Summary Information
Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. Local 606: Records
1901-1973
- Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. Local 606 (Madison, Wis.)
Mss 436
0.6 c.f. (2 archives boxes)
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Records of the Madison, Wisconsin lodge of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (BRT), primarily for 1901-1919. Included are minutes, attendance and financial records, and miscellaneous records including a brief history.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00436 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
The Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (BRT) was organized at Oneonta, New York, on September 23, 1883, as the Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen. The organization included other railroad workers--conductors, yardmen, and trainmen--from its inception, and in 1890 its name was changed to the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. Conservative in social philosophy, the Brotherhood's 1883 Constitution emphasized its benevolent, protective, and fraternal functions. Nonetheless, the organization actively represented members in collective bargaining and grievance procedures, and it developed an influential political lobbying program in addition to providing insurance and benevolent services. The Brotherhood quickly emerged as the largest railroad union, and by the early 1960s it represented fifty-two percent of the railroad workers in the United States and Canada.
Mendota Lodge, Local 606, of the BRT was established by thirteen railroad employees meeting at Forester's Hall, Madison, Wisconsin, on August 25, 1901. Membership requirements, as specified by the 1901 revision of the Brotherhood's Constitution and General Rules, included one year of railroad service and required that applicants be “white, sober, industrious...” and between the ages of eighteen and forty-five. The primary motivation in forming the Lodge was to obtain insurance for Madison area railroad workers.
In 1968 the BRT merged with three other organizations--the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen, the Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen, and the Switchmen's Union of North America--to form the United Transportation Union (UTU).
Scope and Content Note
The records in this collection provide the best coverage for the years 1901-1919. They offer comprehensive information on the official functions and routine activities of the local union. The records reveal an emphasis on benevolent services, social activities, and organizational factors, including a careful observance of the forms and ritual prescribed by the BRT. However, they provide very little material on the Lodge's relations with other locals or the Grand Lodge of the BRT. The records consist of minutes, attendance records, financial records, and miscellaneous records.
Two volumes contain Minutes of regular meetings; roll calls, 1910-1911, 1914-1918; roll calls of officers, 1907, 1909-1910; register of oaths, 1910-1918; and results of annual elections, 1914, 1916-1917.
Financial Records are found in one volume containing quarterly financial reports, 1905-1919; a record of annual membership dues for each member, 1905-1919; cash book reports, 1905-1908, 1916-1919; a membership register, 1905-1915, 1924; and an undated record of miscellaneous expenses.
One volume of Attendance Records lists members of Local 606 present at regular meetings.
Miscellaneous Records include circulars from the Grand Lodge announcing special dues assessments and instructions concerning BRT members serving in the armed forces, a list of Local 606 members serving in the armed forces, a membership application form, and a brief historical sketch of the Lodge, prepared in 1973, in which reminiscences by the donor, daughter of Peter F. Zeimet, an officer in the organization, are incorporated.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Mrs. N. A. Hill, Madison, Wisconsin, October 15, 1971. Accession Number: M71-287
Processed by R.J. Anderson (Intern) and Joanne Hohler, October 16, 1978.
Contents List
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Minutes
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Box
1
Folder
1
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1901-1909
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Box
2
Folder
1
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1909-1918
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Financial Records, 1905-1919, 1924
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Attendance Records, 1905-1920
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Box
1
Folder
3
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Miscellaneous Records, 1973, undated
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