Charles Chiakulas Papers
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■ THE CHARLES CHIAKULAS COLLECTION 59 Manuscript Boxes 4 Newspaper Boxes Processed: 1968-1969 Accession No. 295 By: DM The papers of Charles Chiakulas were deposited with the Labor History Archives on June 11, 1968. Charles Chiakulas was born in Chicago, on Dec. 5, 1917, the son of Greek immigrants. He received his formal education in Chicago, graduating from Crane Technical High School and attending Wright Junior College. While in high school, he also attended Greek school classes, and was able to speak, read and write Greek. In 1940 he became active in the AFL Retail Clerks Union. His first industrial job was at Revere Copper and Brass Company, and he became a steward in Local 477, UAW-AFL. After holding several positions with this union, he became its president in 1944, and led the union into the UAW-CIO. After three years as president, he became an International Representative, doing organizing work and contract negotiation in Region 4. Subsequently he worked on the Competitive Shops staff, and on Farm Equipment. In 1956 he became Assistant Director of the UAW Borg-Warner Department. At the request of Walter Reuther, Chiakulas was sent to Cyprus as a special envoy for the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions. Here he was to assist the Cyprus Workers Confederation, also known as SEK, in "trying to organize Cypriot workers into the free trade union movement, and to assist them in making representations on the Cyprus colonial government for the release of a number of trade union leaders being detained for their activities in support of their fight for independence from British colonial rule". While in Cyprus he met with Archbishop Makarios, and many leading figures in the Cyprus controversy. In 1957 he was sent once more, and again in 1964, and in the meantime maintained active correspondence and interest in the Cyprus situation. In 1963 he was Coordinator of the Industrial Union Department, where he set up, in Chicago, the Community Union Center. Working in the ghetto with tenant unions and organizational work, he cooperated with numbers of "poverty" and "ghetto" groups and organizations, meeting with Martin Luther King and others. As coordinator for COPE in the 11th congressional district, he was active politically, and kept quite a political file. He was a member of a great number of peace organizations, and a series on that subject is also included here. The unanimity of feeling, amounting to passion, in the Greek community, on the subject of Cyprus, is well reflected here, in the Cyprus series, Series 13, which includes papers of the Justice for Cyprus Committee, an activist Chicago group. However when it came -2- to the subject of the Greek junta's coup, the government take-over in 19 67, the community rapidly split between liberals who abhorred it, and conservatives who tolerated or approved. There is some material on the "political" role of actress Melina Mercouri. This is the story of Series 12, "Greece and the 1967 Coup". These papers also include files on the Industrial Union Depart- ment, with emphasis on NLRB work, in which Chiakulas acquired some expertise. Though not a lawyer, his way of putting problems succinct- ly enabled his to do quite a bit of work on briefs and putting griev- ances to paper. He kept files on Companies and files on particular unions which interested him, and was an inveterate clipper of news items on such subjects as he made "his own". The personal subject file, Series 15, includes such a variety of subjects. Further series descriptions are included with this guide. Chiakulas was killed in an automobile accident on April 27, 19 68. It must be said that a great deal of material - clippings and pamphlets, etc. might not always be kept with a collection such as this, but the very universality of Chiakulas' interests and concerns is so well reflected that discarding would have subtracted from the whole. The collection stands as a unique portrait of a man deeply interested in humane concerns, willing to give much personal time and work to causes. He was a most ardent believer in the cause of unionism as a practical way to world improvement. His education never stopped; he was constantly and consciously studying and learning, throughout. The Chiakulas Collection demonstrates, also, how union work itself can provide a competent and idealistic working man, with the framework and the tools to accomplish many different kinds of improvements, and to have some influence in "changing things". The Charles Chiakulas Collection covers the period 1944-1968. Important subjects are: AFSCME Borg-Warner Corp. British Colonialism J.I. Case Company Chicago CUC Chicago Politics COPE Community Unions Cyprus Cyprus Trade Unions Greece - 196 7 Coup Greek Community, Chicago IUD ICFTU Justice for Cyprus Lu 477, UAW-CIO Committee Melina Mercouri LU 180, UAW-CIO Peace Groups NLRB Cases Teachers Unions SEK - Cyprus Workers Tenants Unions Confederation Trade Union Teams UAW-AFL-AIWU -3- Among the correspondents and signatures are: American Politics: President L.B. Johnson, Senator Paul Douglas, Senator Charles P ercy, Governor O tto K erner, Cong. E mily T . D ouglas, C ong. D onald F raser, Cong. Roland Libonati, Cong. Roman Pucinski. International: J.M. Aguirre, H.E. Chudleigh, Eiler Jensen, Bill Kemsley, Jay B. Krane, Archbishop Makarios, Fotis Makris, J.H. Oldenbroek, N. Petrides, Michael Pissas, Z. Rossides, A. Vassiliou Union People: Jack Bollens, Frank Callaghan, Patrick Gorman, Richard Gosser, Pat Greathouse, Joseph Mattson, Victor Reuther, Walter Reuther, Tony Valeo, Leonard Woodcock Series 1 - Industrial Union Department - General File, Boxes 1-4 Series 2 - Industrial Union Department - Organizing Workers, Boxes 5-6 Series 3 - Industrial Union Department - Companies and the NLRB, Boxes 7-14 Series 4 - Companies - Disputes and Negotiations, Boxes 15-17 Series 5 - Unions File, Boxes 18-20 Series 6 - Local 477, Box 21 Series 7 - Borg-Warner File, Boxes 22-23 Series 8 - COPE File, Boxes 24-26 Series 9 - Peace Organizations, Boxes 27-29 Series 10 - Chicago Community Union Center, Boxes 30-33 Series 11 - International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, Boxes 34-35 Series 12 - Greece and the 1967 Coup, Boxes 36-37 Series 13 - Cyprus File, Boxes 38-48 Series 14 - Newspapers, Boxes 49-52 Series 15 - Personal Subject File, Boxes 53-62 Series 16 - Photos and Tapes, Box 63 -4- Series 1 - I.U.D. General File From March, 1963 until April, 1968, Charles Chiakulas was the Midwest Coordinator for the AFL-CIO Industrial Union Department; he was "loaned out" from the UAW. General files are included here, by subject. One of the impor- tant concerns of the IUD was the Community Union Center. Those files will form a separate series in this collection (see series 10). Leaf- lets and letters sent to workers, at various companies being organized, form a separate group, and comprise Series 2. In Series 3 are com- panies with whom the unions were involved in interesting problem dis- putes before the N.L.R.B. Box 1 Agreements IUD and Local 35, Washington Newspaper Guild, 1955-1956, with 1963 retirement plan amendment and 1965 salary schedule; AFL-CIO salary schedule; AFL-CIO agreement with FRF (Field Representative's Federation), 1962-1964; same, 1964-1965, with salary schedule. Area Lists Areas 1-15, with boundaries and company names and addresses. CUC (Community Union Center) (See also Series 10) sLawndale CUC meeting invitation; Panel instructions; Proposal; Minutes of IUD-CUS organizing conf., March 29, 19 67, with memorial photo of CC. Coordinators Meeting notice; list of drivers; Area Coord. Committee, 1963; Resol. estab. IUD Cooperative Coord. Program, 1963; Coordinators Report (by CC) 1963; Letters of Notice to N.L.R.B., 1963; Organizing Report, Greater Philadelphia, 1964; notice on reports, 1967; Committee list; CC notes, coordinator's meeting, 1967. Correspondence - CC - 1955-1964 Correspondence - CC - 1965-1968 Skilled classif. wage rates and job titles, 1968. Correspondence of Interest - 1954-1964 Correspondence of Interest - 1965-1968 These are misc. letters (not CC's), of IUD interest; some data on steelworkers included. -5- Election Reports - 1963-1967 Texas area report, 1963; Chicago area, 1963 and 1965; Chicago IUD Program, convention report; Chicago IUD organizing conf. report, 1966; election lists, 1966; Chicago IUD report, 1967; notes. Form Letters, Blanks Health and Insurance Summary of plans in Agric. Implement Industry, 1963; IUO Nat'l. pension plan; pamphlets; actuarial valuation of 1965 pension plans; research suggestions. Hospital Drive List of hospital administrators, Chicago; hospital data, 1967; CJC notes on hospital drive; FLSA amendments affleeting hospital workers; plan of organization; leaflets; c. of 1199 Drug and Hospital News, Sept., 1967 Hospital Drive - newsclips IUD Conference, April 6, 1964 (Washington, D.C.) Correspondence; conference materials; reports; notes; agenda; programs Notes and Jottings - CC IUD Meetings, notes and lists Box 2 Operational Committee Lists, all areas. Organizing Drives (four folders) Active drives, 1963; organization lists; forms; Fact Sheet for organizers; clippings; Report of Wisconsin Dist. Council Comm. on Organization; Issues for use in house calls; reports for 1963; conven- tion calendar, 1964; organizing tactics; Manpower in 1963; IUD drivers; Memoranda; Texas IUD policies; Chic, area Coordinating Comm; IUD staff lists; target plants, bakeries; last letter to Gottlieb employees; "What is Collective Bargaining?" by CC; Memo on organizing, by CC; note from I.W. Abel, w. organization material; guidebook for union organizers; proposed contract terms; "A Comprehensive Organizational Drive" by WPR; Misc. organization material; Reports, 1963 (annotated by CC); Report, 1967; c of The Hanna Miner, Nov., 1967. See also, in this series, the listing "Targets, IUD". Organizing Funds Organizing Fund analysis, 1963, 1966, 1967 -6- Plant Lists By area; union halls available; TWUA plants; united steelworkers target plants; IAM plants.