Union of State Employees. Local 382 (N.Y.)

The Union of State Employees originated among clerks in the Claims, Underwriting, and Actuarial departments of the State Insurance Fund and was first chartered by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees in February, 1937. It was called the "Jewish" union because the majority of the activists were Jewish. Six months after joining AFSCME, the local joined the State County and Municipal Workers of America, CIO as Local 45. During its first year 500 of 800 employees in the State Insurance Fund enrolled in the union, but subsequent political infighting between Stalinist and Trotskyist minority factions impeded membership gains. The majority, characterized as New Deal Democrats, eventually prevailed with the election of George J. Levine during World War II.

After the war, the SCMWA went into the United Public Workers which combined membership in the State Insurance Fund, Workers Compensation Board and State Department of Labor as one chapter in Local 1099, UPW. Six months before the UPW was expelled from the CIO, the chapter bolted, becoming the Union of State Employees (Independent). When the CIO set up the Government and Civic Employees Organizing Committee, USE received a charter to organize state employees throughout the state of New York as Local 382.

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