Arrangement The materials are arranged in five subgroups: Administrative Records of Local 25, International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, Local 25, Ladies' Auxiliary, , 2

3 International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, Local 25, Workmen's Safety Committee of the Tacoma Smelter, Workmen's Hospital and Benefit Committee of the Tacoma Smelter International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, Preservation Note Records are stored off site; advance notice required for use. Acquisition Information Gift of the United Steelworkers Union, Local 25, via Rodger Vandegrift in Separated Materials Eight state and federal government publications were offered to the Government Publications Collection in the Libraries. Related Materials The records of the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers Union are presently in the Archives, University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries. Detailed Description of the Collection Administrative Records, , Container(s) Description Dates 1/1 Organizational Features 1941, 1/2-5 General Correspondence , 1/6-17 Interorganizational Correspondence Correspondence between Local 25 and the International Union, including its American Smelting and Refining Company Council 1/18 Minutes Primarily contains minutes of shop stewards' meetings but also union committee meetings, a meeting of the Seattle-Tacoma "LE Committee" (apparently concerned with environmental and safety issues, but the actual name is unknown), publicity , 3

4 committee meetings and some which are completely unidentified. 1/19-24 Agreements Folder 1/24 contains an summary of agreements from /25 Agreements - Other Unions and Locals 1948, 1950, 1953, /26 Wage Scales 1941, 1954, 1/27 Manual of Smelter Workers' Duties Manual includes wage scales; folder also contains one page of operating instructions for selenium scrubbing equipment. 1/28-33 Grievances and Negotiations , 1/34-38 Arbitration , 1948, 1958, /39 Hearings; Hearings on Unemployment Compensation /40 Appeals; Appeals - Washington State Department of Employment Security 1960 Subject Files 2/ Strike 1946, 2/ Lockout 1950, 2/ Health and Welfare Contracts 1959, / Lockout Includes correspondence, negotiations, clippings and other related materials. 1955, 1959, 2/ Negotiations 4

5 2/9 Building and Playground /10 Coeur d'alene Strike /11 Japanese Competition for Copper Smelting Includes one letter from Representative Thor Tollefson to William Lee, then Local 25's business agent. 1961, /12 Lead Quotas 1963, 2/13 Pension Plan 1941, /14 Slavonian Hall Building /15-21 United Steelworkers of America Includes two letters from members withdrawing from the union, and flyers regarding union issues, both local and national. Also present are materials produced by the United Steelworkers of America, including copies of its constitution, adopted resolutions, reports and ephemera. 1968, 2/22 William Lee Executive Board Campaign 2/23-3/2 Membership Records Includes yearly member lists, meeting attendance records, withdrawals claimed, reclassification requests and other materials. 3/3-7 Election Materials Includes ballots, tallies, resolution drafts, campaign ephemera and other materials. 3/8-14 Financial Records Includes monthly and quarterly reports to the international union , , 3/15-17 Newsletter; The Straight Of It , 1971, 3/18 Newsletters; Other Organizations /19 Press Releases

6 3/20 Lists; Tacoma Smelter Staff 3/21-23 Ephemera of Local 25 and others 1947, 1961, 3/24 Legislation 1962, 1965, /25-26 Clippings One folder contains the contents of an envelope labeled "News Clippings News Tribune (Copper Situation) 1961" 1961, 1965, 1969, International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, Local 25, Ladies' Auxiliary, , Container(s) Description Dates 3/27 Ritual Book 3/28-29 Minutes , International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, Local 25, Workmen's Safety Committee of the Tacoma Smelter, , Container(s) Description Dates 3/30 General Correspondence /31-39 Minutes /40 Minutes; Washington State Metal Workers' Safety Committee 1961, , /41 Subject File; Safety Tours /42-43 Accident Reports 1952,

7 3/44 Accident Reports; Other American Smelting and Refining Company Plants 1962, /45 Newsletters /46 Newsletters; Other Organizations /47-48 Reports; Other Organizations 1960, /49-50 Safety and Health Standards 1956, 1958, 1960, 1970, Safety Rules and Regulations; American Smelting and Refining Company 1944, , /51 Conference and Convention Files; Governor's Eleventh Annual Industrial Safety Committee /52 Ephemera 1961, 3/53 Press Releases 1959, 1962 Workmen's Hospital and Benefit Committee of the Tacoma Smelter, , Container(s) Description Dates 4/1 Organizational Features 4/2 General Correspondence /3 Minutes 1955, /4 Agreements 1952, 1956, 1962, 4/5 Resolutions

8 4/6 Appeals /7 Health and Welfare Plan Summaries , 4/8 Ephemera 1953, 4/9 Clippings International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers, , Container(s) Description Dates 4/10 Minutes Minutes of the Executive Board and Canvassing Committee /11 Statements 1961, /12 Arbitration /13 Fact Sheets Includes material from the Education and Research Departments. 4/14 Reports of the Canvassing Committee and Research Department 1950, , 1963, 4/15 Newsletter; Mine-Mill Legislative Letter Bulletins Mine Mill Research Department /16 Mine Mill Strike Bulletin /16 Mine-Mill's Bargaining Bulletin /17 Officers & Stewards Bulletin

9 4/17 Mine Mill Staff Bulletin /18-19 Conference and Convention Files Includes material from annual national conventions. 1959, Subject Files 4/ Demands / Bargaining 1964, 4/23 Bunker Hill Mine Union Representation Vote Ephemera produced by the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers as well as the United Steelworkers of America and Northwest Metal Workers, who were competing to represent workers at Idaho's Bunker Hill mine. 1964, 4/24 Press Releases /25 Health and Welfare Manual 4/26 Ephemera 1964, Boxfolder:Oversize Oversize V.F. 84 Ephemera 1964, Names and Subjects Subject Terms : Collective bargaining--metal-workers--washington (State)--Tacoma Labor movement--washington (State)--Tacoma Metal-workers--Employees--Labor unions--washington (State)--Tacoma Metal-workers--Labor unions--washington (State)--Tacoma--Archives Mineral industries--employees--labor unions--washington (State)--Tacoma 9

10 Strikes and lockouts--washington (State)--Tacoma Personal Names : Caughlan, John, Clark, John Dichter, Irving Lee, William E Olsen, Elmer W Skinner, A. C., (Al C.) Corporate Names : International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers. Local 25 (Tacoma, Wash.)--Archives United Steelworkers of America. Local 25 (Tacoma, Wash.) Geographical Names : Tacoma (Wash.)--Economic conditions Form or Genre Terms : Administrative records Agreements Newsletters Other Creators : Corporate Names : Labor Archives of Washington (University of Washington) (creator) Names and Subjects Subject Terms : Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington) 2007 (Last modified: 4/16/2018) About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West: