The collection consists of two series: records of the District Council and records of Madison Local 314. Neither part of the collection is complete. Local 314's records document the rise and establishment of the carpenters' trade union in Madison, while the Central District Council records pick up that coverage and take the carpenters to the late 20th century.
The LOCAL 314 RECORDS consist of minutes, correspondence, and wage agreements. The minutes, which date from the rechartering in 1899 through 1944, include some membership rolls and records of dues payments. The first volume also contains minutes of the People's Party of Dane County. The correspondence in the collection is entirely that of Robert Strenger, the local's business representative in the post-World War II years. In addition to general letters about union business, his files include important documentation of the Madison Housing Authority, on which he served, and the Building and Construction Trades Council.
The wage agreements file consists of an incomplete run of agreements negotiated by the local over a twenty-five year period. For 1948 the collection includes the signature page for each signed contract, a file that is thought to represent all of the signed contracts for that year. The collection also includes some zoning documents relating to the Wisconsin Telephone Company; it is not known why these documents are included in the records.
The records of the CENTRAL WISCONSIN DISTRICT COUNCIL are arranged as Administrative Records, Negotiations and Agreements, and Organizing Files. It is important to note that many important Council records such as minutes, administrative correspondence, membership records, and financial records are not included. There are also no strike files in the collection.
The Administrative Records are an alphabetical subject file constructed from material found misfiled in the Negotiations files. Included are bylaws, correspondence primarily dating from the 1950s, sample agreements of other Wisconsin locals, federal and state reports, and papers on negotiations with the office workers union that represented the District Council's employees. Some information on membership can be gleaned from the 1970 authorization cards and the monthly lists of new members generated by the CHOP project.
The Negotiations and Agreements files are arranged by type of contract, for example drywall installers, insulation installers, etc. Most files include not only the final contract, but also correspondence and notes. For most contract types, there is fairly complete representation over time, although the collection is strongest for the 1950s and the 1970s. Most extensive are the general carpenters agreements (filed here alphabetically under the heading “Union Agreements”) and the pre-fabricated industry contracts. Well-represented employers include Marshall Erdman, the Madison Employers Council, and the Madison Builders Association. For several years the Union Agreements file includes what is thought to be a complete file of all signed agreements. These signed agreements are available only on microfilm. Some files document negotiations that involved the National Labor Relations Board.
The Organizing Files primarily consist of documentation about participation in the UBCJA's national Coordinated Housing Organizing Project. This file consists of general files of the CHOP organizer hired by the Council, together with separate files on several companies such as Wick Homes and Windsor Homes where he concentrated his efforts.
