In December of 1955, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) merged into one entity, the AFL-CIO. This is a collection of AFL-CIO staff oral histories explores the history of the merger including challenges and successes.
The Lawyers Coordinating Committee (LCC) is an allied group of the AFL-CIO. The LCC initiated this oral history project to document the contributions of labor lawyers to 20th century American unionism. This collection currently consists of six interview transcripts, with the expectation that more interviews will be added.
This collection comprises the records of the AFL-CIO Joint Minimum Wage Committee from 1954 to 1960. The records document the work of the committee in supporting improvements of the minimum wage clause of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). It is especially rich in printed materials produced by the committee and acquired from other sources. In addition, a small number of records of the Joint Minimum Wage Committee (AFL, CIO, 1955) also appear.
After the 1955 merger of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), the assistants to President George Meany, Peter M. McGavin and R.J. Thomas, were responsible for managing the state and local mergers. The records in this collection consist of correspondence, transcripts, minutes, and agreements that describe the steps necessary to unify state and local organizations after the merger on December 7, 1955.
In the 1970s, the Organization and Field Services Department gained responsibility of union charter records. This collection consists of materials related to the organization and function of local central union bodies. Materials include constitutions and bylaws of AFL-CIO local central bodies in the United States, as well as accompanying correspondence.
Frank Fernbach worked in the Research Department of both the CIO and the AFL-CIO from 1942 to 1968. This collection contains his correspondence and subject files on matters related to agricultural policy.
This collection consists of publications produced by the AFL, the CIO, and the AFL-CIO between 1889 and 1994. Most publication types are pamphlets or articles reproduced from the American Federationist labor journal.
The Executive Council of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) was the governing body for the AFL, and continues have the same role for AFL-CIO now. This collection contains early records of the AFL including correspondence, vote books, and minutes of the Executive Council during the years 1896 to 1954.
The Executive Council is the executive body of the AFL and was responsible for the conduct of the federations' affairs between the annual conventions. This collection contains records, from 1924-1936, of the Samuel Gompers Memorial Committee including correspondence, extracts of Executive Council minutes, financial records, and one photograph, documenting the creation of the Samuel Gompers Memorial at Massachusetts Avenue at 10th Street NW in Washington, D.C.
