United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America. Research Dept.

Beginning with the ratification of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947, which forced union leaders to sign affidavits attesting that they were not members of the Communist Party, the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE) was accused of Communist activity. Initially UE officers were united in their noncompliance, resulting in the union's expulsion from the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in 1949. Then, at the height of the Red Scare in the 1950s, many UE officers, including Director of Organization James Matles, were subpoenaed to appear before the United States Congress' House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Many of these members were also brought before the Subversive Activities Control Board (SACB), which was formed in 1950 to investigate an alleged Communist infiltration of American society, or threatened with deportation or denaturalization. The UE took a firm stand against McCarthyism and many members refused to testify at HUAC and SACB trials, often pleading their Fifth Amendment right to not name themselves as members of the Communist Party. The union's Research Department spent much of their time during the 1950s collecting information on the testimonies of UE members and informants who claimed that members were active Communists. By the mid 1960s, the union was not pursued as aggressively by HUAC, but the UE continued to gather information regarding their activities and remained an outspoken opponent to the red-baiting tactics of Senator Joseph McCarthy and the various committees investigating the alleged Communist infiltration of the United States.

From the description of Records of United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America on Communism, 1935-1968. (University of Pittsburgh). WorldCat record id: 318455503