Title: United Transportation Union. Local 720: Records
Inclusive Dates: 1946-1994

Creator:

• United Transportation Union. Local 720 (Green Bay, Wis.)

Call Number: Green Bay Mss 163

Quantity: 3.6 c.f. (3 record center cartons and 2 archives boxes)

Repository:

Housed at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Archives and Area Research Center; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

UW-Green Bay Cofrin Library / Green Bay Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

Incomplete records of the Green Bay local of the UTU that represented employees of the Green Bay and Western Railroad. The local was dissolved by court action shortly after the purchase of the GB&W by the Wisconsin Central Railroad. Included is extensive correspondence concerning agreements, contract maintenance, crew composition, and other rules; and issues such as the abandonment of the Lake Michigan car ferry service. Files concerning the impact of acquisition of the Green Bay & Western and the Fox River Valley Railroad by the Wisconsin Central in 1992-1993 are particularly extensive. Also included are transcripts of investigatory hearings about violations of work rules and accidents during the 1960s. Some records document the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, Lodge 445. None of the standard organizational records such as minutes, financial records, or membership files are included in the records.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-gb0163

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

The United Transportation Union is a national organization created in 1969 to consolidate into one union railway conductors, brakemen, locomotive firemen, and enginemen, railroad trainmen, and switchmen, all of whom previously had their own unions. UTU Local 720 represented employees of the Green Bay and Western Railroad. Unfortunately the standard organization records are missing from the collection, and as a result it is difficult to construct a basic history of the local. A 1971 newsletter indicates that the local's predecessor unions in Green Bay existed as early as 1896. The records predating the formation of the UTU in the collection are those of Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Lodge 445. For much of this period the secretary-treasurer and general chairman of the Green Bay & Western Committee of Adjustment was John C. Switzer. About 1985 he became manager of labor relations and personnel for GB&W, and he was replaced by Richard Jobelius. In 1971 Local 720 absorbed Local 143.

The records of Local 720 were presented to the Archives in 1997. None of the standard organizational records such as minutes, membership files or financial records are present. Nevertheless, the collection provides useful information about the history of the local and particularly about railroad working conditions during the second half of the twentieth century. The correspondence, which primarily dates from the 1960s through the 1980s, documents in great detail the contract maintenance process whereby agreements, work rules, and salary were defined. Together with the transcripts of the investigatory hearings of the 1960s, this material provides detailed information about the nature of the railroad employees. Two issues are also well documented: the proposed abandonment of the Lake Michigan car ferry service and the acquisition of the Green Bay and Western and the Fox River Valley Railroad by the Wisconsin Central Railroad. The latter issue, which was one of the most contentious labor issues in Wisconsin in the 1990s is extremely well documented here, although the correspondence does not cover the court-ordered end of the local's representation.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Richard Jobelius, Green Bay, Wisconsin, August 1997. Accession Number: M2001-022

Processing Information

Processed by Carolyn J. Mattern, 2001.

Box   1 Folder   1	Adamski, Robert, 1963-1966
Box   1 Folder   2-3	Agreements (BRT), 1955, 1961
Box   1 Folder   4-9	Agreements, 1972-1922
Box   1 Folder   9	Agreements, Miscellaneous, 1954-1982
Box   1 Folder   10	Annapee & Western Railroad, 1971-1977
Box   1 Folder   11	Anunson, R.N., Investigation
Box   1 Folder   12	Blankable Road and Yard Assignment, 1985
Box   1 Folder   13	BRT National Legislative Representative
Box   1 Folder   14	BRT National Adjustment Board
Box   1 Folder   15	BRT Wisconsin Legislative Representative, 1946-1966
Box   1 Folder   16	By-laws, UTU Local 720, 1985
Box   1 Folder   17	Cabooses, 1973-1977, 1985
Box   1 Folder   18-20	Car Ferry Service, 1972-1990
Box   1 Folder   21	Claims, 1982-1983
Box   1 Folder   22	Yard Foreman, 1965
Box   1 Folder   23	Closure of Local 720, 1993
	Complaints
Box   1 Folder   24	General, 1971-1978, 1988
Box   1 Folder   25	Safety, 1989-1992
Box   1 Folder   26	Compulsory Physicals, Proposal for, 1967-1968
Box   1 Folder   27	Concerted Wage Rule Movement, 1988
Box   1 Folder   28	Congressional Delegation, 1961-1966
Box   1 Folder   29	Correspondence, General, 1959-1992
Box   1 Folder   30	Coupling Air Brakes Work Negotiations, 1948-1973
Box   1 Folder   31	Crew Calling Procedures, 1983-1987
Box   1 Folder   32	Crew Change Proposals, 1973
Box   1 Folder   33-36	Crew Consist Agreements, 1966-1997
Box   1 Folder   37	Section 6 Notice, 1968-1976
Box   1 Folder   38	Discipline Rule, 1982
Box   1 Folder   39	Drexler Lawsuit, 1988
Box   1 Folder   40	Drug Testing, 1990
Box   2 Folder   1	Employee Assistance Program (Rule 6 Bypass), 1983-1984
Box   2 Folder   2	Engineer Training, 1988-1991
Box   2 Folder   3	Erdman, Glen H., Investigation, 1963-1969
Box   2 Folder   4	FELA, 1989-1991
Box   2 Folder   5	Family Assistance (Milwaukee Road), 1975-1979
Box   2 Folder   6	Federal Legislation, 1972-1975, 1989-1990
Box   2 Folder   7	Flagging Rules, 1975
Box   2 Folder   8	FRVR Organizing, 1991-1993
Box   2 Folder   9	FRVR and GB&W, 1993
Box   2 Folder   10	Full Crew Law, 1971-1972
Box   2 Folder   11	GB&W and BN Merger, 1981
Box   2 Folder   12	GB&W Closing, 1992
Box   2 Folder   13	GB&W General Chairman's Association, 1958-1968
Box   2 Folder   14	GB&W Miscellany
Box   2 Folder   15	Goethe, S., Case
Box   2 Folder   16	Health and Welfare Movement, 1975
Box   2 Folder   17	Health and Welfare Notices, 1984
Box   2 Folder   18	Hours of Service Violations, 1978
Box   2 Folder   19	Interchange Changes, 1972
Box   2 Folder   20	Interdivisional Service, 1986-1988
Box   2 Folder   21-31	Investigations, 1960-1981, 1992
Box   2 Folder   32	Kewaunee, Conductor Only, 1992
Box   2 Folder   33	Landry, M., Complaint
Box   2 Folder   34	Legal Aid, 1945-1951
Box   2 Folder   35	Lodge 445, 1951-1962
Box   2 Folder   36	Lodging, 1958, 1976
Box   2 Folder   37	Lookout Duty, 1973
Box   2 Folder   38	Mason St. Crossing Gate Dispute, 1975
Box   2 Folder   39	Merrillan Restaurant Closing, 1979
Box   2 Folder   40	Mississippi Bridge Walkway Removal, 1978
Box   2 Folder   41	National Conventions, 1991, 1992
Box   2 Folder   42	National Railway Arbitration Board Awards, 1974, 1983-1984
Box   2 Folder   43	Newsletters, 1970-1978
Box   2 Folder   44	Paid Holidays, 1956-1968, 1973
Box   2 Folder   45	Payroll Lists, 1992
Box   2 Folder   46	Personnel Actions, 1986-1991
Box   2 Folder   47	Plover Home Terminal Change, 1990
Box   2 Folder   48	Presidential Emergency Board, 1991
Box   2 Folder   49	Promotion Rule, 1980
Box   2 Folder   50-56	Public Law Board, 1973-1999
Box   2 Folder   57	Radio Harness, 1989
Box   3 Folder   1	Region 5 Meetings, 1984-1985
Box   3 Folder   2	Reserve Board Recall (Furlough Status), 1985-1987
Box   3 Folder   3	Road Guarantee, 1976
Box   3 Folder   4	Roth, Toby
Box   3 Folder   5	Rule Interpretation with Dispatcher, 1987
Box   3 Folder   6	Rules, 1945-1946
Box   3 Folder   7-8	Rules (Arbitration Board Award #282), 1966
Box   3 Folder   9	Rules, 1973-1974
Box   3 Folder   10	Safety and Equipment Complaints, 1971-1981
Box   3 Folder   11	Sanitary Facilities, 1962-1964
Box   3 Folder   12	Section 6 Notices, 1961-1964
Box   3 Folder   13	Seniority, 1971-1972
Box   3 Folder   14	Shop Closing Bill (SB180), 1989
Box   3 Folder   15	Six Days Per Week Operation, 1975-1979
Box   3 Folder   16	Soo Line Track Rights, 1986
Box   3 Folder   17	Sprint Train, Wisconsin Rapids to Green Bay, 1991
Box   3 Folder   18	Striker Replacement Bill (SB55), 1992
Box   3 Folder   19	Switchmen Performing Other Duties, 1964-1965
Box   3 Folder   20	Switzer, Possible Fraud, 1990
Box   3 Folder   21	Trackmobile, 1986
Box   3 Folder   22	Transportation Commission (Effort to Abolish), 1989-1992
Box   3 Folder   23	Transportation Political Education League, 1990
Box   3 Folder   24	University of Wisconsin Labor Study (Emspak), 1991
Box   3 Folder   25	Unprotected Employees, 1976-1986
Box   3 Folder   26	Vacation Agreement, 1944-1968
Box   3 Folder   28	Welfare Building in Wisconsin Rapids, 1971-1984
Box   3 Folder   29	Welfare Facility at Merrillan
	Wage Movement
Box   3 Folder   27	1974
Box   3 Folder   30-32	1981-1984
	Wisconsin Central Acquisition
Box   3 Folder   33-39	1978-August, 1992
Box   4 Folder   1	September, 1992-May, 1994
Box   4 Folder   5	Newsclippings
Box   4 Folder   6	, Undated Material
Box   4 Folder   7	BLE Involvement, 1992
Box   4 Folder   8	Wisconsin Central Organizing Committee
	Wiconsin Legislative Board
Box   4 Folder   9	1987-1992
Box   5 Folder   1	Quarterly Reports, 1990
Box   5 Folder   2	Wisconsin Rapids Proposal, 1989-1990
Box   5 Folder   3	Wisconsin Rapids Yard, 1936-1966
Box   5 Folder   4	Yard Calling Agreement, 1987
Box   5 Folder   5	Yard Rest Days, 1971-1973, 1988