Tappes, Shelton, 1911-1991

Shelton Tappes was born in Omaha, Nebraska on March 27, 1911 and came to Detroit in the late 1920s. A UAW member since 1937, Mr. Tappes was particularly active in the organization of the Production Foundry Unit at the Ford Rouge plant in 1941. He was a part-time organizer for the Foundry Unit, the first Foundry Unit chairman, and a member of the negotiating committee that secured the UAW's first contract with Ford Motor Company in 1941. He served as recording secretary of Local 600 from 1942 through 1944. Defeated for a fourth term, he later went to work on the staff of Ken Bannon, where he was recognized as a top authority on contract interpretation and grievance procedure. From 1954 until his retirement in 1976, Mr. Tappes served as an international representative for the UAW in the Ohio area. He was active throughout his life in a number of civil rights organizations and was one of the UAW's most vocal advocates for African-American representation on the UAW executive board. Mr. Tappes died in 1991.