Title: American Federation of Teachers. Local 3271 Wisconsin: Records
Inclusive Dates: 1973-1986

Creator:

• American Federation of Teachers. Local 3271 (Wisconsin)

Call Number: Mss 808

Quantity: 6.4 c.f. (14 archives boxes, 1 card box, and 1 flat box)

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:

Records of American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Local 3271, a union local chartered in 1974 to represent Wisconsin civil service state employees in the education bargaining unit. Members included educational consultants, teachers in correctional, mental health, and physically and developmentally disabled institutions, and archivists, curators, and librarians in the classified civil service. Known as State of Wisconsin Education Professionals (SWEP) beginning in 1981, the local soon went out of existence after its members voted to affiliate with the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) in 1989. The collection documents the organization of the local, the initial representation elections, and the response of state employees to their newly-won right to bargain collectively, but relations with WEAC are seldom represented and there is no documentation in the collection on the final re-affiliation of the 3271 membership with that union.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00808

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

After the Wisconsin Legislature authorized collective bargaining by state employees and divided them by civil service job title into numerous bargaining units, the members of the State of Wisconsin educational bargaining unit began organizing in the fall of 1973. After three elections the Wisconsin Federation of Teachers (WFT) won bargaining rights over the State Association of Career Employees and the Wisconsin Educational Association Council, although WEAC had claimed over one-third of the unit as members prior to the election and WFT had no members. Certified in February 1974, the new WFT local responded to an imminent legislative adjournment with the rare action of drafting a proposal and negotiating a contract before it had a charter, a constitution, or even a single dues-paying member.

After bargaining its first contract the local set about the formation of a structure to deal with the concerns of members in over forty civil service classifications working in many separate worksites in sixteen departments of state government. The structure adopted divided the local into six chapters, based on commonality of interest. Chapter A consisted of teachers for the physically handicapped - the School for the Deaf, the School for the Visually Handicapped, and the homebound handicapped. Chapter B consisted of teachers and librarians at state institutions for the mentally ill or the developmentally disabled. Chapter C was made up of teachers at the state's two juvenile correctional institutions. Chapter D teachers and librarians working at the adult correctional institutions. Chapter E consisted of consultants, educational specialists, and librarians of the Department of Public Instruction and the Board of Vocational, Technical and Adult Education. Archivists, librarians, and curators employed primarily at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin System comprised Chapter F. Each chapter elected a representative who sat on the local's Executive Board (first known as the Executive Council). The Executive Board carried out the policies of the union as set forth by the membership at its annual membership meetings. It also had the power to act for the union in emergencies. In addition, the local was governed by a Representative Council, which included the Executive Board as well as the site stewards. The Representative Council was responsible for liaison and communication between the Executive Board and the individual worksites and individual members, and it functioned as a forum for the discussion of problems, projects, and policies. Eventually the local was staffed by an executive director and an administrative assistant.

Under the leadership of its first president, Larry Allwardt, Local 3271 took an aggressive role in pursuing grievances and civil service reclassifications and in lobbying to improve working conditions and salaries for the membership. In the summer of 1975 a fair share vote was conducted and by 1979 the membership had risen to 750, making 3271 one of the largest locals in the WFT. Because of budget cuts during the 1980's membership declined (676 in 1986).

During its history the local experienced raids or attempted raids by WEAC. In 1979 WFT won a decisive election. In 1985 WEAC again filed for a new election but this election was cancelled because of procedural errors. In 1989, however, the membership voted to remove bargaining rights from the WFT and to affiliate with WEAC. In response, the local became a WEAC affiliate under the name State Professional Education and Information Council.

Local 3271 included archivists, librarians, and curators employed by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, and several SHSW archivists were officers of the local and instrumental in the deposit of these records in the Archives. As a result of this background, the collection held by the Archives is unexpectedly incomplete in some aspects. While there is documentation about the organization of the local, the initial representation elections, and the response of state employees to their newly-won right to bargain collectively, relations with WEAC are seldom represented and there is no documentation in the collection on the final re-affiliation of the 3271 membership with that union. Involvement in the grievance and arbitration process and in reclassification, a major aspect of the local's work, are documented only fragmentarily.

The records include constitutions and by-laws, correspondence, minutes, financial reports, membership records, draft contracts and bargaining notes, and surveys. Records are organized in seven series: Background Material, Correspondence, Membership and Financial Records, Administrative Records, Bargaining Records, Arbitration and Grievance Records, and Miscellaneous Files. Printed contracts and newsletters, which are essential sources for studying the history of the local, are available in the Wisconsin Historical Society Library.

BACKGROUND MATERIAL consists of the original constitution and revisions adopted during the period from 1975 to 1983, a brief history, and background information concerning the American Federation of Teachers and Wisconsin state employees' right to bargain collectively.

The CORRESPONDENCE is a combined file of material from several officers. The general category of the series includes material dating to 1973 that refers to the activities of Larry Allwardt and John H. Stevens, executive director of the Wisconsin Federation of Teachers, in the initial representation elections. This election process is also documented by numerous mimeographed form letters sent to members and prospective members, while legal documents relating to this process are filed in GRIEVANCE AND ARBITRATION RECORDS. Also included in the correspondence are letters of Steward Sherman Ansell concerning grievances litigated in 1974. Beginning in 1975 the correspondence is largely that of Allwardt and Margaret Liebig, president and secretary, respectively. Later files consist increasingly of mimeographed memoranda sent to officers and membership rather than true officers' correspondence. The year 1985, the last year represented in the correspondence, consists of the files of Executive Director Connie Salveson. Correspondence of Treasurer Karen Baumann, covering the period 1974-1976, is separately foldered following the general correspondence.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIAL RECORDS consists of monthly reports and ledger sheets which together provide adequate coverage of the local's financial picture for most of its history. The local's annual financial reports and budgets are included with the annual meeting records. Membership is documented by payment cards and sheets, which cover the period 1974 through 1982, as well as by a few miscellaneous lists and printouts.

The ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS are the most important source of historical information about the local. This section consists chiefly of minutes arranged alphabetically by the name of the governing body. Most important are the minutes and agendas of the annual meetings, the Executive Board, and the Representative Council, with other bodies and individuals being represented less completely by notes, minutes, and directories.

BARGAINING is represented by the largest quantity of material in the collection, even though there is virtually no information concerning either the 1983 or 1985 contracts. Despite the extent of the bargaining documentation, this section is of limited utility because few of the draft proposals are dated and because of cut-and-paste methods used for revision. On the other hand, the bargaining notes are dated, but they are handwritten and very rough. The bargaining files are arranged chronologically by contract year and then alphabetically by document type. Included in the series are correspondence, surveys of membership bargaining wishes, drafts of contract proposals put forward by the union and by management, handwritten notes for bargaining sessions, and mimeographed reports of progress. The final printed contracts are available in the SHSW library.

Based on status lists included in the series, the ARBITRATION AND GRIEVANCE RECORDS very incompletely document what was a major activity for the union. Included are forms, correspondence, legal documents, lists, a large number of AFT defense fund applications, and correspondence regarding a small number of specific litigations.

The MISCELLANEOUS FILES contain extensively weeded documentation about the participation of 3271 members in the annual WFT conventions, information concerning the 1976 Lightfoot and the layoff of union members as a result of closing of several state institutions in 1976, and drafts of a position paper on the place of non-teachers in 3271.

Acquisition Information

Presented by AFT Local 3271 via Karen J. Baumann, James Cavanaugh, and Janice O'Connell, Madison, Wisconsin, 1977-1987. Accession Number: M77-259, M78-025, M83-031, M86-208, M87-432 (missing)

Processing Information

Processed by Hector J. Maymi-Sugranes (archives intern), 1991.

Mss 808	Series: Background Material
Box   1 Folder   1	Constitutions and by-laws, 1973-1984, undated
Box   1 Folder   2	Histories and Wisconsin Federation of Teachers (WFT) background material
	Series: Correspondence	⇧
	General
Box   1 Folder   3-9	1973-1977
Box   2 Folder   1-6	1978-1985, undated
Box   2 Folder   7-9	Treasurer's correspondence, 1974-1976
	Series: Membership and Financial Records	⇧
Box   2 Folder   10	Miscellaneous lists and new member information, 1976, undated
Box   15	Dues payment cards, 1974-1978
Box   16	Dues payment sheets, 1977-1982, undated
Box   2 Folder   11	Officer lists, 1978-1984, undated
Box   5 Folder   6	Ledger sheets, 1974-1976
Box   5 Folder   7	Monthly financial reports and summaries, 1977-1985
	Series: Administrative Records	⇧
Box   3 Folder   1-7	Annual meetings; Minutes, resolutions, and planning material, 1974-1986
Box   3 Folder   8	Budget Committee, 1976-1984
Box   3 Folder   9-11	Caucus notes, 1974-1979
Box   4 Folder   1-3	Constitutional Revision Committee, 1975-1982
Box   4 Folder   4	Chapter miscellany
Box   4 Folder   5	Chapter worksite meetings, 1975
Box   4 Folder   6	COPE, 1977-1978, undated
Box   4 Folder   7-10	Executive Board minutes and agenda, 1974-1984
Box   14 Folder   2	Executive Board notes, 1984-1985
	Representative Council
Box   4 Folder   11	1975-1977
Box   5 Folder   1-3	1978-1985
Box   5 Folder   4	Staff reports, contracts, and miscellany, 1975-1977, undated
Box   5 Folder   5	Stewards Council, 1974-1975
	Series: Bargaining Records	⇧
	1974
Box   5 Folder   8	Agreement
Box   5 Folder   9	Notes and miscellany
Box   5 Folder   10	Proposal, Union draft, 1974 February 25
Box   5 Folder   11	Proposal, Union draft, post 1974 February 25
Box   5 Folder   12	Revisions, Union, undated
Box   7 Folder   12	Wisconsin State Attorneys Association contract, 1973-1975
	1975
Box   6 Folder   1	Agreement, Tentative
Box   6 Folder   2-3	Fragments
Box   6 Folder   4	Miscellany
Box   6 Folder   5-7	Notes on bargaining sessions
	Proposals
Box   6 Folder   8	Combined, post 1974 December 12
Box   6 Folder   9-10	Combined, post 1974 December 14
Box   7 Folder   1-3	Combined, post 1974 December 14 (continued)
Box   7 Folder   4	Combined, Incomplete
Box   7 Folder   5-9	Union drafts
Box   7 Folder   10	Reports
Box   7 Folder   11	Survey of membership
	1977
Box   7 Folder   13	Agreement, Tentative
Box   8 Folder   1	Bargaining
Box   8 Folder   2	Correspondence and notes
Box   8 Folder   3-4	Notes on bargaining session
	Proposals
Box   8 Folder   5	Annotated
Box   8 Folder   6	Management counter offer
Box   8 Folder   7-10	Union drafts
Box   9 Folder   1-3	Union drafts (continued)
	1979
Box   9 Folder   4	Agreement, Tentative
Box   9 Folder   5	Correspondence
Box   9 Folder   6-7	Fragments
Box   9 Folder   8-11	Notes
	Proposals
Box   10 Folder   1	Management offer, 1979 June 29
Box   10 Folder   2-6	Union drafts
Box   10 Folder   7-8	Survey, 1978
Box   10 Folder   9-10	Wisconsin Association of Science Professionals
	Proposals and notes
Box   11 Folder   1-2	Proposals and notes (continued)
	1981
Box   11 Folder   3	Correspondence
Box   11 Folder   4	Dental Committee
Box   11 Folder   5	Extension
Box   11 Folder   6-10	Notes on bargaining sessions
	Proposals
Box   12 Folder   1	Analyses
Box   12 Folder   2	Combined draft (?), post 1981 January
Box   12 Folder   3	Management offer, 1981 March 2
Box   12 Folder   4-5	Union draft, undated
Box   12 Folder   6	Research miscellany
Box   12 Folder   7	Survey
	1983
Box   12 Folder   8	Reports on bargaining
	1985
Box   12 Folder   9	Reports on bargaining
Box   12 Folder   10	Survey form
	Series: Arbitration and Grievance Records	⇧
	Arbitration
Box   12 Folder   11	Cavanaugh case, 1980
Box   12 Folder   12	Hearing status reports, 1978-1981
Box   13 Folder   1	Pay increase implementation, 1974
Box   13 Folder   2-4	Defense fund applications, 1978-1980
	Grievances
Box   13 Folder   5-7	General, 1974-1984
Box   13 Folder   8	Miscellany
Box   13 Folder   9	Seminars, 1979-1980
Box   13 Folder   10	Van Laanen case, 1974-1975
Box   13 Folder   11	Legal documents, 1974-1975
	Series: Miscellaneous Files	⇧
Box   13 Folder   12	Conventions (WFT), 1975-1984
Box   14 Folder   1	COSEL, 1980
Box   14 Folder   3	Institutional closings, Oregon/Sparta layoff, 1976
	Lightfoot Federation of Teachers
Box   14 Folder   4	Contract, l976
Box   14 Folder   5	Notes, etcetera, 1976
Box   14 Folder   6	Miscellany, 1977-1982
Box   14 Folder   7	Non-teachers position paper drafts, undated
	Certification election, 1978-1979
Box   12 Folder   13	Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) mailings, etcetera
Box   12 Folder   14	Liebig files on worksite activities
Box   14 Folder   8	Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission (WERC) printouts
Box   14 Folder   9	Mailings, Local 3271
Box   14 Folder   10	Assessment and vote tallies
Box   14 Folder   11	Correspondence, Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission (WERC) documents