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

The International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Wrkers (IUE) formally established the President's Office with the union's adoption of its constitution and the election of James B. Carey as president at the IUE's First Constitutional Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, December 4-8, 1950. The duties of the IUE president and election procedures governing the office are enumerated under Articles VI and XXII of the IUE constitution.

Serving as chief executive of the union, the president possesses full power to direct its affairs between sessions of the IUE Executive Board, the IUE's chief governing body. The president has authority, subject to approval by the board, to appoint direct, suspend of remove organizers, representatives, and employees as necessary. Other enumerated responsibilities include: presiding over conventions (biennial) and quarterly meetings of the IUE International Executive Board; preparing reports and convening special meetings of the board when requested by a majority of its members; interpreting IUE constitutional matters between sessions of the board; and appointing all sub-committees of that body. The president participates in major negotiations with the major electrical corporations, represents the union as an ex-officio delegate to AFL-CIO conventions and member of the federation's Executive Council and Executive Committee, and is the IUE's chief spokesperson on union affairs and labor policy before congressional committees and governmental agencies.

James B. Carey served as the IUE's first president from 1950 until 1965. Under his stewardship, the union experienced its most sustained period of institutional and membership (400,000) growth, becoming a dominant force for working people within the electrical and electronics industries. Mercurial, combative, and possessing inordinate energy, Carey built his labor career upon the foundation of anti-communism and achieved status as an internationalist in promoting free democratic trade unionism abroad through the establishment of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions. As IUE president Carey cultivated the image of a labor statesman and delegated administrative functioning of the office and union to his execuitive assistants, trusted officers, and department heads. He played an instrumental role in the CIO and AFL no-raiding agreement which served as a prelude to the merger agreement of 1955.

Gravitating toward progressive political causes and molded by Catholic social welfare theology, Carey enlisted the IUE in the broader struggle for social, political, and economic justice. The IUE established a national IUE civil rights committee to facilitate and coordinate civil rights initiatives down to the local level. It was also in the forefront of the equal pay movement and which sought to eliminate pay differentials based on gender as well as regional wage inequities. Carey became an outspoken critic on labor corruption, govenmental economic policies favoring corporations and the rich, runaway shops and state right to work legislation. He championed civil rights and Democratic Party principles and his strong stance on jurisdictional issues involving the IUE led to conflict with the conservative craft unions and AFL-CIO president George Meany.

Within his own union, Carey's temperamental and arbitrary manner with officers and staff, coupled with unpopular measures (dues increases, redistricting) and allegations of expense-padding by IUE field representatives, lead to a rank and file movement to oust him from office. Though initially declared the victor in the fractious 1964 IUE presidential election involving challenger Paul Jennings (IUE District 3 Executive Secretary), Carey was subsequently removed from office in April 1965 following a U.S. Department of Labor probe which uncovered evidence of ballot tampering and a miscount by his supporters on the IUE Board of Trustees.

From the description of Records, 1933-1965 (bulk 1949-1965). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122602723