International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers. President's Office

On 2 November 1949, delegates attending the Eleventh Constitutional Convention of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) approved a resolution resulting in the expulsion of the United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers of America (UERMWA). Effective with the expulsion, the resolution further directed the CIO Executive Board to issue a charter of affiliation to a new international union in the electrical, radio and machine industry. On 3 November 1949, CIO President Philip Murray formally presented the new charter to the International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers (IUE-CIO). James B. Carey, founder and former president of the UERMWA (1936-1941) and CIO Secretary-Treasurer, accepted the charter as Chairman of the IUE-CIO Administrative Committee. This committee, consisting of twelve members comprising the former "right wing" leadership of the UE, convened an organizational convention (November 28, 1949) as a prelude to the adoption of a permanent constitution and the election of officers. The IUE-CIO provisional constitution designated the administrative chairman as de facto president of the organization.

Delegates attending the IUE's First Constitutional Convention (December 4-8, 1950, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) formally approved the union's new constitution and unanimously elected James B. Carey as the first international president of the IUE-CIO. He served in this post until his resignation in April 1965, stemming from a U.S. Labor Department's investigation that uncovered fraudulent balloting procedures during the 1964 IUE election. Paul Jennings was declared the victor and served as IUE President from April 1965 to 1976. He was succeeded by David J. Fitzmaurice (1976-1982), William H. Bywater (1982-1996), and current president Edward Fire (1997-present).

The duties of the IUE international president and election procedures governing the office are enumerated in the union's constitution under Articles VI and XXII. Under the provisions of Article VI, Section A: The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Union. Between sessions of the Executive Board he shall have full power to direct the affairs of the Union. Subject to the approval of the Executive Board, the President shall have the authority to appoint, direct, suspend or remove such organizers, representatives and employees as he may deem necessary and fix their compensation.

Election procedures governing the office are prescribed in Article XXII, Section A: The President and Secretary-Treasurer shall be nominated in Convention (biennial) and elected by referendum vote. A candidate shall be eligible for election only if he has been nominated in Convention by a delegate from each of 10 or more local unions from 3 or more districts, the combined per capita representation of which locals at the Convention is no less than fifteen (15%) of the total per capita representation.

The IUE constitution mandates that when only one nominee for the office of president is put forth, "the candidate shall be elected at the Convention." In the event of two or more nominees for office the constitution provides for a referendum (secret) mail ballot vote by IUE members in good standing. In accordance with Article XXII, Sections G & H, the IUE Trustees have custodianship of all returned ballots and are responsible for tabulating the ballots. Each nominee may have two watchers present at all times to observe the opening and tabulation of the ballots.

Enumerated presidential functions include: presiding over conventions and quarterly meetings of the International Executive Board (IEB); convening special meetings of the latter body when requested by a majority of its members; and appointing all sub-committees of the executive board. Between conventions and subject to reversal of the IUE-IEB, the president has the power to decide all questions involving the interpretation of the IUE constitution. Pursuant to conventions and quarterly meetings of the board, the president is responsible for making reports to both bodies.

Though the locus of power for shaping the union's collective bargaining agenda and negotiation strategy resides within the democratically structured IUE Conference Boards, the IUE President serves on important major negotiating committees that comprise the major chain corporations--General Electric, Westinghouse, General Motors, RCA, Radio and Allied Trades and While Collar and Salaried Workers--and the various IUE Councils (Skilled Trades, Philco, Battery, Optical, and Lamp Workers). Moreover, as the IUE's chief policy maker, the president attends district and local meetings to elaborate on union policies and programs and reports on broader decisions and undertakings by the AFL-CIO and its affiliated Industrial Union Department. As the executive of a large institution representing thousands of union members, the IUE president receives requests from locals and individuals for advice, assistance, and intervention with regard to the handling of grievances. The IUE President's Officers thus serves as the resort of last appeal to the IUE membership.

Outside the IUE, the president serves as an ex officio delegate to the AFL-CIO Convention and is a member of the federation's most important executive and special committees. Beginning with Carey in 1955, IUE presidents have served as AFL-CIO Vice Presidents and as members of the AFL-CIO Executive Committee and AFL-CIO Executive Council. In addition, they have been played an important role in framing the programs and directing the affairs of the AFL-CIO's Industrial Union Department, representing the interests of the industrial unions affiliated with the CIO. IUE presidents (chiefly James B. Carey) have represented the American labor movement abroad by serving as delegates to conferences of international labor organizations, attending labor summits with the leaders of foreign electrical and electronics unions, and hosting visits by foreign labor dignitaries.

Subsequent constitutional amendments and referendum changes have altered the structure of the office. Also, as labor unions evolved into increasingly complex bureaucratic and hierarchical entities, the scope of the IUE presidency expanded beyond the enumerated functions outlined by the union's constitution. This evolution not only reflected the drive for administrative efficiency and institutional control, but also was a consequence of organized labor's expanded role in shaping the economic, political, and social life of the modern American nation. IUE presidents, beginning with Carey, have actively participated and served on the executive boards of many prominent national organizations dedicated to furthering democratic institutions, harmonious labor-industrial relations, education, progressive social reform, economic justice and civil rights. Such activism represents the linkage between traditional trade union economic goals and a broader social and political reform agenda in alliance with workers and the disenfranchised. To achieve these broader objectives, IUE presidents have been active within the inner councils of the Democratic Party, facilitating political action programs in support of party candidates and programs, and contributing union funds to political campaigns. In support of legislative initiatives the IUE president functions as the union's chief lobbyist and spokesman, making appearances before congressional committees and participating in government hearings on issues effecting organized labor and all workers.