Title: International Longshoremen's Association. Local 815: Records
Inclusive Dates: 1935-1975

Creator:

• International Longshoremen's Association. Local 815 (Milwaukee, Wis.)

Call Number: Milwaukee Mss DY

Quantity: 5.2 cubic feet (13 archives boxes)

Repository:

Housed at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries’ Archives Department / Milwaukee Area Research Center; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)

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

Abstract:

Records of the International Longshoremen's Association, Local 815, from 1935 to 1976, a Milwaukee based labor union representing the city's waterfront workers. The collection includes administrative records, such as meeting minutes, membership lists, and financial record-keeping books; correspondence with the International office, Great Lakes District office, local executive officers, and the Milwaukee Harbor Commission; and materials relating to the Great Lakes District's lakes-wide collective bargaining and general cargo agreements, the Port of Milwaukee, and the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Additional materials document the local's role as collective bargaining agent on behalf of union members employed by Milwaukee's longshore contractors, warehouse companies, and inland temporary help agencies; and actions taken against uncompromising employers, including outside arbitration, labor strikes, and litigation brought before the National War Labor Board and, later, the National Labor Relations Board.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mil000dy

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General Overview
The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) is a labor union representing longshore workers. Originally organized in 1877 by Daniel Keefe as the Association of Lumber Handlers, the union was then renamed the National Longshoremen's Association of the United States in 1892; finally, in 1895, the union adopted its third and final name, the International Longshoremen's Association, in order to reflect the growing number of Canadian members. The same year, the ILA affiliated with the American Federation of Labor (AFL). Based on accusations of corruption, the ILA was suspended from the AFL in 1953 and replaced by the AFL-sponsored International Brotherhood of Longshoremen (IBL). Rivalry between local ILA loyalists (who began calling themselves the ILA-Independent) and the IBL-AFL persisted for the next several years. In August 1959, the AFL-CIO' recommended re-admittance for the ILA and two months later the IBL officially dissolved itself and re-affiliated with the ILA.

In the early years, in addition to organizing unaffiliated workers, ILA leaders focused on eliminating independent stevedoring firms and securing closed shop contracts. The primary goals of the ILA have remained consistent throughout its existence: Through collective bargaining negotiations, union leaders seek to secure agreements that improve workers' wages and hours, job security, and working and living conditions. Additionally, the union lobbies for labor-related legislation for the benefit of workers in general, and longshoremen in particular.

Similar to most labor unions, the ILA has a hierarchical structure of command, with the International Executive Council situated at the top of the hierarchy, and regional districts overseeing local affiliates. Each district must adopt its own constitution and by-laws that are in accordance with the rules and regulations set forth by the International. Every ILA local is required to affiliate itself with the district organization in which it is located, and is subject to its jurisdiction; however, each local is responsible for drafting its own constitution and by-laws.

Great Lakes District
Before the 1960s, the Great Lakes District's (GLD) locals were autonomous organizations that had little to do with each other or with the International's office in New York. Individual local unions were only concerned with independent action; local union leaders each had their own territorial domain and they bargained with longshore employers (stevedore contractors and terminal operators) on a company-by-company basis. GLD locals even competed with each other for cargo traffic.

In response to the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959, which significantly increased cargo traffic in all Great Lakes ports, the International changed the structure of collective bargaining on the Great Lakes: more uniform longshoring contracts were pursued in order to prevent employers from playing locals against each other, and to prevent locals from competing among themselves for trade. In 1960, despite employer resistance, the Great Lakes Division of the ILA pushed through a lakes-wide general cargo agreement that secured uniform wage rates for all union employees and a common expiration date in all major general cargo agreements.

Local 815
Motivated by the National Industrial Recovery Act (1933), which allowed workers to organize and bargain collectively, the ILA re-established locals in many Great Lakes ports. Tom Brennan, a union organizer from Chicago, organized the Milwaukee waterfront, thereby establishing the ILA local 815 on September 18, 1934. In addition to organizing Milwaukee longshore laborers who loaded and unloaded ship cargo, local 815 also represented the city's waterfront warehouse workers. And, from 1942 through the early 1970s, the union became the bargaining agent for unskilled workers supplied to inland factories by temporary help agencies. Local 815 also merged with ILA Local 1295 (Milwaukee's grain trimmers) and ILA local 1608 in Muskegon, Michigan, after each local dissolved itself in 1958 and 1961, respectively, and voted for 815 affiliation.

Although local 815 had its share of internal conflicts, it was not affected by the rampant corruption and gangsterism that afflicted other locals, especially those on the East Coast during the 1940s and 1950s. However, from its founding in 1934 until the middle of 1942, local 815 could only be characterized as a problematic union, plagued by a Communist-sympathizing leadership, wildcat strikes, factional infighting, and drunken, pilfering workers. Roused into action by his anti-Communist zeal and general concern for the union's reputation, Milwaukee longshoreman John Brzek led an internal investigation that resulted in the ousting of seven union members accused of having a corrupting influence on the 815. Thus, May 1942 stands as a turning point for the local: with the expulsion of the problematic constituents and the initiation of new leadership, the 815 evolved into an effective bargaining agent for its longshoring members. Moreover, under the leadership of John Brzek, the union was praised for its orderly and fair hiring system and the Port of Milwaukee gained the reputation of a "good service port." The improved reputation of both the local and the city's harbor proved significant: when the St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959, Milwaukee became one of the most important general cargo ports on the Great Lakes.

Operating as local 815's president, secretary-treasurer, business agent, or any combination of the three, Brzek was the unequivocal back-bone of the union until the early 1970s. As such, the majority of this collection-specifically, the materials dating from 1942 through approximately 1972-are, more or less, the records of Brzek's administration of the local, which entailed handling union hiring, safety, production, recordkeeping, grievance processing, and, most importantly, contract negotiation. During the latter half of the 1950s, Brzek also became active in union affairs at the district and international levels, serving both as vice president of the GLD-IBL and vice president of the IBL. Due to changing demographics within the local, more and more members began objecting to Brzek's leadership style during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Brzek's ultimate fall from grace was inevitable, and he retired in 1973, leaving leadership of the 815 in the hands of a younger generation of longshoremen.

This collection documents the evolution and functions of local 815, the Milwaukee-based chapter of the International Longshoremen's Association. John Brzek served in a variety of union leadership roles (president, secretary-treasurer, and business agent) from 1942 through 1972, and the bulk of the collective bargaining files pertain to his work on behalf of the local, principally in regards to negotiating and enforcing labor contracts with waterfront employers. The collection also documents Brzek's growing professional relationship with the Port of Milwaukee's Harbor Commission, particularly with Port Director Harry Brockel, who worked alongside Brzek to improve the reputation of Milwaukee's waterfront facilities and labor services. Correspondence with the Great Lakes Harbor Association and records relating to Brzek's membership in the Legislative Committee Study of the Great Lakes Ports reveal his interest in and preparation for the 1959 opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Other administrative files document Brzek's leadership and participation at the union's district and international levels (1954-1959) and his involvement in negotiating the first district-wide collective bargaining agreement on the Great Lakes. This collection does not contain much information regarding ILA events of national significance, such as the succession of West Coast District locals under the leadership of Harry Bridges, the allegations of organized crime that prompted the expulsion of the ILA from the AFL (1953), or the subsequent infighting between the ILA and the AFL-created IBL. However, it does document the dissolution of the IBL and its re-affiliation with the ILA.

The collection is divided into two series: ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS and COLLECTIVE BARGAINING. The ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS series (1935 -1974) consists of minute books, financial records, and correspondence files. In addition to providing a record of the local's meetings, the Minute Books (1935-1947) contain early membership lists. After 1947, Brzek interfiled minutes with other material, typically within the collective bargaining records, as the contents of these local meetings usually correspond to ongoing employer negotiations. The financial books include eight volumes of ledgers (1935-1944, 1946-1958), which serve as a record of individual members in the local and their corresponding union-dues payments. After 1958, the composition of the membership can be gleaned from per-capita payments and membership lists sent to the international and district offices, and from employer-union correspondence and check-offs found within the COLLECTIVE BARGAINING. The Treasurer's Report Book and Cash Books, in addition to the Day Books (a misnomer), all feature similar financial information: the monthly record of receipts, expenditures, and cash-on-hand. Unfortunately, these volumes do not provide a complete overview of the local's finances, as a 6 year gap exists starting in 1944 and a standardized financial recordkeeping system ceases completely after 1960.

The Administrative Communications subseries is largely comprised of correspondence, hand-written notes, and meeting minutes, all of which illustrate the local's interactions with the union's international and district offices, other Great Lakes locals, and Milwaukee's Harbor Commission and Great Lakes Port Committee. Topics covered in union communications include the dissolution of the IBL and merger with the ILA (also detailed in the special convention proceedings, 1959), the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the commencement of Great Lakes district-wide collective bargaining. More specifically, the IBL International Communications files (1958) and IBL-GLD Communications files (1954-1959) evidence Brzek's leadership role at these higher levels of union administration, which involved organizing Great Lakes locals and assisting with jurisdictional and labor disputes. ILA-GLD Communications (1960-1968) address both the difficulties and successes in negotiating lakes-wide uniform wage rates and contract expiration dates, and Brzek's work on behalf of the GLD's Wage Policy Committee. Likely, the files containing Great Lakes locals' labor agreements pertain to this effort toward district-wide contract coordination and standardization. Documenting Brzek's efforts to organize ILA locals and settle jurisdictional disputes with other unions, the General Communications files (1960-1968) include significant overlap with the international and district communications described above; however, these files also relate to Brzek's involvement in labor solidarity advocacy and the development of a GLD branch of the Maritime Trades Division (MTD). Correspondence with the Milwaukee Harbor Commission documents the development of the local's relationship with the Port of Milwaukee and addresses issues such as post-WWII shipping and waterfront labor, preparations for the St. Lawrence Seaway, and continued maintenance of labor relations, business operations, and safety measures on the Port of Milwaukee. The Great Lakes Port Committee files feature records relating to Brzek's membership in the Legislative Committee Study of the Great Lakes Ports.

The COLLECTIVE BARGAINING series documents the processes undertaken to negotiate contracts with employers on behalf of union members. It offers insight into union politics regarding strike tactics, jurisdictional disputes, and employee grievances, and how these issues were handled by the local union, or, if necessary, by the district or international offices, the NLRB, Federated Trades Council, Wisconsin Employment, Relations Board, state court systems, or union arbitrators. The Instant Help Inc., Marquette Cement Manufacturing Company (MCMC), Milwaukee Warehousemen Association (MWA), West Michigan Dock & Market Corporation, and Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Company subseries each represent a different employer bargaining unit with whom the local's business agent (most often Brzek) negotiated for labor contracts. Each subseries contains correspondence between the local and the employing company's representatives, in addition to labor contracts, meeting minutes, hand-written notes, litigation cases and decisions, and correspondence with outside labor arbitrators and with the local's legal representatives.

The General Communications subseries (1941-1949) contains the records included in this collection's first accession. As opposed to rearranging this subseries, it remains organized according to the original archival processing schema, which combined administrative materials with collective bargaining files.

The Instant Help Inc. subseries (1968-1972) documents a conflict that arose between Instant Help Inc., a unionized temporary help agency, and local 815 when the agency notified Brzek of its intent to repudiate their labor agreement. The records evidence the subsequent involvement of the NLRB and the processes undertaken in NLRB-sanctioned representational elections.

The Marquette Cement Manufacturing Company subseries includes correspondence detailing the local's jurisdictional dispute with the Cement Workers Union over representation of MCMC employees.

The Milwaukee Warehousemen Association subseries (1941-1953) contains correspondence between the local, the various waterfront warehouse companies that employed 815 members, and the MWA-an organization representing Milwaukee's warehouse employers. The records are not separated by warehouse employer, but rather proceed chronologically. This filing system, though confusing, clearly served a function: Although local 815 signed separate contracts with each individual company, it oftentimes dealt with them as a collective unit (for example: the MWA) when labor disputes arose.

The Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Company subseries (1954-1973) illustrates the Brzek's process of collective bargaining with a closed-shop company and the manner in which he handled complaints about both workers and employers. Significantly, it also contains employer participation agreements regarding employee pension funds and health insurance payments.

In 1961, members of local 1608 -- employees of the West Michigan Dock and Market Corporation in Muskegon, Michigan -- merged with local 815. The records of West Michigan Dock and Market Corp. subseries (1961-1975) include standard administrative materials, such as correspondence with the division's leadership and members, meeting minutes and notes, and membership lists and applications. Additional materials document Brzek's negotiations with the Dock and Market Corp. on behalf of the 815-Michigan division. The materials are mostly filed chronologically, with the Muskegon administrative records interfiled with documents pertaining to collective bargaining. The files containing union dues and check-off receipts provide a comprehensive record of the Muskegon Division's membership.

The Contracts and Agreements subseries contains labor agreements reached between the local and various companies employing union members. The union filed these contracts separately; however, additional contracts are also found interfiled within their related subseries.

Acquisition Information

Presented by the International Longshoremen's Association, Local 15, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, May 4, 1953 and April 21, 1982.

Processing Information

Processed by Leah Kolb (practicum student), 2010.

Milwaukee Mss DY	Series: Administrative Records
Box   1 Volume 1-7	Minute books, 1935-1947
Box   1 Volume 8	Work lists, 1937-1938, 1943
	Financial records
	Ledgers
Box   2 Volume 1-3	1935-1943
Box   3 Volume 4	1944
Box   3 Volume 5-8	1946-1958
Box   4 Volume 9	Treasurer's report, 1940
	Day book-expenditures
Box   4 Volume 10	1938-1940
Box   4 Volume 11-13	1950-1960
	Treasurer's cash books
Box   4 Volume 14	1940-1943
Box   4 Volume 15-18	1950-1961
	Communications
	International
Box   5 Folder   1	IBL, 1958
Box   5 Folder   2-8	ILA, 1960-1968
	Great Lakes District
Box   6 Folder   1-2	IBL-Great Lakes District, 1954-1959
Box   6 Folder   3-4	Convention proceedings, 1959
	ILA-Great Lakes District
Box   6 Folder   5-7	1960-1962
Box   7 Folder   1-4	1963-1968
Box   7 Folder   5-7	Agreements of other GLD ports
Box   8 Folder   1-2	General correspondence, 1960-1968
Box   8 Folder   3	Membership lists and dues payments, 1954-1968
	City of Milwaukee
	Harbor Commission
Box   8 Folder   4	1944-1946
Box   8 Folder   5-6	1955-1963
Box   8 Folder   7-8	1969-1971
Box   9 Folder   1-3	1972-1974
Box   9 Folder   4-5	Great Lakes Port Committee, 1956-1957
	Series: Collective Bargaining	⇧
Box   9 Folder   6-7	Communications, general, 1941-1949
	Instant Help Incorporated
Box   10 Folder   1	Communications and contracts, 1967-1971
Box   10 Folder   2	Hearing and election, 1972
Box   10 Folder   3	Marquette Cement Manufacturing Company, 1956-1957, 1959
Box   10 Folder   4-8	Milwaukee Warehousemen Association, 1941-1953
	West Michigan Dock & Market Corporation
Box   11 Folder   1-6	Communications, 1961-1976
Box   11 Folder   7	Contracts and agreements, 1962-1972
Box   12 Folder   1-2	Membership dues, 1968-1974
	Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Company
Box   12 Folder   3-4	Communications, 1954-1973
Box   12 Folder   5-6	Contracts and agreements, 1935-1970
Box   13 Folder   1	American Stevedores Company Inc. and Nugents-American Contractors Inc., 1942-1949
Box   13 Folder   2	D.J. Nugent Company Inc. and Manpower Inc., 1949-1955
Box   13 Folder   3	D.J. Nugent Company and Flexi Force, 1955-1965
Box   13 Folder   4	Federal Wisconsin Service Company, 1965
Box   13 Folder   5	Fruit Boat Market, 1945
Box   13 Folder   6	G.W. Brown, 1936
Box   13 Folder   7	Great Lakes Transit Corporation, 1936-1944
Box   13 Folder   8	Hanson Storage Company, 1936-1969
Box   13 Folder   9	Hanson Seaway Service Ltd., 1961
Box   13 Folder   10	Industrial Agreements, miscellaneous
Box   13 Folder   11	Interstate Contracting Corporation, 1946-1947
Box   13 Folder   12	National Terminals Corporation, 1937-1946
Box   13 Folder   13	Nicholson Universal Steamship Company, 1936
Box   13 Folder   14	P & V Atlas Maritime Corporation and P & V Atlas Stevedore Corporation, 1940-1960
Box   13 Folder   15	Pay Board materials submitted: Grain, Cargo, Liquid, Warehouse Agreements, 1972-1975
Box   13 Folder   16	Public Warehouse agreements, 1938-1953
Box   13 Folder   17	Sheboygan Port and Warehouse Terminal Ltd., 1962
Box   13 Folder   18	Stephen Du Pay, 1938-1939
Box   13 Folder   19	Stephen Du Pay and W.J. Nugent Construction Company Car Gang Agreements, 1936-1944
Box   13 Folder   20	Sullivan's Delivery Inc., 1947
Box   13 Folder   21	Terminal Storage Company, 1936-1945
Box   13 Folder   22	W.A. Sellon Contracting Company, 1938
Box   13 Folder   23	W.J. Nugent Contracting Company Inc. and West Shore Stevedores Company, 1937-1948