IUMSWA National Office, 1951-1972

This series documents Pettis' roles in the Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers of America (IUMSWA); he served as vice president, head of the Washington Office, and president. It includes agreements, clippings, correspondence, diaries, minutes, National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) case files, and testimony before Congress on shipbuilding measures. Of significance is some material on the Bethlehem Steel Strike of 1959-1960 including material on the Steelworkers activities. There is also documentation of the foreign labor situation through Pettis' correspondence with former IUMSWA colleagues in foreign countries, and records from his own trip to Japan in 1957 and his participation in the U.S. Department of Labor's Trade Union Exchange Program. Due to a discrepancy between local number and shipbuilding company, the shipbuilding company was chosen as the point of reference in this series. For example, Bath Iron Works is represented by Local 6 here and Local 4 in Series III.