The United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE) formed in 1936 and was one of the first labor unions to affiliate with the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). Between 1937 and 1962, James J. Matles, the national Director of Organization, hired men and women with union organizing experience to form new locals across the United States and Canada with the charge to increase union membership. Organizers also made locals aware of UE policies so that they would become productive members of the union. During this time, the UE sought to establish itself as an influential labor union by fighting for the rights of workers in plants owned by Westinghouse, General Electric, Philco, and others. Membership numbers reached a half million workers by the end of World War II when new legislation led to many locals being replaced by other unions whose leaders signed non-communist agreements. In 1949 the UE resigned its affiliation with the CIO and, in response, the CIO formed the competing International Union of Electrical Workers (IUE). The two unions battled into the 1950s before eventually cooperating in negotiations after a disastrous strike led by the IUE in 1960. As the McCarthy era came to a close, the UE's membership began to flourish again. The UE's Organizing Department is divided into three levels. Stationed in the union's headquarters, the Director of Organization coordinates the activities of the International Representatives and Field Organizers. The International Representatives and Field Organizers are assigned to different geographical districts throughout the United States and Canada. While the International Representatives work on company-wide campaigns and in large geographical areas, the Field Organizers mobilize individual shops. Organizer duties include keeping current with company policies and facilities, worker habits, wages, worker issues, and key people, so that the organizer is able to enlist new members into the union. Organizers frequently design leaflets and distribute UE literature to arouse worker interest. In addition to enrolling new members, organizers are responsible for making shop workers knowledgeable of UE policies and enabling them to assume leadership at the local level. In order to keep the national office informed of all developments in organizing campaigns, organizers complete regular status reports.
From the description of Records of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America organizers, 1937-2003. (University of Pittsburgh). WorldCat record id: 227174419
