The records of the Madison Newspaper Guild (MNG) document the activities of a small professional union local. The records span the entire life of the local, from its charter in 1934 through the strike that brought its demise in 1979. However, records from 1934 to 1958 are scant; documentation for the period 1958 to 1970 is better, but still sketchy. The bulk of the collection focuses on the time period 1970-1979. Even for this period, some typical union records such as membership and financial records are missing.
Strengths of the collection include correspondence between union representatives and newspaper management regarding day-to-day operations. Grievances dating from the 1970s, a period of great stress in the newspaper business, are also well represented. The 1974 Ethics Code and Dave Wagner's refusal to cross a MULO picket line are particularly well documented. There is also important documentation of the guild's participation with four other unions in the unsuccessful 1977-1979 strike that is not available elsewhere.
The records of the Madison Newspaper Guild are arranged into five series: ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS; COLLECTIVE BARGAINING; NEWSPAPER MANAGEMENT FILES; OTHER LABOR GROUPS; and SUBJECT FILES.
The ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS series is composed of audit reports; an application for the 1934 charter, two undated constitutions, and by-laws; correspondence of officers; scattered and partial membership lists; rosters of guild officers; scattered minutes; and files relating to the biennial Page One Ball. The strength of this series is the chronological correspondence. The general correspondence documents the day-to-day operations of the guild primarily under the leadership of Cedric Parker, Irv Kriesman, Matt Pommer, and Diane Woodstock and their dealings with George Stephenson, Miles McMillin, and Bob Meloon of Capital Times management. Some of the matters discussed include contract negotiations, minority hiring, sexism, leaves of absence, non-union sportswriters, building security, grievances, and raises. Separate employment correspondence consists of routine notifications from management about job openings, new hires, and changes in an employee's status or hours.
The COLLECTIVE BARGAINING series is divided into subseries regarding employee benefits such as life insurance and pensions, bulletins summarizing bargaining sessions, contracts and proposals, grievances, and strikes. The last named two sections are the majority of the series.
The contracts and proposals section includes the initial 1934 contract but no other documentation for the 1930s or early 1940s. From 1945 through the guild's demise, the holdings are virtually complete. This file also includes correspondence with the American Newspaper Guild from the 1950s concerning provisions in the proposed contracts thought to violate the ANG constitution and collective bargaining principles.
The grievance files are arranged in chronological order. Several document cases that went before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for settlement. These are the well-documented Ethics Code case of 1974, Dave Wagner's refusal to cross a MULO picket line, and the unit clarification case of 1977 which concerned the eligibility of certain supervisory employees for guild membership. They include briefs, decisions, and other legal documents, as well as partial or complete transcripts of testimony.
Files in the Strikes sub-series concentrate mostly on the 1977-1979 strike, though there were threatened strikes in 1954 and 1974 that are also documented. Files relating to the strike of 1977 consist of legal documents pertaining to proceedings of the NLRB; charges against pickets for damaging delivery trucks; and concerns about the legality of the strike. Documentation is also provided regarding negotiations, both before the strike and return-to-work offers made throughout the strike. The support files include information on the “Never on Sunday” campaign which encouraged State Journal subscribers to cancel their Sunday paper; letters from other guilds and locals primarily conveying donations; a Survival Graphics poster; and a Madison Press Connection poster. Most important is the file of memoranda on the Unity Committee, composed of representatives from all five striking unions.
The NEWSPAPER MANAGEMENT FILES are comprised of research material compiled by the guild to support their position in contract negotiations. Included is information on advertising rates and lineage and income, as well as financial statements and records of the Capital Times, Madison Newspapers, and Lee Enterprises. Similar information can be found in The Guild Case for ..., 1948, 1949, and 1956, a Local 64 publication in the Historical Society Library.
The series on OTHER LABOR GROUPS documents attempts to organize other employees of Madison Newspapers and radio station WIBA, which was owned by the Capital Times. Most documentation concerning these groups is sketchy, concentrating on the 1970s. Two files about the Wisconsin State Journal Editorial Association provide some glimpses into the situation which led to the formation of the WSJEA in 1947 and some information about the bargaining that took place between the WSJEA and MNI in 1977.
The final series of SUBJECT FILES covers two issues from the 1970s. First, and most thoroughly documented, is the investigation into links between the CIA and the American Institute for Free Labor Development (AIFLD), an issue in which the local guild and Diane Woodstock took a particular interest. There is a slim folder of material regarding health concerns and the use of Video Display Terminals.
