The records of Local 1131 primarily document the period 1979-1999, the last 20 years of the Local's existence. There are virtually no records concerning its formation in 1937 or its role in production during the period of the Allis Family ownership and management. Even for the 1979-1999 period the collection is incomplete, but does highlight many of the labor issues prevalent at the time such as the loss of local ownership and management and the de-industrialization of Milwaukee. Additionally, records from a number of other local unions demonstrate the keen interest that the Local took in outside union activity and document the union's role as member of the local labor community.
The files concerning the complex issue of mismanagement of the Local's pension funds illustrate the experience of workers during the so-called “junk bond” era. Because the Louis Allis workers were highly skilled, longtime employees, retirement was always a prominent issue for the Local and the issue of pensions appears repeatedly in the collection. With the bankruptcy of the company and the closing of the Milwaukee plant, the question of mismanagement was thrown into sharp relief as the Local dealt not only with the pension issue, but other related benefit losses and the sudden unemployment of its entire membership.
The files are arranged into five series: GENERAL RECORDS, CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS, GRIEVANCE LITIGATION, OTHER UNIONS, and PLANT CLOSING. The first three series are only represented in the Original Collection, while all five series are represented in the 2005 Additions.
The GENERAL RECORDS represent all records of Local 1131 in its routine business as a workers union. This series includes minutes of executive board and membership meetings (1979-1998), officers' correspondence, monthly treasurer's reports, newsletters (mainly 1972-1996), and bulletins (1991-1998). Additionally, there is general information collected about Magnetek, Litton Industries, and the Executive Life Insurance Company, especially administrative manuals, actuarial and financial statements, and other information concerning retirement plans. There are also several series of company newsletters documenting the various ownerships groups from Litton forward. Information about the period of the Allis family management is fragmentary, consisting of scattered company bulletins, photographs of union and company activities, wage payment policy letters, job descriptions, and a job evaluation manual. There are no true membership records in the collection, but lists of retirees are sometimes included within the minutes and the bargaining and retirement information files. General historical information includes a copy of the 1950 constitution, the year in which the Local affiliated with IUE, scattered clippings, and a history written by Lee Gierke.
Photographs received with the collection present documentation of the years before 1979. Included are candid photographs of union activities and retirees with Jack Allis. Numerous photographs, probably dating from the 1950s, illustrate the company's health and safety programs. Color photographs and slides document Solidarity Day III in 1983-the height of anti-Litton unrest in Milwaukee. Other snapshots document employees at work and color photographs of employee retirement parties in the 1980s and 1990s. Also included is a color portrait and one candid of Louis Allis and several candid photos of Jack Allis.
CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS include printed agreements dating from 1945 through 1997 and working files on negotiations primarily dating from 1970 to 1974. These chronologically arranged files include minutes of bargaining sessions, company and union proposals, surveys of bargaining priorities, background information, and notes. The minutes, which often consist of typed formal minutes prepared by both management and the union, are a highlight of the collection.
The GRIEVANCE LITIGATION series is somewhat incomplete. Missing is a complete file of routine, first step complaints (though a limited run of initial grievances exists for 1997 and 1998), and it is likely that even the cases that advanced further through the process are not fully represented. Several cases highlight the issues of job evaluation and seniority, a key issue for the Local. In one case, the Local joined with its “sister” union (Local 846) to arbitrate a pregnancy discrimination dispute. The files are arranged by the venue in which the issue was litigated: arbitrations, grievances, National Labor Relations Board cases, and civil court cases. These files variously include background information, correspondence, court documents, and orders and denials. Most extensive are materials about the civil case brought against Magnetek by the IUE International in behalf of Local 1131. In addition to files of court documents, exhibits, and correspondence with the union attorney, the files include numerous depositions by various Louis Allis employees that touch on their general employment experiences as well as the case itself. Local officers Pat Salmone and Lee Gierke were extensively deposed. Additional correspondence in the GENERAL RECORDS under the Pension heading also relate to this case.
The OTHER UNIONS files show Local 1131 in its role as observer. These are files collected by the Local that document the activities of other local unions in the area. Included in these files are lists of local unions (published by the Milwaukee County Labor Council), a collection of other union materials (arranged by union number), some information from and about the parent organization, and additional materials from the “Litton Campaign.” The Litton materials should be cross-referenced with those materials found in the GENERAL RECORDS files from the original collection. Three unions in particular are well documented in this series. Local 846, the “sister” union of Local 1131, was formed during the Litton era at the New Berlin plant and women workers made up a majority of its membership. Items of note include: Local 846 files consisting of constitution and by-laws, the initial labor agreements, and a collection of published labor agreements from 1972 through 1992; Local 1038 files, a union representing industrial workers at American Industrial Motor Service and engaged in similar activities as the workers represented by Local 1131, consisting of constitution and by-laws, attendance and minute books from 1981 to 1989, various correspondence and notes, and some journeyman card information; and Local 1142 files, including its AFL-CIO charter from 1958, consisting of constitution and by-laws, and its own plant closing materials from 1976.
The PLANT CLOSING files provide valuable information and insight into the event that brought Local 1131 to its end after sixty years. These files represent a unique activity of a union in that after the closing of the plant, it represented ex-employees. The routine behavior of the union, as documented in the GENERAL RECORDS, does not apply here. The story of the plant closing can be gleaned from the correspondence files, the press clippings, and a brief history of the event entitled “Don't Think Twice It Could Happen to You” by union president, Lee Gierke. These files also include information regarding the proposed sale of the plant in the summer of 1998, the subsequent mass layoff of employees in both August and October, and documentation of the union's efforts to recover lost wages, health benefits, and the contributions to their 401K plans. A sub-series of affidavits by union employees regarding the Louis Allis bankruptcy (and their claims for payment) represent a significant portion of this series. A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request made to the Department of Labor by the union's attorneys reveals the minutes of special meetings by the managers at Louis Allis, demonstrating the actions and intent of the company in the weeks and months leading up to the bankruptcy declaration. Also included is an audio recording relating to the lay-offs in August 1998.
