Communications Workers of America, Local 4322 Records

The following account of the history of CWA, Local #4322 is drawn verbatim from a short history entitled, "The Birth of 4322," which was prepared by Local #4322 in 1976 1977.

Back in the late 1940's the craftsmen in Dayton belonged to a union called The Ohio Federation of Telephone Workers. This union was a Company dominated union, much like NCR's was, and had all the accompanied disadvantages. The union meetings resembled Sunday socials most of the time, while the more serious meetings seemed more like Company directed "captive audience" type affairs and a person had just as well forget about initiating any grievances. That union's meeting hall was on the first floor of the 215 West 2 Street Building, where now there is switchroom equipment. Just imagine a union hall in a Company building with the attendant "Big Brother" atmosphere.

Along in the very early 1950's a small, dissatisfied splinter group formed. This group consisted of hardly more than a dozen workers and they got together for one sole intention: to gain a Charter with the Communications Workers of America. The first clandestine organizing meetings were held in a rented room in the basement of the old Miami Hotel, long since torn down. It must be said that this vanguard group of people took a lot of harassment, not just from the Company, but also from their peers and if it wasn't for their sheer courage and determination we wouldn't have gotten as far as we have today.

The first Charter was signed on March 1-3, 1952 and that first Charter granted the Local's jurisdiction over all O.B.T. Plant forces in Preble and Montgomery Counties including the Fairborn and Xenia areas. With all of seventeen members Local 4322 also went out on their first strike in the same year and it is generally conceded this was the Local's most crucial and violent strike. The Local's first President, in 1952, was Dick Connell. He resigned from the Company that same year and his resignation was partly attributed to the organizing and strike pressures brought about by the Company. His vacancy was taken up by Eugene Long who held office from 1952 to 1954, and Eugene was one of our more notable Presidents in all of the 1950's. The President's roster for the Local's first decade, after Eugene Long, goes like this:

Raymond Rhude 1955 to 1958 Owen K. Thomas 1959 to 1961 G. Robert Polen 1961 to 1962

Our Local's first ten years saw many changes and was quite unlike our Local today. The first official hall was the old Leland Electric building, near Leo and Webster Streets, before we moved to our present location on Embury Park Road in the later 50's. Chief Stewards in those days were called Group Directors and it wasn't unusual for a lot of the Stewards and Group Directors to sign up ten new members a month. One of our present Officers even had a motion passed in 1958 to get his parking ticket paid which he received while attending a grievance meeting. All of our Contracts then were for just one year and we didn't get three year contracts till the middle 60's, after one interim two-year Contract.

In 1959 our Local donated funds to support an N.L.R.B. election to organize the G.H. & R. Foundry and we also donated strike support money to the U.A.W. Local against the Joyce Gridland Company. In 1960 we donated strike support money to the U.R.W. Local against the Dayton Tire and Rubber Company, and also to the I.A.M. Local on strike almost a year against Slanker Bros., Inc.

In 1962 the infamous Teamster "raid" occurred. This involved the Teamsters trying to infiltrate and take over Western Electric's seventeen C.W.A. Bargaining Units around the country. Their effort ultimately failed and Local 4322 unanimously supported and participated in the repelling efforts which included a personal letter of condemnation being sent to Jimmy Hoffa.

Our Local's second Charter was signed on December 1, 1963. It deleted the areas of jurisdiction on the original Charter and was revised to include Plant forces in the greater Dayton area, also Fairborn, Medway, Miamisburg, Vandalia, and West Carrollton. Thomas Diemunsch (1963 to 1969) was our President after our second Charter was signed and he along with G. Robert Polen were our more notable Presidents of the 60's. Polen was known for his guts while Diemunsch was known for his tact. Unfortunately Tom Diemunsch, who served the longest ever as President, was struck down in the prime of his life and died a relatively young man. The President's roster for the 70's are:

Gayle Bradford 1969 to 1970 Adrian "Stoney" Stone, Jr. 1970 to 1975 Robert "Shorty" Bell 1975 1976 Eugene E. Schock 1976 to present Under "Shorty" Bell our third Charter was signed on May 1, 1976 and it was designed to counter Company organizational changes. This last Charter includes jurisdiction over areas of the 1963 Charter plus such others as may be assigned by our Executive Board.

Local 4322 actually hit the bricks five times in its' history, after several near misses. The strike years were 1952, 1957, 1968, 1971, and 1976. The first NEWS REPORT came out in January 1971 and was written by Staff volunteers. The first official Editor was Gene Schock, the second was Adrian Stone, Jr., and the present Editor is Mike Hart. Our Local has now passed its' 25th birthday and with the Company's intent of electronic automation, competition from other tele communications companies, the Registration issue, and the eternal battle for better fringe benefits and pensions; it looks like it's going to be another rousing 25 years to come.