Communications Workers of America. Local 1150 (New York, N.Y.)

The jurisidiction of CWA Local 1150 has shifted somewhat over the years since its founding in 1951, but its basic purpose had been to represent long-distance operators, maintenance workers and clerical workers employed by AT&T in the New York metropolitan area. Through the period covered by this collection, half or more of all Long Lines (long distance) workers were women. The New York Local was (and is) divided into three sections: Traffic (operators), Plant (installation and maintenance), and Adminstrative (clerical and engineering).

Despite a rigorous (and often unpaid) training period, high stress on the job, low pay, and little opportunity for advancement, telephone work was historically well-regarded by women. The industry in the 1920s and 30s was characterized by a young female work-force with a high turnover rate and little solidarity or interest in union organizing. A period of intensive organizing in the late 1930s produced a New York Long Lines Local of more than 9,000 members, affiliated with the National Federation of Telephone Workers and later with the Federation of Long Lines Telephone Workers. The FLLTW soon reconstituted itself as the American Union of Telephone Workers, a federation of nine New York area locals. Growing sentiment in favor of a genuine national union resulted in the formation of the CWA in 1946-47. After a brief period as Local 1 of CWA Division 10, in April 1951 New York Long Lines adopted its present title of CWA Local 1150.

The years from 1950 through the 70s saw a quickening pace for innovation and automation in the communications industry. The 1950s brought Electronic Switching Systems and wider use of co-axial cables, microwave communication and data-processing machines. In the 60s, Direct Distance Dialing and communications satellites were introduced, and the 70s brought laser and fiber optics technology. Although the ultimate effect of these changes was to be a drastically reduced Local membership, Local 1150 was able to win substantial gains during the first decades of its existence. Wages, working hours and seniority rights were improved, and the Local negotiated military service leaves and an overtime equalization plan that were models for the industry. In 1952, a Local 1150 grievance resulted in the creation of a new title, Assistant Engineer, the highest-paid title in the Bargaining Unit. Major national CWA strikes in 1971 and 1974 resulted in an agency shop agreement and a national contract.

Automation and restructuring have posed persistent threats to the vitality of Local 1150. Between 1971 and 1977 both Long Lines headquarters and most Administrative workers were relocated to Bedminster, NJ. In 1983, the huge International Operating Center in Manhattan was closed. Other important changes were a direct result of the court order for AT&T divestiture, which took effect January 1, 1984.

From the description of Records, 1939-1990. (New York University). WorldCat record id: 477253141

Eleanore Collins (d. 1994) was born in the Bronx and raised in Elmsford, NY. She graduated from Mount St. Vincent College and later earned a master's degree in industrial labor relations from Pace University. After working briefly for Reader's Digest and then as a social worker, she took a job as a clerk for the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) in Manhattan on the eve of World War II. In the early 1950s, she joined the Communications Workers of America (CWA), Local 1150. In 1954, Collins's clerical job was transferred to White Plains, NY. There she became a steward and was active in organizing and upgrading clerical titles. Thanks in large part to her efforts, AT&T created the new title of Engineering Associate, representing a substantial boost in status and pay for a female-dominated classification.

Collins was elected to Local 1150's Executive Board and soon became known for her passionate concern for labor education, women's rights, and white-collar organizing. However, on two occasions, during a bitterly contested Local 1150 election and during the equally rancorous telephone strike, she came into conflict with members of her own and other CWA locals. Controversy over disputed election results in CWA Local 1150's 1958-1959 election occasioned a disciplinary hearing against Eleanore Collins in 1960. In 1971, Collins supported a move by fellow co-workers to return to work at a time when the validity of the picket lines was in question. Other Local members accused Collins of defying union directives. In both cases, charges against Collins were later dismissed.

In 1975, Collins joined with a group of White Plains members who broke away from Local 1150 to form a new CWA local, Local 1153. She went on to serve Local 1153 as a board member, convention delegate, education director, and finally as president from 1981 to 1984.

In the later years of her career, Collins's concern with union activities and efforts to aid in worker security was inclined toward securing pensions and health benefits for employees and retirees. This concern extended to all those in need of health care, with an emphasis on senior citizens.

Collins died in St. Louis, MO in June 1994.

From the guide to the Eleanore Collins Papers, 1944-1993, (Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive)

This collection presents an unusually full and detailed picture of the development of one of the major locals of the predominantly white-collar CWA. Local 1150 has been distinguished by its militant and imaginative stance in dealing with rapidly changing conditions in an industry dominated by a single powerful employer, the ATT System.

Long Lines telephone workers are those responsible for long-distance and overseas service; they operate and maintain the links between local telephone systems, and also handle various special services (e.g., radio and telegraph services to the press and other special clients) offered through the ATT system. From the beginning Long Lines services were largely based in New York City, and New York Long Lines workers formed the first, largest and most active union local in what was to become a separate department of ATT and a separate Bargaining Unit of the CWA.

Through the period covered by this collection half or more of all Long Lines workers were women. The New York Local was (and is) divided into three Sections representing a variety of job types and skill levels: Traffic (mostly operators), Plant (installation and maintenance), and Administrative (clerical and engineering). The first and third were largely female, while Plant was virtually all male. The relative sizes of the sections were roughly reflected in the composition of the Local's fifteen-person Executive Board: eight representatives from Traffic, three Plant, and four Administrative. All local officials, including unit stewards, were elected by the membership.

The post-World War I period saw the first stirrings of interest in union organization among telephone workers; these were headed off by the creation of a company union (the Telephone Workers Association) and by strict paternalistic oversight, especially of women workers. Despite a rigorous (and often unpaid) training period, high stress on the job, low pay, and little opportunity for advancement, telephone work was generally well regarded by women --at least as compared to other white-collar jobs open to them. The company counted on having a young female work-force with a high turnover rate and little solidarity or interest in union organizing. By 1941 ATT reported the average age for beginning operators as eighteen, and still routinely conducted interviews with applicants' parents before hiring.

A small group of militant and determined workers began efforts to organize in Long Lines in the mid-1930s. Passage of the Wagner Act in 1935 gave them the impetus to replace the company union with a genuinely independent local organization. They then faced the question of how to link up with other organized telephone workers. A series of national meetings and conventions in 1938-39 (reflecting deep division over local autonomy vs. a strong national union) resulted in the formation of the National Federation of Telephone Workers, a loosely-structured umbrella group. The New York Long Lines Local, by now 9,400 members strong and certified by the NLRB, was the third largest member of the Federation.

Impatience with progress at the national level led the New York Local to reorganize itself in 1940 as a component of a new body, the Federation of Long Lines Telephone Workers (FLLTW). The FLLTW became the focus of broader organizing efforts and negotiated its first contract with ATT in October 1940. The heroic (and essential) service of telephone workers during World War II, plus the constraints of wartime strike bans and wage freezes, left Long Lines workers eager for a more effective, militant program. In 1945 the FLLTW won a wage increase, setting the pace for other telephone workers. Seeking even greater bargaining strength, nine New York Long Lines locals then merged to form Local 1 of the FLLTW, which in turn revised its constitution and renamed itself the American Union of Telephone Workers (AUTW).

The period of the late 1940s was characterized by growing dissatisfaction with NFTW weakness and growing sentiment for the creation of a genuine national union and affiliation with the CIO. Opinion within the AUTW was still divided and for a while the CIO carried out its own organizing campaign among communications workers, through its Telephone Workers Organizing Committee (TWOC). In 1946 several telephone locals (including New York Long Lines) formed the Communications Workers of America, and they went on to lead a bitter two-month national strike in 1947. After a brief period of re-entry into the AUTW (now affiliated with the TWOC-CIO), Long Lines workers finally rejoined the CWA in 1949, as Local 1 of CWA Divison 10. In April 1951 New York Long Lines formally adopted its present title of Local 1150, CWA Division (now district) 1.

The years from 1949 through the 1970s saw a quickening pace of innovation and automation in the communications industry. The 1950s brought Electronic Switching Systems and wider use of co-axial cables, microwave communications, and data-processing machines. In the 60s Direct Distance Dialing and communications satellites were introduced, and the 70s brought laser and fiber optics technology. Although the ultimate effect of these changes was to be a drastically reduced Local membership, Local 1150 was able to win substantial gains during the first decades of its existence. Wages, working hours and seniority rights were improved, and the Local negotiated military service leaves and an overtime equalization plan that were models for the industry. Local 1150 also initiated a wartime Blood Bank program that resulted in the creation of a national Blood Bank for ATT employees. In 1952 a Local 1150 grievance resulted in the creation of a new title, Assistant Engineer, the highest-paid title in the Bargaining Unit.

The Local has participated in a number of strikes and has loyally supported the struggles of fellow workers. Members' refusal to cross Western Electric workers' picket lines in 1950 resulted in a lock-out, and the Local raised $56,000 to support a Southern Bell strike in 1956. Major national CWA strikes in 1971 and 1974 resulted in an agency shop agreement and a national contract.

Both automation and restructuring have posed persistent threats to the vitality of Local 1150. Beginning in the 1950s ATT began shifting some of its Long Lines operations away from the New York area. Between 1971 and 1977 both Long Lines headquarters and most of the Administrative workers were relocated to Bedminster, New Jersey. In 1983 the huge International Operating Center in Manhattan was closed, resulting in a major lay-off of traffic workers. Other important changes in company structure and working conditions were a direct result of the court order for ATT divestiture, which took effect January 1, 1984. In 1986 Local 1150's jurisdiction was split, with the creation of CWA Local 1058, representing New Jersey Administrative employees.

From the guide to the Communications Workers of America, Local 1150 Records, 1939-1990s, (Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive)