Title: Wisconsin Labor Oral History Project Interviews
Inclusive Dates: 1981-1982

Call Number: Mss 608; Audio 897A; Audio 923A; Audio 927A; Audio 929A; Audio 949A; Audio 950A; Audio 952A; Audio 955A; Audio 971A-977A

Quantity: 0.4 cubic feet (1 archives box) and 62 tape recordings

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

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

Abstract:

Tape-recorded interviews conducted by Historical Society staff members under a grant aimed at documenting industrial unionism in Wisconsin. Interviewees discuss unionizing steel workers, auto workers, packinghouse workers, and brewery workers; and activities in federal labor unions, state and county industrial union councils, and the AFL and AFL-CIO. Most interviewees were active in the Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha areas. Interviewees include Walter J. Burke, Robert Buse, Harold Christoffel, Sigmund Eisenscher, Fred A. Erchul, George W. Hall, Charles Heymanns, Wilbur J. Le Clair, Harold J. Newton, Max Raskin, Paul Russo, John W. Schmitt, David Sigman, Gregory W. Wallig, and Paul Whiteside. Abstracts to the interviews also have been prepared.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00608

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In 1951-52 the Rockefeller Foundation and the Wisconsin State Federation of Labor cooperated with the State Historical Society of Wisconsin in the collection and preservation of historical records relating to the labor movement in Wisconsin. While the project resulted in the preservation of much important material, the records uncovered in the early 1950's consisted of documentation relating primarily to craft union organizations. Neither the State Historical Society of Wisconsin nor any other repository launched a sustained effort after the 1958 merger of the Wisconsin State Federation of Labor and the Wisconsin State Industrial Union Council to locate and preserve records created during the turbulent period of industrial union organizing following passage of the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) in 1933 with its significant Section 7(a).

The State Historical Society of Wisconsin in 1980 requested Rockefeller Foundation assistance to begin documenting the activities of industrial unions in Wisconsin since the 1930's. In late 1980 the Rockefeller Foundation granted to the State Historical Society of Wisconsin $25,000 to support the first twelve months of a project to collect personal correspondence and oral remembrances of individuals involved in industrial union organizing; and to learn the locations of labor union records.

Under the direction of staff members James A. Cavanaugh and Dale E. Treleven, the oral history portion of the project resulted in fifteen interviewees contributing a total of fifty-three hours of tape-recorded interviews which now constitutes this collection. The interviews reflect the diversity that has distinguished Wisconsin industrial unionism. A list of interviewees, their areas of activity, number of tapes, and call numbers is below. Interviewers were Cavanaugh, Treleven, and Barbara Morford.

After completion, the interviews were processed using the State Historical Society TAPE system. This consists of creating an abstract of the contents of a taped interview and keying that abstract to a permanent, audible time-track on the same tape. Some of the abstracts also have an interviewer's introduction containing further explanation of the TAPE system plus biographical information about the interviewee, a description of the circumstances surrounding the interview, and an assessment of the research strengths and weaknesses of the interview.

Below is a list of interviewees together with their union position, the number of reels, and the audio call numbers. A paper copy of the introduction and abstract for each interview are filed as Mss 608. The introduction and abstract for each interview are also available electronically on this finding aid site; the interviewee names in the list below are links to these online abstracts. (To retrieve all of the interview abstracts, search “Wisconsin Labor History Project Interviews”.)

Interviewee	Union Position	# of Reels	Call #
Walter J. Burke, Sun City, AZ	Early organizer with Steel Workers Organizing Committee; state Industrial Union Council (IUC) secretary, 1939-44; USWA regional director; 1947-62; national USWA secretary-treasurer until retirement in early 1970's.	6	Audio 929A
Robert Buse, Milwaukee, WI	Activist in UAW-CIO Local 248 (Allis Chalmers); president of local and state IUC, 1944-47.	4	Audio 974A
Harold Christoffel, Nashotah, WI	Key Federal Labor Union (FLU); then UAW-CIO, activist at Allis Chalmers; Milwaukee; president of Local 248 until 1944; driving force in Milwaukee County and state IUC's until 1948.	4	Audio 973A
Sigmund Eisenscher, Chicago, IL	Communist Party (CPUSA) organizer during Party's efforts to promote industrial unionism in 1930's and 1940's.	3	Audio 971A
Fred A. Erchul, Couderay, WI	CIO packinghouse workers' activist in Milwaukee; from 1946 until retirement in 1970's secretary-treasurer of Milwaukee County IUC and Milwaukee County AFL-CIO.	4	Audio 949A
George W. Hall, Green Bay, WI	Secretary-treasurer of Wisconsin State Federation of Labor (WSFL) from 1951 and of state AFL-CIO after 1958 merger.	3	Audio 923A
Charles Heymanns, Sheboygan, WI	AFL; then AFL-CIO; activist and regional director, 1933-68.	4	Audio 955A
Wilbur J. Le Clair, Sun City, AZ	Secretary-treasurer of FLU at A. O. Smith, Milwaukee; 1947-62.	3	Audio 976A
Harold J. Newton, San Diego, CA	FLU organizer in Kenosha; member of WSFL executive committee, 1937-41; editor of Kenosha Labor; 1946-73.	7	Audio 977A
Max Raskin, Milwaukee, WI	Counsel for Wisconsin State Industrial Union Council after 1947.	4	Audio 950A
Paul Russo, La Mesa, CA	FLU (later UAW-CIO) activist at Nash Motor Co., Kenosha (Local 72); later on assistant UAW regional organizer until retirement in early 1960's.	3	Audio 975A
John W. Schmitt, Milwaukee, WI	CIO brewery workers activist from 1946; president of Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, 1966-present.	3	Audio 897A
David Sigman, Milwaukee, WI and Laguna Hills, CA	AFL regional director; 1937-44; and co-author of Wisconsin's first labor relations act while a three-term Progressive assemblyman in the 1930's.	6	Audio 952A
Gregory W. Wallig, Kenosha, WI	FLU activist at Simmons Co.; Kenosha; and leader in promoting FLU Conference within national AFL; AFL (then AFL-CIO) regional organizer; 1952-76.	4	Audio 972A
Paul Whiteside, Kenosha, WI	FLU then AFL-CIO activist in Kenosha; long-time member of executive committee of state AFL-CIO.	4	Audio 927A

Acquisition Information

Accession Number: M81-213, M81-409, M81-444, M81-687, M81-688, M81-689, M81-690, M81-691; M82-103, M82-104, M82-105, M82-106, M82-107, M82-108, M82-109, M82-110, M82-111

Processing Information

Processed by Dale Treleven and Karen Baumann, September 22, 1983.