The Records of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen, and Helpers of America consist of the correspondence files of the IBT executive office covering the years 1904-1952, with the major portion of the material originating in the 1940's. Correspondence is with general executive board members, general organizers, local unions, joint councils, conferences, and trade divisions; the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations; other international unions; government agencies; and the general public. Included with the correspondence are reports, minutes, clippings, transcripts of government hearings and decisions, legal briefs, and copies of local union by-laws. The material details the union's initial struggles for existence and unity, its jurisdictional disputes, its growth in membership and influence, changes in organizing and bargaining techniques and in the trucking and transportation industries, and the increasing strength and political involvement of the labor movement in general.
The Records are organized in five major series: I. Staff Correspondence, II. Affiliated Bodies Correspondence and Reports, III. American Federation of Labor Correspondence, IV. Other Labor Organizations Correspondence, and V. General Correspondence. A contents list for each of the series follows the descriptive portion of this inventory. The list gives the title of each file in the collection and the inclusive dates of the material each contains. These records are available both in original paper form and on microfilm. The paper version's box numbers for each series begin at #1 so it is necessary for researchers requesting materials to indicate both the series number and the box number. If using the microfilm version, researchers will encounter frames with holes punched in them to indicate a filming error; retakes are on Reel 87.
Major items not included in this collection include minutes of executive council meetings, financial records, copies of the International Teamster, and the Proceedings of conventions. However, some of these are available in the Library Division of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
SERIES I. STAFF CORRESPONDENCE, 1904-1952, is one of the more complete series in the collection and is especially valuable for the early years. It covers the entire range of activities of the International in its relationships with member locals, joint councils, conferences, trade divisions, the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations, other international unions, government agencies, and the general public. The correspondents are (1) Daniel J. Tobin, General President; (2) Thomas Hughes and John Gillespie, General Secretary-Treasurers; and (3) Thomas Flynn, Albert Evans, and others as agents for the General President; corresponding with (1) members of the general executive board; (2) general organizers; (3) auditors; and (4) others of the International staff. The arrangement of the files is alphabetical by name of correspondent or subject and chronological thereunder.
Particularly notable are the files of the general organizers which frequently contain detailed reports on their activities and the problems encountered, though the files' quantity and quality varies considerably from organizer to organizer. Letters and reports to Tobin while he was away from the office, usually written by Thomas Hughes, Thomas Flynn, or John Gillespie and filed under their names, are another rich source of information, as are similar letters to Tobin from his secretaries, filed under the name Mary O'Neil. Also included in this series is a small amount of material concerning Tobin's personal life, his tenure as administrative assistant to the President, and his possible appointment to the U.S. Senate, as well as some of his speeches and a few clippings about him.
SERIES II. AFFILIATED BODIES CORRESPONDENCE AND REPORTS, 1907-1952, consists of exchanges between the executive office and the local unions, joint councils, conferences, and trade divisions affiliated with the IBT. It is divided into four subseries. The Local Unions Correspondence subseries, 1910-1952, highlights the basic unit of IBT organization. These files are those of the IBT President's office and contain exchanges of Tobin and his representatives with local union officers, business agents, and members; the joint councils and occasionally the conferences to which the locals belong; and the IBT general organizers, lawyers, and Washington representatives on subjects concerning the locals. Organizing drives, contract negotiations, strikes, cases before the National Labor Relations Board and the Wage Stabilization Board, by-laws, elections, members' complaints and problems, and many other topics are discussed. The files date mainly during the 1940's and vary in degree of completeness. Arrangement is numerical by local number and chronological thereunder. A list of local unions arranged by geographic location is attached to this inventory as an Appendix.
The Joint Councils Correspondence subseries, 1907-1952, deals with such subjects as affiliations of new locals and suspension of others, problems with local officers, political action, jurisdictional disputes, bargaining problems, difficulties with central labor bodies, and requests for statistical information. Each council is represented by only a small amount of material, most of which dates in the 1940's. Arrangement is numerical by joint council number and chronological thereunder.
Joint councils were organized to coordinate the activities of local unions within a specific geographic area, usually a single city and its environs, though sometimes an entire state. The functions of the councils have narrowed somewhat over the years as trade divisions and conferences have assumed more and more responsibilities in the fields of organizing and negotiation of contracts. They serve as an arbiter in disputes between member locals.
The Area and State Conferences Correspondence and Reports subseries, 1941-1952, contains correspondence, minutes, and reports concerned mainly with organizing, bargaining, strikes, jurisdictional conflicts with other unions, by-laws of the conferences, financial reports, and transcripts of hearings and decisions by government agencies. Individual files are quite fragmentary; only for the Southern Conference of Teamsters is there any appreciable amount of material. Arrangement is alphabetical by name of conference and chronological thereunder.
These organizations were established along geographical lines for the purpose of conducting organizing and bargaining activities on a large scale. Four national area conferences exist: Central, Eastern, Southern, and Western, of which the last three only are represented in the Records. In addition, there are several smaller area and state conferences.
The Trade Divisions Correspondence and Reports subseries, 1939-1952, concerns organizations of teamsters first established in the late 1930's on a state, regional, or national basis and along trade lines. Though some of these organizations are called “council” or “conference” rather than “trade division” they are all organized on the basis of a particular trade and thereby are differentiated from the area and state conferences.
Trade divisions gradually took over much of the organizing and bargaining activity on a regional or national scale; these activities are the subject matter of the trade division files. The files include some correspondence but also considerable mimeographed and printed material such as reports, minutes of meetings, agreements, and contract summaries. The Central States Drivers Council file is quite extensive, but the majority of the trade divisions are thinly represented in the Records. Arrangement is alphabetical by name of trade and chronological thereunder.
SERIES III. AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR CORRESPONDENCE, 1905-1952, one of the more complete series in the collection, consists primarily of correspondence with some minutes, reports, and related papers. The most important and frequently discussed subjects are jurisdictional problems and disputes, organizing campaigns, relations with the CIO, national affairs and politics, conditions of labor, and the state of the labor movement. The correspondents for the IBT are usually Tobin, Hughes, Gillespie, or Flynn. (Tobin's correspondence in his capacity as AFL Treasurer is contained in the Staff Correspondence, Daniel J. Tobin files.) Series III is divided into six subseries.
General Correspondence , 1905-1952, is comprised of letters to and from the officers of the AFL, the directors of organization (beginning in 1938), various AFL organizers, the Southern Office of the AFL, state federations of labor, and local labor councils. This is the largest and most important segment in the AFL series. It deals with all the subjects mentioned above. Arrangement is chronological.
The Building and Construction Trades Department Correspondence and Reports , 1923-1952, consists almost entirely of exchanges between the IBT and the officers of this Department and the state and local building and construction trades councils. The IBT affiliated with the Department in 1928. Subsequent correspondence mainly concerns wage rates and jurisdictional disputes and includes many mimeographed reports and summaries. Arrangement is chronological.
The Metal Trades Department Correspondence and Reports , 1939-1952, are comparable to those of the Building and Construction Trades Department; correspondence is between the IBT officers and their representatives and the Department officers and state and local metal trades councils. Arrangement is chronological.
The Union Label Trades Department Correspondence subseries, 1939-1952, contains information about union label shows; label problems; the appointment of AFL representatives; government curtailment of the use of grains in distilleries, breweries, and bakeries; a movie on the life of Samuel Gompers; and even healthful eating. Correspondence is between IBT officers and their representatives and Department officers. Arrangement is chronological.
The Labor League for Human Rights Correspondence and Reports segment, 1942-1952, consists almost entirely of exchanges between Daniel Tobin and League president Matthew Woll concerning the Free Trade Union Fund, a sub-group of the League devoted to aiding workers throughout the world. Arrangement is chronological.
The Labor's League for Political Education Correspondence and Reports subseries, 1947-1952, includes correspondence, minutes, financial and activity reports, proposed amendments to the League's constitution, and news materials supplied to union journals. Arrangement is chronological. The League's purpose was the promotion of knowledgeable voting by union members.
SERIES IV. OTHER LABOR ORGANIZATIONS, 1907-1952, consists of correspondence between the IBT and other unions, the Congress of Industrial Organization (CIO), the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada, the Missouri Valley Development Trades and Labor Council, the National Women's Trade Union League of America, the Workers Defense League, and the Workers' Education Bureau of America. Most exchanges are between Tobin, Flynn, or Evans and the presidents or secretaries of the other organizations. The subjects most frequently discussed are jurisdictional controversies, AFL decisions on these matters, strikes, and the exchanging of information between the organizations. The majority of the material dates in the 1940's. Arrangement is alphabetical by organization name and chronological thereunder.
SERIES V. GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1907-1952, documents the IBT's relationships with the general public and non-labor organizations. Again, the great majority of material dates in the 1940's. A large segment consists of exchanges with the United States government, mainly during World War II, and concerns both cooperative and regulative activities made necessary by the war. There are also files for several trucking and freight companies, employer associations, and many charitable organizations. Arrangement is alphabetical by name of correspondent, organization, or subject and chronological thereunder. Following the titles under each letter of the alphabet is a miscellaneous file for that letter containing exchanges that total only one or two items each.
