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 ’ (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 . 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. The is comprised of seven unions. In the coming years, researchers will have an even labor organizations with a combined membership of six million. wider variety and breadth of records to review as they write Chaired by , this federation was founded in 2005 about the labor movement and a multitude of related people, “to build a new movement of working people equipped to meet organizations, and issues.  the challenges of the global economy and restore the American

Page 3 University Archives Wayne State: 75 Years of Learning

Wayne State celebrates seventy- first modern classrooms, State and five years as a university in 2008. Science Halls, opened in 1947, as Although one might find the true the urban campus in Detroit expand- beginning of Wayne State University ed after the war. on November 3, 1868, when the first When Governor Williams signed lecture was given at the Detroit Public Act 183 on April 22, 1956, Medical College, the origins of the unique relationship with the Wayne as a university occurred sev- Detroit Board of Education ended. enty-five years ago on August 8, The “City College,” as Wayne had 1933. Five separate schools, the long been known, became the third Detroit Medical College, Detroit major state-supported university in Teacher’s College, College of the Michigan. City of Detroit, the School of The early supporters of higher Pharmacy, and the Detroit Law education in Detroit would be very School were combined to form a uni- pleased with Wayne’s progress over versity named, “The Colleges of the the years. Beginning with five col- City of Detroit.” One year later, the leges, Wayne now supports twelve, name “Wayne,” which honored Revolutionary War hero and from an initial graduating class in 1933 of 427 students, General Anthony Wayne, was selected as the university’s offi- over 3000 received degrees in 2008. Seventy-five years later, cial title. Wayne State University takes great pride in its reputation as a Wayne University grew larger and nationally ranked stronger with each passing year. Civic research university.  leaders, Detroit residents, and educators alike provided tremendous support for the ideal of higher education in the city. Wayne’s first two presidents, Frank Cody and Warren Bow, also served as President of the Detroit Board of Education, and the young university shared funding with other public schools in the city. Anticipating the large enrollments of returning veterans from World War II, state funding was obtained in order to cre- ate new classroom space. The university’s

Members of the Class of 1933 proudly hold up their banner in a parade around campus.

The Detroit Medical College, 1870.

Page 4 Above: UAW President Ron Gettelfinger remembers the late Doug Above: Former UAW Fraser. Below: Members of the audience honor Doug Fraser’s President, Owen Bieber memory by joining hands to sing the song “Solidarity speaks with former Forever.” Michigan Senator Donald Riegle.

Above: Former Vice President Walter Mondale, former Michigan Governor , Governor Jennifer Granholm, Conngressman , and Wayne State University Provost Nancy Barrett take their places on stage to help memorial - ize Doug Fraser.

Left: Attendees enjoy the wonderful food prepared by a chef at the Doug Fraser Exhibit Reception.

Right: Congressman Jonh Dingell, former Congressman retired, and former Metro Detroit AFL-CIO President, Donald Boggs . Page 5 Thank You For Your Support Donors to the Walter P. Reuther Library Endowment

Donations to Date: $510,000 Donation Goal: $2,000,000 $100,000 and over International Union (UAW) American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Walter and May Reuther Memorial Fund $25,000 - $99,999 American Federation of Teachers Lear Corporation United Service Employees Local 616 $5,000 - $24,999 American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. D & M and Associates, Inc. JL Automotive, L.L.C. Mr.and Mrs. William W. LeFevre National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Mr. John Reuther Schukra of Ltd. Pam and Mike Smith Talhin/ T Corporation Trammell Crow Company United Jewish Foundation of Metropolitan Detroit Yazaki North America, Inc. under $5,000 Anthony Alestra Shirley Gilbert Frances Polakowski Robert Alpert James Goode Thomas Pomeroy Sharon Alterman Anna Gogola Prisma Fibers Inc. Zareh Baghdassarian David and Ann Gordon Calvin Rapson V. Barnard Aubrey Gouveia Janet Rhoades Daniel Beard Dena Greenberg Judith Robison Owen and Shirley Bieber William Griffin Mr. and Mrs. Howard G. Ross Bing Corporate Services L.L.C. Bill Halliday Mr. and Mrs. Jordan Rossen Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Judy Harden Steven Rosswurm The Honorable and Mrs. David E. Bonior Mickey Hart Susan Salmansohn David Bosworth Health Alliance Plan Nancy Schlossberg Marietta Boyer Kathryn Hoard Alex Siegel Centrua Group, Inc. Arthur Kimmer Elvia Stinson The Honorable and Mrs. Avern L. Cohn Stephen Kirka Andrea Stromar Ronald Corbett Roy Krenkel Teamsters Local 786 Theatrical Loyd Cox Alice Laduke Naomi Smith Tyler Michelle Danger James Lawson Ms. Casandra Ulbrich and David Jack Devlin David Lay Williams Robert Drager Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Levin UAW-GM Center for HR Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Driker Hollis Lewis Verizon Foundation Driker Family Foundation Albert Lorente Richard Warden Eagle Ottawa, L.L.C. Barbara Mackenzie Helen Washington Linda Ewing Frank Martin Carol Waszkiewicz Fasco DC Motors Mr. and Mrs. Paul L. Mastos Julia Williford-Sosnowsky Frederick Fegely Monroe County Council CIO Social & Welfare Assoc. Woodbridge Sales & Engineering Deborah Foster Audrey Morris A. Louis Yandrisevits Winifred Fraser Shirlee Musick Howard and Roberta Young Charles Gayney Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Paskal Kenneth Young

Page 6 Audiovisual Department Image Galleries Now Available on the Reuther Website

The Reuther Library is pleased to announce an upgrade to Municipal Employees (AFSMCE), and the Service Employees our website that will make research in our visual collections International Union (SEIU). Available at faster and easier: the addition of image galleries. Available to www.reuther.wayne.edu, the galleries are easily searched, pro- the public in the fall of 2008, the galleries showcase images vide patrons with descriptive information relating to each from donor unions and highlight areas of special interest within image, and offer the option to view the images at different sizes. the general collections and are currently available for The The new online content represents a small fraction of the United Auto Workers (UAW), Society of Women Engineers nearly two million still images in the collections of the Reuther (SWE), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), United Farm Library and are frequently updated. In the coming year, galleries Workers (UFW), American Federation of State, County, and devoted to the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), Civil Rights, the Flint Sit Down Strike of 1937, and the photographs of Tony Spina, a chief photographer for the Detroit Free Press, will also be added. In addition to the photographs highlighted above, researchers can also find images online through our digital projects “No Greater Calling,” a photographic history of the life of Walter Reuther, and the “Virtual Motor City,” a collection of 36,000 images taken from the Detroit News photonegative collection. For more information on our online audiovisual holdings, please contact [email protected] or (313) 577-4024. 

Page 7 For an up-to-date listing of Reuther Library events, log on to our website at www.reuther.wayne.edu

Walter P. Reuther Library ADVISORY BOARD Donald Boggs Antonio Cortese Mike Smith Metro Detroit AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Director, Walter P. Reuther Library David Bonior American Federation of Teachers Casandra Ulbrich Chairperson, Charles Hyde Wayne State University Professor, Wayne State University Marcella Wilson Kevin Boyle Larry Lipton Executive Director, Professor, Ohio State University Vice-President Investments, Matrix Human Services, Detroit Patricia Ford Smith Barney Citigroup William Young Washington D.C. Labor Council Lou Salvatore President, Ron Gettelfinger President, Global Seating National Association of President,United Automobile Workers Systems, Lear Corporation Letter Carriers

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