Local 50 of the United Hatters union dates to 1934, the same year in which the International itself was formed by the amalgamation of United Hatters of North America and the Cloth Hat, Cap and Millinery Workers International Union. The records are of interest because they are the only records of a Wisconsin local of the United Hatters union and because they are one of only a few such collections in archival hands anywhere. The collection also is of special interest because the local represented a large number of women, and more particularly because many members were older women. Although the collection is by no means complete, it provides multiple perspectives for examining the role of women in organized labor in Milwaukee. Demographic information about individual members such as age, hourly wage, address, employment and union membership history can be found in applications, several sets of index cards, and wage rate files. Occasional correspondence filed with the applications dating from the 1930s and 1940s is also useful for this purpose. In addition, several officers of this local were women. The leadership of Rose Maier, who was business agent during the 1950s, is represented in correspondence with Alex Rose, the secretary of the International Union, and with officers of the Slocum Company, as well as in the minutes. The minutes also provide good discussions of the members' participation in a strike during the Depression.
