The correspondence, in chronological order, contains very little of a purely personal nature, and is almost all related to labor in one way or another--perhaps because Germer had very little personal life apart from his life as a labor leader. Reports, resolutions, minutes of meetings, memoranda, press releases, and certain mimeographed material were included when they appeared to be closely related to the correspondence. There are some gaps in the collection, especially for the periods prior to and after the 19401s--possibly due to Germer's nomadic existence.
The remainder of the collection is divided into speeches, personal material (biographical, financial, and miscellaneous memorabilia, etc.), material related to Germer's labor activities, and clippings. Material relating to particular unions, and of sufficient quantity or importance to warrant a separate folder, has been placed in alphabetical order by union. Generally speaking, there is typed and mimeographed material, and a smaller quantity of printed matter, comprising financial, legal, and organizational matters: financial reports, legal briefs, and propaganda, clippings, notices of meetings, organizational speeches and radio programs, ephemera, pamphlets, etc., illustrating organizational techniques, Most of the material is related either specifically to Germer's activities as an organizer in different unions, or generally to unions or territories for which he was responsible.
Socialist Material
One of the outstanding features of the collection is a substantial quantity of letters exchanged with many prominent socialists of an earlier period. The best example is Eugene Debs. The collection contains over 30 letters and telegrams written by Debs between 1901 and 1913, together with Germer's replies. This correspondence with Eugene Debs is supplemented by letters exchanged with Theodore Debs, Eugene's brother, and by later letters written by Germer and others reminiscing about their experiences with Debs. See especially the correspondence exchanged with Samuel M. Castleton and George D. Brewer.
Germer corresponded with many other socialists (see the correspondence list in the appendix for details). Of these, the correspondence with Robert Hunter, Marx Lewis, James O'Neal, and Ernest Untermann is the most extensive. Their letters refer frequently to their views on socialism, current events, and their various writings. Several later letters of Germer reminisce about events in the Socialist Party between 1912 and 1920. Of particular interest are the letters exchanged between Germer and Professor David Shannon in 1950, when the latter was preparing his dissertation on, the history of the Socialist Party.
Labor Material
The bulk of the collection is directly related to labor unions and labor history. Many unions are represented in the collection, but we will mention here only those with which Germer was most closely associated: the United Mine Workers of America; the United Rubber Workers; the United Auto Workers; the International Woodworkers; and the CIO in general. Brief mention will also be made of material relating to the international labor movement.
UMWA: Germer seems to been particularly careful to preserve material relating to the United Mine Workers and other miners' movements, Of especial interest is material relating to the Colorado mine strike of 1913-1914, to John L. Lewis, and to the dual United Mine Workers organization formed in opposition to John L. Lewis in Illinois and Kansas (c. 1929-1931). Except for correspondence with Lewis, the bulk of the material relating to the United Mine Workers falls within the period 1907-1933. However, later correspondence and other material also refer to the UMW and to Lewis: Germer's letter of [July?), 1942, gives a detailed description of. the Colorado mine strike and the Ludlow Massacre; a series of letters written March-May, 1953, pertains to the role of MacKenzie King in originating the company union plan introduced by the Rockefeller interests in Colorado following the 1913-1914 strike; several documents relate to the financial liaisons between Lewis (UMWA) and the Rocky Mountain Fuel Company (UMWA folder); a number of letters of Duncan McDonald (1948) and James Lord (1951) relate their versions of the early days of Lewis' struggle for power within the UMWA.
URWA, UAW: The United Rubber Workers and the United Auto Workers are also well represented in the collection. Germer was instrumental in the early organization of these unions and helped to direct many of the strikes (e.g. Goodyear, General Motors, Chrysler, Bendix). The material relating to these unions dates primarily from the years 1935-1939, and consists of correspondence with URWA, UAW, and CIO leaders (see list in the appendix), and organizational material see URWA Folder, number 59, Box 23; and UAW Folder, number 36, Box 20). There is also later correspondence with leaders of these unions, and a slight amount of material relating to the UAW strikes at Allis Chalmers in 1945-1946 and at Kohler in the 1950's.
IWA: The International Woodworkers are represented by a larger bulk of material in the collection than any other single union. Germer was Director of 0rganization for this union from 1940 to 1944, and again during the late 1940's and early 19501s. Much of the material is related to the struggle between the communist and "right wing" factions within the Woodworkers, and between the IWA and the AFL Carpenters union. The center of the organizing drive of the IWA was in the Pacific Northwest, but there are scattered references to the South and the difficulties experienced by organizers in this area. The correspondence for 1943-1944 contains some interesting letters relating to cases of violation of the civil rights of union organizers in the South. The collection contains only scattered references to the IWA in Wisconsin.
CIO: It would be impossible to list completely the CIO officers and top union officials with whom Germer corresponded. He received extensive reports and other correspondence from regional directors and union officials in most of the states for which he was responsible, but especially Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, Colorado, Utah, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, and Michigan. Some of the problems brought up in the correspondence include the Longshoremen's strike at Montgomery Ward in 1944, the Packinghouse Workers' strikes in 1948, the attempt to organize telephone workers into a single national union under the CIO, 1917-1948, and many others. Some of the problems which Germer was assigned to handle personally include communist attempts to dominate industrial union councils in Detroit and Los Angeles in 1948 and 1949, various disputes Within the IWA, a dispute between the IWA and the Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers in 1949, etc. Material other than correspondence dealing with general CIO matters (Folders 18-25, Boxes 17 and 18) includes several folders of mimeographed resolutions and reports of national conventions and executive committee meetings, wage research material (1945), resolutions expelling communist-dominated unions from the CIO (1949-1950)0 and material relating to the AFL-CIO merger (1955). Other folders (26-31, Boxes 18-19) relate more directly to Germer's interests and activities as regional, director for Michigan (1938-1939) and New York (1940), and as National Representative for the West (1943-1955).
WFTUI, IGFTU (and other international labor material): The collection contains scattered references to various international labor leaders and organizations. A small amount of material dates from Germer's 1912 trip to the International Miners Congress in Amsterdam (the UMWA folder contains a scarce copy of the Report made by the UNWA delegation). Only a relatively small amount of correspondence remains from the period of Germer's appointment as assistant secretary-general of the World Federation of Trade Unions. However the collection does include (with correspondence) minutes of some meetings of the secretariat, and material relating to the 1947 Dakar Pan-African Conference (later referred to by Germer as a “communist chataqua,” of which Germer was chairman. Later correspondence with such men as Walter Schevenels, Arthur Deakin, Hugh Chevins, and Albert Carthy, also refers to the World Federation of Trade Unions, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, and other topics pertaining to international labor matters.
