Communications Workers of America

The National Typographical Union was organized in 1852 and in 1869 changed its name to the International Typographical Union (ITU). In 1987, the ITU merged into the Communication Workers of America (CWA). The Women's International Auxiliary, a division of the ITU, disbanded in 1990.

From the description of Women's International Auxiliary records, [ca. 1940-1990]. (Georgia State University). WorldCat record id: 38477528

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) which was founded in 1947 as an industrial union of telephone industry workers is now one of the largest unions in the United States with an active public employees department.

From the description of Communications Workers of America records, 1919-1989 (bulk 1947-1989). (New York University). WorldCat record id: 476031092

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) which was founded in 1947 as an industrial union of telephone industry workers expanded in the latter decades of the twentieth century to include a variety of categories of workers, among them television and radio technicians, journalists, healthcare workers, and a large and growing division of public employees. The union frequently commissioned or otherwise acquired audio recordings of major union events, speeches by union officers and others, broadcasts, and publicity and educational materials.

From the description of Audiotape collection, 1952-1987. (New York University). WorldCat record id: 476129753

The organization of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in 1947 was the culmination of nearly a half-century of struggle for telephone unionism. Until the middle 1890s there was very little union activity among telephone workers. In 1898 the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) began to try to organize some of the telephone linemen and cable splicers. Numerous strikes by the IBEW in the 1910s were unsuccessful as the Bell Telephone Company used its monopolistic control over the industry to defeat telephone unionism. However, during these years there was an upsurge of union membership among telephone operators mostly centered in Boston. A joint organizing campaign by the IBEW and Women's Trade Union League was very successful and won major concessions in 1914-1915. However, after a failed strike in 1919, the Bell Company began to aggressively promote company unions and aggressively fought all organizing drives. Telephone unions found that it was very difficult to organize an industry in which the Bell Company had monopolistic control and almost unlimited resources. The company took advantage of the fact that telephone workers were geographically dispersed and the conversion to dial telephones made the system less vulnerable to labor slowdowns. Bell's hiring practices assured that the vast majority of telephone workers were relatively highly educated, native-born Caucasians who were well spoken in English. Telephone operators were predominately young women who tended to work for only a few years before marrying and having families. These workforce demographics made union organizing difficult. The passage of the Wagner Act in 1936, which removed all the legal barriers to industrial union organization, reinvigorated the campaign for telephone unionism. However, progress was slow as telephone workers were for the most part insulated from the worst effects of the Great Depression. The Bell Company's response to the Wagner Act that outlawed company unions was to transform them into so-called independent labor organizations (non AFL or CIO) that could claim to be in compliance with national labor laws. During the early CIO years from 1937 through 1942 union organizing proceeded slowly in the telephone industry. The focus was on amalgamating the various local unions that were plant, craft, or district based into a national federation. In 1939 the National Federation of Telephone Workers (NFTW) was formed but this organization was weak and decentralized. Stagnant wages and deteriorating working conditions during World War II stimulated telephone worker solidarity and union amalgamation. When Joseph A. Beirne was elected President of NFTW in 1943 the union began a full-scale organizing campaign. In 1946 there was a nation wide strike that led to the first national agreement with the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT & T). However, recognizing the weakness of the NFTW structure AT & T forced another strike in 1947. When this strike collapsed the NFTW structure fell apart and the CWA was born. During the next twenty-five years the CWA under the leadership of Joseph A. Beirne moved aggressively to organize all the telephone workers in the United States. AT & T with its monopolistic control resisted. It was, however, not until 1974 after years of labor-management unrest and a series of strikes that AT&T agreed to system wide collective bargaining. Shortly after the national contract was signed Joseph A. Beirne died and was replaced as President by Secretary-Treasurer Glenn E. Watts. In the 1980s the CWA began to expand beyond telecommunications creating a Public Employees Department that successfully organized 34,000 New Jersey state workers in 1981. In 1985 Morton Bahr became the CWA President. In 1987 the CWA merged with the International Typographical Workers Union. In 1992 it absorbed the National Association of Broadcast Employees and the Newspaper Guild merged with the CWA. Today the CWA is one of the United States' strongest unions with more than 600,000 members.

From the description of Communications Workers of America records. Addendum, 1939-1998 (bulk 1970-1995). (New York University). WorldCat record id: 478340991

The Communications Workers of America (CWA), founded in 1947 as an industrial union of telephone industry workers, is now one of the largest unions in the United States with a diverse membership, including an active public employees division. The union produced film and video footage for its own use, and also acquired footage of broacasts relaing to the union and produced films used by the union for educational purposes.

From the description of Communications Workers of America film collection, 1950s-1990s. (New York University). WorldCat record id: 474983118

The Communications Workers of America (CWA), founded in 1947 as an industrial union of telephone industry workers, was the culmination of nearly a half-century of struggle for telephone unionism. Its first president was Joseph A. Beirne, who had led its predecessor union, the National Federation of Telephone Workers (NFTW), in an organizing campaign and a nation-wide strike in 1946 that resulted in the first national agreement with the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T).

During the next twenty-five years under the leadership Beirne, the CWA moved aggressively to organize all the telephone workers in the United States. It was not until 1974, however, after years of labor-management unrest and a series of strikes, that AT&T agreed to system-wide collective bargaining. Shortly after the national contract was signed, Joseph Beirne died and was replaced as President by Secretary-Treasurer Glenn E. Watts. In the 1960s, the CWA became an active participant in international labor activities supporting the United States government’s Cold War policies through the union’s involvement in organizations such as the CIA- and USAID (United States Agency for International Development)- financed American Institute for Free Labor Development (AIFLD).

In the 1980s the CWA began to expand beyond telecommunications, creating a Public Employees Department that successfully organized 34,000 New Jersey state workers in 1981. In 1985 Morton Bahr became the CWA President. In 1987 the CWA merged with the International Typographical Workers Union. In 1992 it absorbed the National Association of Broadcast Employees and the Newspaper Guild merged with the CWA. By the 2000s the CWA had become one of the United States' largest and strongest unions with more than 600,000 members.

From the guide to the Communications Workers of America Photographs: Part I, Photographic Prints., Bulk, 1960-1988, 1915-1988, (Bulk 1960s-1980s), (Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive)

The organization of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in 1947 was the culmination of nearly a half-century of struggle for telephone unionism. Until the middle 1890s there was very little union activity among telephone workers. In 1898 the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) began to try to organize some of the telephone linemen and cable splicers. Numerous strikes by the IBEW in the 1910s were unsuccessful as the Bell Telephone Company used its monopolistic control over the industry to defeat telephone unionism. However, during these years there was an upsurge of union membership among telephone operators mostly centered in Boston. A joint organizing campaign by the IBEW and Women's Trade Union League was very successful and won major concessions in 1914-1915. However, after a failed strike in 1919, the Bell Company began to aggressively promote company unions and aggressively fought all organizing drives.

Telephone unions found that it was very difficult to organize an industry in which the Bell Company had monopolistic control and almost unlimited resources. The company took advantage of the fact that telephone workers were geographically dispersed and the conversion to dial telephones made the system less vulnerable to labor slowdowns. Bell's hiring practices assured that the vast majority of telephone workers were relatively highly educated, native born Caucasians who were well spoken in English. Telephone operators were predominately young women who tended to work for only a few years before marrying and having families. These workforce demographics made union organizing difficult.

The passage of the Wagner Act in 1936, which removed all the legal barriers to industrial union organization, reinvigorated the campaign for telephone unionism. However, progress was slow as telephone workers were for the most part insulated from the worst effects of the Great Depression. The Bell Company's response to the Wagner Act that outlawed company unions was to transform them into so-called independent labor organizations (non AFL or CIO) that could claim to be in compliance with national labor laws. During the early CIO years from 1937 through 1942 union organizing proceeded slowly in the telephone industry. The focus was on amalgamating the various local unions that were plant, craft, or district based into a national federation.

In 1939 the National Federation of Telephone Workers (NFTW) was formed but this organization was weak and decentralized. Stagnant wages and deteriorating working conditions during World War II stimulated telephone worker solidarity and union amalgamation. When Joseph A. Beirne was elected President of NFTW in 1943 the union began a full-scale organizing campaign. In 1946 there was a nation wide strike that led to the first national agreement with the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT & T). However, recognizing the weakness of the NFTW structure AT & T forced another strike in 1947. When this strike collapsed the NFTW structure fell apart and the CWA was born.

During the next twenty-five years the CWA under the leadership of Joseph A. Beirne moved aggressively to organize all the telephone workers in the United States. AT & T with its monopolistic control resisted. It was, however, not until 1974 after years of labor-management unrest and a series of strikes that AT&T agreed to system wide collective bargaining. Shortly after the national contract was signed Joseph A. Beirne died and was replaced as President by Secretary-Treasurer Glenn E. Watts.

In the 1980s the CWA began to expand beyond telecommunications creating a Public Employees Department that successfully organized 34,000 New Jersey state workers in 1981. In 1985 Morton Bahr became the CWA President. In 1987 the CWA merged with the International Typographical Workers Union. In 1992 it absorbed the National Association of Broadcast Employees and the Newspaper Guild merged with the CWA. Today the CWA is one of the United States' strongest unions with more than 600,000 members.

From the guide to the Communications Workers of America Records, Bulk, 1947-1989, 1911-1994, (Bulk 1947-1989), (Tamiment Library / Wagner Archives)