Minutes of the Membership Meetings, 1955-1957

The records within the Local 801 collection are divided into 7 sub groups. Sub group 1 contains the Union Administrative Records, which include the constitution and by laws of the local; minutes of the executive board and membership meetings (1938-1969); job rates giving the hourly rates for all the types of jobs performed by Frigidaire workers for the years 1954, 56, 57, 59, 62 68; some brief descriptions of a few of the jobs; and annual financial audits for 1954-1963. There are some gaps. There are no minutes of the Executive Board for the years 1960-62 and no record of their whereabouts. There are also no financial audits for the years 1955, 57, 60, 69 and 72.

Sub group 2 contains information regarding various boards and committees of Local 801. The Civil Rights Committee (later known as the Human Relations Committee) contains not only minutes of meetings, but also some interesting material dealing with racist, anti union employment practices in the South during the 1950's. The Civil Rights files cover the years from 1947-1967. The Committeemen file holds correspondence for the years 1962-66. Committeemen represent all employees in their respective zones. Other committees for which there are records are the Community Services Labor Committee - correspondence relating to charitable works of the local for the years 1956-57 and 1964-67; the Committee on Political Education (COPE), 1955-57 and 1965-66, announcements of meetings and conferences and some correspondence (including a 1957 letter signed by Earl Scruggs of Flatt & Scruggs who had been contacted about providing entertainment for a conference); the Legislative Committee, 1954-1957 and 1965-1966, with correspondence and pamphlets on the union's political stands and information about the Taft Hartley Act; the Maintenance Council, which was set up to prevent the company giving maintenance work which could be done by department employees to outside contractors, minutes of meetings and some correspondence for the years 1951-1957; the Membership Committee which reviewed applications for membership and investigated complaints and grievances against members - minutes of meetings and correspondence for the years 1954-1963; the Power House Council - minutes of meetings of employees of the Power House 1954 57; the Strike Committee, set up to organize and maintain a program capable of carrying a strike to a successful conclusion - minutes of meetings, 1954 67, with information concerning the strike of 1958; the Stewards Council which is made up of men assigned to help the committeemen investigate problems pertaining to working conditions - minutes of meetings, 1956-59; the Tellers Committee assigned to count votes in elections, meetings and correspondence, 1954-66; and the Tool Room Council- a few minutes of meetings of Tool Room employees for 1957.

Sub group 3 deals with National and Regional Labor Bodies. The first series includes AFL-CIO material. There are some minutes of meetings and correspondence of the old Montgomery County CIO Council for the years 1954-59. After the merger with AFL, this became the Dayton and Miami Valley AFL-CIO for which there are minutes of meetings and correspondence for 1959-1963. There is also some correspondence with the Ohio AFL-CIO and the national organization. The second series contains the constitution and by laws of I.U.E. District Council No. 7 for 1951. This organization includes all local unions of the I.U.E. situated within the geographical boundaries of the Seventh District. The collection includes minutes of meetings and correspondence for 1954-67. There is also a pamphlet describing a leadership Training course held at Miami University in 1964. The researcher should note that WSU holds the records of the Dayton Miami Valley AFL-CIO (M.S.-36) and of the I.U.E. District Council No. 7 (M.S.-49). Series 3, with information from the International Union of Electrical Workers, includes an interesting file of correspondence and reports from the president of the IUE, James B. Carey for the years from 1954 until his resignation in 1965 because of dissension within the union following the decision not to merge the IUE with the UAW. Also in Series 3 is a file containing pamphlets and correspondence dealing with the controversial Right to Work amendment which was voted on in Ohio in 1958, and a file dealing with Frigidaire workers who were members of the Old German Baptist Brethren Church and who petitioned against paying union dues as religious objectors.

Sub group 4 contains minutes of negotiation meetings and correspondence between Local 801 and Frigidaire, 1949-1965; a copy of an agreement between Local 711 and Westinghouse Corporation in Mansfield, Ohio for 1955, presumably used for reference purposes; and a Hollinger box containing 33 Agreement binders, booklets and pamphlets for the years 1950-1979.

Sub group 5 contains minutes of Grievance meetings and files of individual arbitration cases which are useful examples of the types of complaints which were taken to court.

Sub group 6 covers correspondence with General Motors, other local unions in the area and general miscellaneous matters such as charities and entertainment events.

Sub group 7 contains bulletins announcing membership meetings and various social activities for the years 1954-1968, and notices of committeemen elections for the years 1958-1968. There are also some copies of the official publication of Local 801, Frigid Facts, for the years 1954-57, and one copy of the I.U.E. District Number 7 News for October 1955.