In March 1941, New York employees of Western Union Cables Department applied for a charter from the American Communications Association (CIO). Chartered as Local 11, the local quickly gained recognition as bargaining agent and negotiated its first contract. At first representing only New York Western Union cable employees, the local gradually gained Canadian members in Montreal; New Sydney and Canso, Nova Scotia; Heart's Content and Bay Roberts, Newfoundland; and St. Pierre, Miquelon Island. Raymond Lauria served as Secretary-Treasurer during these early years and was replaced in 1946 by Frank Lenahan who served until 1961 and was also a member of the ACA's International Executive Board.
Issues of special interest to Local 11 included the merger of Western Union and Postal Telegraph, and the resultant divestment of Western Union's cable operations which was ordered by the federal government as an anti-trust measure. On this matter, Local 11 members participated in a letter-writing campaign to the Federal Communications Commission and the Congress expressing their concerns for maintenance of wages and working conditions, continued pension rights, and job security, and registering opposition to various proposed ownership changes. Local and national ACA officers testified at hearings, lobbied, and worked with their European counterpart, the Western Union Cable Employees Association.
Another important concern of Local 11 was the Washington Varioplex issue of 1946-47 which involved the transfer of work from cable to domestic workers, thus threatening the cable employees' job security. However, the local's major concerns were the day-to-day problems such as poor working conditions, duty assignments, promotions, vacations, etc. Approximately every two years, Local 11 negotiated two contracts, one for the U.S. members and one for the Northern (Canadian) members, and aimed always at shorter work hours, improved conditions, higher wages, and general advancement of the workers' interests.
