United Labor Policy Committee records
Collection
0030-LBR-RG95-005
This collection consists of records of the United Labor Policy Committee, organized in 1950 and comprised of representatives from the AFL, CIO, International Association of Machinists, and the Railway Labor Executives' Association. Its aim was develop policy on issues that affected labor, particularly its participation in defense and mobilization programs. The collection contains minutes, statements, resolutions, memoranda and a limited amount of outgoing correspondence documenting the committee's activities.
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0.5 Linear Feet
English
The United Labor Policy Committee collection contains minutes, statements, resolutions and memorandum as well as a limited amount of outgoing correspondence. The material is mimeographs and copies of originals. It covers the dates of the committee's existence from December 14, 1950 through August 28, 1951.
The United Labor Policy Committee, formally organized December 14, 1950, consisted of representatives :from the American Federation of Labor, Congress of Industrial Organizations, International Association of Machinists, and the Railway Labor Executives' Association. It grew out of discussions on unification between the AFL and the CIO. In April 1950, Philip Murray, president of the CIO, proposed a conference to discuss unity and extended the invitation to the United Mine Workers as well as the AFL. The AFL Executive Council let it be known that they thought the first step should be "organic unity" between the CIO and the AFL. In June and July 1950, the two organizations appointed unity committees but these committees only met one time. In their convention proceedings :for the year both the AFL and the CIO expressed concern that the negotiations were not continuing and doubts about the other group's desire for unity.
The ULPC came together in December 1950 to develop policy on issues that affected labor, particularly its participation in defense and mobilization programs. Several labor members had been on the Wage Stabilization Board but only in an advisory capacity as was their representation within the defense program. Eventually, in protest, labor representatives withdrew from the board and from defense agencies with approval of the ULPC.
The government made some concessions, allowed wage increases and more complete representation on several boards. On April 30, 1951, the ULPC unanimously recommended that labor representatives return to these positions. The AFL voted to disband the committee on the grounds that it had fulfilled its purposes and that its continued existence would be a barrier to AFL and CIO unity. The CIO disagreed with their conclusion but on August 28, 1951, the committee disbanded and their period of cooperation came to an end.
The material in this collection is arranged chronologically and covers the dates of the committee's existence from December 14, 1950 through August 28, 1951.
Peter Henle donated the collection to the George Meany Memorial AFL-CIO Archives in 1990. The George Meany Memorial Archives transferred these records as part of a major transfer of their archive and library holdings to the University of Maryland Libraries in 2013.
Hope Nisly at the George Meany Memorial Archives initially processed these records in 1990. The University of Maryland Libraries received the records and the finding aid in 2013. In 2017, Bria Parker migrated the information contained in this finding aid from the George Meany Memorial Archives' Eloquent system. All migrated finding aids have been cleaned using OpenRefine software and ingested into ArchivesSpace using programmatic scripts created in Python. Upon ingest, Rebecca Thayer reviewed and minor revisions to this finding aid. Revisions include changes to biographical/historical notes, scope and content notes, and the creation of new collection numbers. Rebecca Thayer also enhanced custodial histories and re-wrote collection titles to better conform to archival standards.
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives