Mutual Beneficial Association of Pennsylvania Railroad Employes.

The Mutual Beneficial Association of Pennsylvania Railroad Employes, Inc. (MBA), traces its beginning to a meeting of 116 delegates held at Arnfield Hall in Pittsburgh on June 2, 1913. The outward leader of the movement was George Washington Brown, a 59-year old passenger conductor of conservative views. The object was to construct a conservative organization of workers to counter the influence, organizing drives and strikes being mounted by the more radical leadership of the national unions. In fact, a good deal of the impetus for the new organization came from Vice President in Charge of Operations W. W. Atterbury and his public relations advisor Ivy Ledbetter Lee.

One function of the MBA was to act as a front for paternalistic welfare work such as company picnics. Most importantly, the MBA offered insurance at reasonable rates, which was one of the most tangible benefits of membership in many national unions. It also engaged in co-op buying and operated cafeterias at many of the larger shops and offices.

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