MC 1197

Inventory to the Records of the International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, Machine & Furniture Workers, AFL-CIO (IUE) Local 401, Edison, NJ 1950-2003

By Meghan R. Vacca

April 26, 2004

Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries

Administrative History of IUE Local 401

Rutgers University Special Collections and University Archives became the final repository for the records and other ephemera of the IUE 401 Local chapter in early 2004. The Edison, NJ chapter closed in 2003 when the Frigidaire Factory in Edison closed that same year. Local 401 was established to advocate the rights of Frigidaire Company employees. 401 also conducted business with Home Comfort Products, Edison Products Co., and White-Westinghouse. When the plant closed there was no need for Local 401.

Due to the lack of arrangement, missing documents and often mis-filing/labeling of documents it is difficult to put together a history of Local 401. The documents received present sporadic and disjointed snapshots of 401.

An exact date for the origin of Local 401 is unknown. The earliest document in the collection is a supplement between Local 401 Westinghouse Electric Corporation and IUE from 1950. The documents from the 1990's present the clearest picture of the local's functions as the most diverse and comprehensive information comes from this period. 401 was particularly involved with negotiations and meetings with, what they term, "the Company." The early 1990s saw the threat of a strike by Local 401. Thus much information regarding contracts and negotiations survive from this period.

A total of four presidents have been identified with rough dates of their term, Raymond Walling (1990-1995), Thomas Ruggiero (1995-1998, 1999-2001), Peter Wickersty (1998-1999), and Syed Shah (2003).

401 was active nationally as well. In 2002 401 attended the CWA National Convention, the 1992 25th IUE Constitutional Convention, and a 1998 IUE Leadership Conference.

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Scope and Content Note

The documents included in the collection range in date from 1950 to 2003 when the Frigidaire factory and Local 401 closed. The majority of documents, however, come from the 1990's and 2000-2001. One or two items are found from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. There is slightly more information from the 1980s. Judging from the order of documents received from Local 401 there was no systematic filing system kept. However, due to the abundance of information from the 1990s and relatively little information from the preceding period either a purge was done to the records prior to 1990, few items were kept and received and/or few documents were generated. It is important to note the dates on the folders encompass the documents inside but do also include gaps in documents.

The following series have been created to group the documents: Administration, Contracts & Negotiations, Correspondence, Election, Health & Safety, and Newsletters. Included in the collection are materials from the national IUE, AFL-CIO and CWA, District Three IUE, Local 401 and 491 IUE, White Westinghouse, Frigidaire Company, Home Comfort Products and Edison Products Co. Company booklets and policies which relate to Local 401 are included as well. The local IUE constitutions are also included. The majority of the collection relates to the functioning of Local 401 and the Frigidaire Company. Local 401 Executive Board meeting minutes as well as meeting minutes with Frigidaire management can be found in the collection and well as membership sign in books.

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Arrangement Note

The records of IUE Local 401 are arranged in the following series:

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Separated Material

Three cubic feet of material are being kept for a period of 5 years to satisfy legal requirements and should be discarded after April 2009. Materials in temporary retention include un-issued member cards, special voting cards, reports on per capita dues, contact cards and receipts and vouchers.

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Restrictions

Restrictions Note

The entirety of this collection is open to research; however, personal information reflected in the documents may not be published with out the permission of those who are referenced.

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Name and Subject Tracings

Personal Names

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

When citing material from this collection please reference: Guide to the Record of the International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, Machine and Furniture Workers, AFL-CIO (IUE) Subgroup: Local 401, Edison, NJ ca. 1950-2003 (MC 1197), Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries

Processing Note

Ten cubic feet were received from Local 401. Five cubic feet were discarded for a lack of relevance or as duplicates, three cubic feet have been retained unprocessed, for scheduled temporary term-retention, and two cubic feet have been retained for the permanent collection.

The records arrived at Rutgers University in disarray and no inherent order could be determined. After a cursory examination, series groupings were created. Folders were reorganized and grouped into these series. In some cases documents were already grouped in folders, they then were re-foldered in acid free folders and the title on the original folder was used. Occasionally, the titles on the folders did not reflect the folders' contents. Apparently file folders were re-used but not always re-labeled. Undated items are included at the end of folders. The folders are arranged alphabetically according to series followed by subject followed by date. Undated folders are included in the alphabetical listing.

A selective sampling method was used to preserve examples of routine material such as election announcements, publicity/propaganda, employee relieve letters, and incident reports. These items did not seem to provide information about Local 401 but are important to identify as being significant to the life of Local 401. Duplicates, which made up a significant portion of the records, were eliminated as was routine material not having any specific value. These included leadership binders not related to the IUE, Frigidaire, Home Comfort Products, or Edison Products Co.; receipts and vouchers prior to 1998: miscellaneous office paperwork and mail regarding ordering union jackets, bibles, bible stands, etc.

Staples were not removed from attached items as the documents are relatively recent in creation and were most likely attached with stainless steal staples. Paperclips, however, were removed and the attached items were then micro-foldered in acid free paper. Dates and/or headings are included on the micro-folders to identify the contents.

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Annotated Bibliography

Bernhardt, Debra. How to Keep Union Records: A Guide for Local Union Officers and Staff. Labor's Heritage Press (Silver Spring, MD), 1993. This guide was useful for determining series, items to be kept, items to be discarded, records retention and dates governing temporary retention. Examples of records retention in other repositories are also included in the guide.

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Detailed Description of the Records/Container List