Office and Professional Employees' International Union

AFL Federal Locals of the Bookkeepers, Stenographers and Accountants Union have organized the clerical trades since the early decades of the twentieth century; but it wasn't until the charter convention of the Office Employees International Union in Cincinnati in January, 1945 that a national AFL jurisdiction was created for all private sector clerical and office employees. Charter membership was 22,500.

During the war years, OEIU growth was slow, while the rival CIO union, the United Office and Professional Workers of America grew rapidly. However, with the Taft-Hartley Labor Act of 1947 and the subsequent expulsion of the UOPWA from the CIO for "Communist domination" left the field of organizimg white collar workers to the OEIU. By the early 1950's they had organized 40,000 members into the union, and by the mid 1960's the organization had grown to 50,000.

The name was changed to Office and Professional Employees International Union in 1965. In the last two decades the increase of clerical employment coupled with women workers' growing trade union militancy have greatly expanded OPEIU's membership. In 1973 there were 82,500 members in 235 local unions; by 1987 the union counted 150,000 members in 375 unions. The membership of OPEIU is approximately 70 percent female. Major locals are Local 153 in New York City, Local 2 in Washington, D.C., Local 29 in Oakland and Local 3 in San Francisco.

From the description of Minutes [microform], 1958-1981. (New York University). WorldCat record id: 84214659