AFSCME Office of the Secretary-Treasurer: Gordon Chapman Records
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THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE, COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY-TREASURER Papers, 1926-1968 (predominantly, 1936-1961) 84.25 linear feet Accession Number 1990 L.C. Number MS The papers of the AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer's Office were placed in the Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs in the fall of 1974 and were opened for research in November of 1984. The materials in this collection were created during the presidency of Arnold S. Zander, founder and first president of AFSCME (1935-1961). The Secretary-Trea- surer's Office oversaw the general financial health of the international union, keeping records for its locals, councils and the headquarters staff. If a council or local were placed under trusteeship or evidenced some other difficulty, files documenting these events were also kept here. This office maintained the payment of per capita dues by AFSCME locals and councils, and issued charters to new locals. It also suspended and disbanded locals or councils when problems arose, such as the non-payment of dues. Union organizing itself was under the jurisdiction of the Director of Organization and was a separate function. These papers consist mainly of materials relating to the founding and disbanding of thousands of locals and councils in all the states, Puerto Rico, Panama and Canada. Locals of each state were affiliated with a regional or state council and paid dues to the council as well as to the International. On occasion larger conferences were set up which included councils and locals in several states. During Zander's incumbency, Gordon Chapman was the Secretary-Treasurer for all but a few years. At the first AFSCME convention in Chicago in December 1935 Roy Kubista was elected Secretary-Treasurer. The following year, in September 1936, David Kanes was elected, and he remained in that position until July of 1937. When he resigned, Chapman was appointed and then elected to the post in September 1937 and held it until October of 1944 when he became Executive Assistant to President Zander. H.Z. Collier was then Secretary-Treasurer until May 1948 when Chapman returned to the position. He stayed until May 1961 and was briefly succeeded by James McCormack. In May 1962 Chapman was once again elected to the post and remained in office until September of 1966. The papers in this collection relate to the chartering, organizing and disbanding of locals and councils in almost every state, Panama, Puerto Rico and Canada. There is also historical information on some councils and locals, and a small amount of documentation of the financial operations of the office, with data on salaries and payroll matters. Related collections held by the Archives are the Gordon Chapman Collection and the AFSCME: Office of the President--Arnold S. Zander Collection. - 2 - AFSCME: Sec.-Treas. Important subjects covered in this collection are: AFL, 1927-1955 AFL-CIO, 1955-1961 Operating Engineers Government and Civic Employees Teamsters Organizing Committee, 1956-1958 Law enforcement employees, 1936-1961 Hospital employees, 1936-1961 local affiliation with councils or Jurisdictional disputes, 1937-1961: with the International, 1936-1961 Building Service Employees Union School personnel and school board International Brotherhood of employees, 1936-1961 Electrical Workers State council organizing, 1936-1961 Trusteeships, 1936-1961 Among the important correspondents are: Brewer, Gordon McCormack, James Caldwell, John P. McEntee, William J. Chapman, Gordon Meany, George Collier, H.Z. Morgan, Thomas E. Garey, Colonel A.E. Murray, Milton Goldberg, Arthur J. Reuther, Walter P. Gotbaum, Victor Wilson, Henry Kubista, Roy Wurf, Jerry An index to subjects and correspondents will be found on page 44. - 3 - AFSCME: Sec.-Treas. Contents 168 1/2 manuscript boxes Series I, Councils and Locals, 1926-1968, Boxes 1-165: Correspondence, charter applications, a few charters, notices of local renewal, suspension or disbandment, clippings, constitutions, telegrams and contract agreements which reflect the functioning of the office. Some of the council and a few local files detail their histories and provide information on disputes with other unions, councils or locals or with the International itself. Locals that were originally formed by the Government and Civic Employees Organizing Committee, the CIO public employee union which was assimilated by AFSCME at the AFL-CIO merger in 1955, are indicated. Series II, Financial Data, 1956-1965, Boxes 166-169: Memoranda for the auditors and on the Building Fund, general salary and payroll deduction matters, material on council operating costs, and salary information for councils and staff. Some payroll deduction materials on the Steel Strike of 1959-1960 are included. Non-manuscript material: 23 black and white photographs of AFSCME council organizers and 2 reel tapes from Michigan Local 201 have been placed in the Archives Audio- Visual Collections. A copy of Michigan State Employee, October 1958, a constitution of the California State Council, August 1939 and a few flyers and handouts have been transferred to the Archives Library. - 4 - AFSCME:Sec.-Treas. Series I Councils and Locals, 1926-1968 Boxes 1-165 Correspondence, charter applications, a few charters, notices of local renewal, suspension or disbandment, clippings, constitutions, telegrams and contract agree- ments reflecting the functions of the Secretary-Treasurer. Some of the council and a few local papers detail their histories in jurisdictional disputes with other unions, councils or locals, their relationship with the International in problems with or controversies over both taxes and affiliation, or as trusteeships. Some locals formed by the Government and Civic Employees Organizing Committee (GCECC), the CIO public employee union, became AFSCME locals when AFSCME absorbed the GCEOC at the 1955 AFL-CIO merger. Those that retained their original GCEOC local number are indicated in the folder titles. Materials are arranged alphabetically by geo- graphical designation, and then by conference, council and local. Council files are usually in numerical order, but in special situations are filed chronologically. Locals are arranged by local number. A few materials not generated by councils or locals are placed at the end of the states they concern. Box 1 1. Alabama Organizing Committee, 1951-61 2. Alabama locals; 1, 11, 11-1, 11-2, 1937-42 3. ; 81 & 91, 1936-39 4. ; 92, 1936-58 5. ; 105, 1937-60 6. ; 128 & 134, 1950-53 7. ; 141 & 239, 1937-61 8. ; 255 & 311, 1939-41 9. ; 322, 1941-57 10. ; 327, 383 & 388, Jun-Nov 1941 11. ; 615, 1957-61 12. ; 688, 941 & 952, 1947-56 13. ; 1001 & 1046, 1950-55 14-15. ; 1184, Mar 1958-1961 Box 2 1-2. Alabama locals; 1184 Strike Fund, May 1960-Mar 1961 3. ; 1302 & 1337, 1950-61 4. ; 1340 & 1383, 1950-53 5. ; 1401 (GCEOC) & 1407 (GCEOC), 1957-58 6. ; 1408, 1411 (GCEOC) & 1413, 1956-61 7. ; 1423 & 1535, 1951-59 8. ; 1536 & 1576, 1958-61 9. Alaska locals; 784 & 984, 1946-61 10-11. ; 1249, 1959-61 12. ; 1251 & 1279, 1949-61 Box 3 1-4. Arizona Council 31, 1947-61 5. Arizona locals; 12, 12-1, 12-2, 1937 6. ; 42, 1939-57 7. ; 64, 1936-54 8. ; 134, 1937 9-10. ; 317, 1941-61 11-14. ; 318, 1944-61 - 5 - AFSCME: Sec.Treas. Box 4 1. Arizona locals; 449, 1960-61 2. ; 631, 1945-54 3. ; 676, 723 (GCBOC) & 741, 1947-61 4. ; 743, 1943-51 5. ; 912 & 918, 1945-60 6. ; 939 & 961, 1945-50 7. ; 1020 & 1046, 1947-60 8. ; 1061 & 1062,1946-49 9. ; 1075 & 1079, 1946-61 10. ; 1246 & 1391, 1949-61 11. ; 1468 & 1485, 1951-58 12-15. Arkansas State Council 38, 1953-61 Box 5 1. Arkansas locals; 13-1 & 17, 1937-48 2. ; 144, 147 & 150, 1937-60 3. ; 153 & 158, 1937-60 4. ; 166, 182 & 185, 1937-61 5. ; 249, 319, 320 & 354, 1941-60 6. ; 689 & 867, 1944-58 7. ; 911, 944 & 952, 1945-61 8. ; 966 & 1085, 1948-61 9. ; 1101, 1128 & 1200, 1950-56 10. ; 1300 (GCEOC), 1320, 1325 (GCEOC) & 1369, 1950-61 11-12. ; 1377, 1948-61 Box 6 1. Arkansas locals; 1388, 1399 & 1400 (GCEOC), 1953-61 2. ; 1438 & 1663, 1951-65 3. California State Conference of Public Employees, 1956-61 4. California councils; State, 1938-47 5. ; Northern District, 1, 1944 6-8. ; Southern District, 20, 1942-61 9. ; Southern District, 20--Organizers, 1959-60 10. ; Inland District, 22, 1943-52 11. ; Sacramento District, 39, 1944-48 12. ; Southern California State Institutional, 50, 1944-47 13-14. ; State Employee Unions, 56, 1948-53 Box 7 1-3. California councils; State Employee Unions, 56, 1954-61 4-7. ; Peninsula District, 57, 1955-61 8. ; East Bay, 62, 1952-53 9. ; Joint Action Committee, 1961 10-11. California locals; 14, 1937-61 12. ; 19, 1942 13. ; 54, 1949-61 14. ; 56 & 62-1, 1936-48 Box 8 1. California locals; 69, 1942-56 2. ; 75, 83 & 98, 1942-51 3. ; 99 & 100, 1936-49 4. ; 102, 1946-60 5. ; 106, 1926-56 - 6 - AFSCME: Sec.Treas. Box 8 (cont'd) 6. California locals; 107, 1955-61 7. ; 112, 1936-61 8. ; 119, 1939-61 9. ; 122, 1952-61 10. ; 124-1 & 127, 1937-59 11. ; 128, 132 & 136, 1937-61 12. ; 146, 1937-61 Box 9 1. California locals; 147, 161 & 166, 1937-60 2. ; 170 & 174, 1942-61 3. ; 175, 179 & 180, 1937-61 4. ; 181 & 183, 1948-61 5-6. ; 187, 1942-60 7. ; 192, 199, 199-1 & 203, 1938-45 8. ; 204, 204-1 & 214-1, 1938-46 9. ; 224, 230 & 232-1, 1939-44 10. ; 233, 238 & 246, 1942-60 11. ; 247 & 249, 1939-61 12. ; 252 & 257, 1940-60 13. ; 258, 263 & 268, 1940-57 14. ; 271, 274, 278 & 282, 1942-47 15. ; 298, 302, 319 & 321, 1941-61 Box 10 1. California locals; 326, 329 & 335, 1941-47 2.