2008 Newsletter
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Volume 12 2008 sive health and safety program, an D oug Fraser was one of America's improved early retirement plan, great labor leaders. He was a metal fin- dental care, and accelerated arbitra- isher who, as president of the United tion. Automobile Workers, became one of the Fraser was perhaps best known most prominent labor leaders of the 20th for his efforts to save a near-bank- century. He was a statesman, who rupt Chrysler in 1979. This was an worked with presidents and prime min- unprecedented crisis for the UAW, isters, and a distinguished university and Fraser was a key figure in professor. After all of his success, Fraser negotiating a government loan to still preferred to be called "Doug." save Chrysler. The UAW also Born the son of an electrician in gained representation on the com- Glasgow, Scotland in 1916, Fraser came pany’s Board of Directors, of which to Detroit with his family at age 6. He Fraser was a member from 1980 joined the fledgling United Automobile until 1984. Workers (UAW) union after going to After retiring from the UAW in work at Chrysler’s De Soto plant in 1983, Fraser began a rewarding sec- 1937, and at age 27 was elected presi- ond career as University Professor dent of Local 227. In 1947, Fraser was of Labor Studies at Wayne State appointed to the UAW international staff University. In 1998, in his honor, and assigned to the union’s Chrysler the Douglas A. Fraser Center for Department. In 1950, he caught the eye Workplace Issues was established in of then-UAW President Walter P. the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and housed at the Reuther, who selected Fraser as his Walter P. Reuther Library. administrative assistant. This was Doug Fraser passed away on February 23, 2008. He the beginning of a close relation- worked steadily until about two weeks before his death. ship. Fraser and Reuther led the For twenty-three years, Doug was a great professor at union’s bargaining committee Wayne State University, at Chrysler, where in 1964 the and an outstanding col- UAW won the first US-Canada league to the staff of the wage parity agreement. Reuther Library. We shall Fraser steadily rose through miss him dearly. the ranks of the UAW. Along Wayne State University, the way, he earned great the UAW, and the Reuther respect for his integrity, leader- Library hosted a memorial ship, and negotiating skills. for Doug Fraser on April Fraser was elected co-director 12, 2008. The Reuther Doug Fraser watches a skilled tradesman opened an exhibit that same on a visit to an automotive factory. of Region 1A in 1959. Three years later, he was elected to day which is devoted to the the union’s International Executive Board. Fraser became an history of the life and times international vice president in 1970 and was elected UAW Doug Fraser and President Jimmy Carter meet in the of a great labor leader and Oval Office, November 14, 1980. president in 1977. professor. Images of the In 1973, Fraser’s bargaining set a pattern for the auto industry Memorial Event and Exhibit Opening are on page 5. after a successful strike. Contract gains included a comprehen- Collections Open for Research The AFSCME Public Policy Collection National Farm Worker Ministry [Pt. III] 1968-1981 [5 l.f.] 1956-1985 [7 l.f.] The papers of the AFSCME Public Policy Collection contain Part III of the National Farm Worker Ministry Collection covers records from the AFSCME Department of Public Policy the United Farm Workers’ (UFW) Grape Boycott in the 1980s as Analysis. The AFSCME Department of Public Policy Analysis well as pesticides issues. Some important subjects covered in was active in the 1970s in reviewing, analyzing, and influencing this collection are church work with migrant labor, strikes and public policy and legislation that could directly or indirectly lockouts, and labor legislation. The collection also contains cor- affect the livelihoods of AFSCME members. The main subject respondence from Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. A large of this collection is deinstitutionalization, the term given to the portion of these files reflects the work of Sister Patricia Drydyk, process where mentally ill patients were moved out of large an organizer for the NFWM and the UFW. public hospitals and into smaller community-based treatment facilities. Materials in the collection cover a wide range of poli- cy and legislative issues, including state economics, conditions United Farm Workers Office of the for mental health care workers, and deinstitutionalization. President [Pt. III] 1970-1979 [13 l.f.] The American Federation of Teachers A portion of the United Farm Workers, Office of the President (AFT): Oregon Federation of Teachers Part III is now open. These 1974-2004 [2 l.f.] papers reflect Cesar Chavez’ activ- The AFT Oregon Federation of Teachers (OFT) Collection doc- ities coordinating the grape and uments the activities of the OFT, primarily in the Portland area. lettuce boycotts and his work with This collection includes both the papers of the OFT the campaign to ban pesticides. and the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Also relevant in the collection are Professionals (OFNHP). The OFT was chartered in materials relating to the formation June 1952 and during that decade was successful in of the California Agircultural securing teacher tenure laws. During the 1960s and 1970s the Labor Relations Board in 1975. OFT grew in size by organizing more workers in K-12, commu- The collection also includes rele- UFW President Cesar Chavez is inter - viewed by the media as he pickets in nity college, higher education, nursing, and classified positions. vant correspondence. front of a grocery store, ca. 1973. In the 1990s the OFT changed its name by convention to the Oregon Federation of Teachers, Education and Health Professionals (OFTHEP). The OFTHEP continued to help The Detroit Recreation Department locals in the state with bargaining, grievances, and arbitrations. Dance Program: The Shirley Harbin Collection Orange County Interfaith Committee to 1912-1992 [5 l.f.] Aid the Farm Workers The collection includes materials related to the administration, 1980-1989 [2 l.f.] performances, scripts, and plans of the Dance Program, along The Orange County Interfaith Committee to Aid the Farm with references to other dance studios and initiatives in the Workers Collection contains material related to this branch of Detroit metro area. Of special research value is the large collec- the National Farm Workers Ministry (NFWM). NFWM brings tion of documents that show original choreographed dances dat- together national denominations, state councils of churches, reli- ing from 1924. The dances indicate the particular musical score gious orders and congregations, and concerned individuals to to which the counts and measures have been assigned. act with farm workers to achieve fundamental change in their living and working conditions. This collection mostly contains newspaper clippings and pamphlets from the struggles of the UFW during the 1980s. Some important subjects covered with- in the collection are cancer clusters, female labor, immigration, and pesticides. Page 2 Leonard N. Simons Jewish Community Society of Women Engineers (SWE): Archives: National Records Sinai Hospital of Detroit 1949-2003, bulk 1950s-1980s [180 l.f.] The SWE National Records document the operations, entities, 1900-1999 [25 l.f.] programs, members, and activities of the Society from its incep- The papers within this collection document the Detroit Jewish tion. community’s history of commitment to medical care and the eventual development of a hospital. SWE became a national organiza- Medical services for Detroit’s Jewish population began in 1900 tion on May 27- when free clinical care 28, 1950. was provided under the Throughout its auspices of the Ladies history, the Society for the Care of Society’s main Widows and Orphans. focus has been Because of discrimina- career guidance tion at existing hospi- using conferences, tals in Detroit, the need scholarships, and to provide staff affilia- SWE members at a picnic at Green Engineering Camp of the awards. SWE Cooper Union during the May 27-28, 1950 founding meeting tions for Jewish doc- of SWE. Sinai Hospital, 1958. also used other tors, and the desire for programs to encourage women to enter or return to the engi- a facility that provided kosher food, the Jewish Hospital neering profession and to attain high levels of educational and Association was organized in 1912. professional achievement. It has sought to publicize the role of In 1937 the Jewish Hospital Association, the Jewish Welfare women in engineering, to place them in engineering jobs, and to Federation, and local Jewish physicians helped organize the Mt. promote them in industry and professional circles. It has also Sinai Hospital Association. Fund-raising for the hospital began served as a center of information on women in engineering and in 1944 and by 1945, $2.3 million was raised. Ground was bro- allied itself with other organizations to promote equal opportu- ken for the hospital on January 14, 1952 and it opened in 1953 nities and equal rights for women. with a budget of $2 million, 238 beds, and the only kosher hos- The SWE collection includes correspondence, minutes, reports, pital kitchen in Michigan. The hospital continued to grow and speeches, biographies, articles, clippings, and statistics. when Mt. Sinai closed in 1999, there were 603 beds and the budget was $253 million. That year the hospital’s services were moved to nearby Grace Hospital which was renamed Sinai- Grace. Important subjects covered within the Sinai Hospital Collection are Jewish immigrants, the North End Clinic, and the Sinai merger with the Detroit Medical Center. Change to Win Designates Reuther Library as Official Repository for Historical Records The Change to Win (CtW) Federation recently designated Dream in the 21st century.” With this addition, the Reuther is the Reuther Library as the official Repository for its historical now home to one labor federation and 12 international labor records.