W.J. Usery, Jr. oral history collection [sound recording] 1987, Aug. 27 [Tape 19].

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W.J. Usery, Jr. oral history collection [sound recording] 1987, Aug. 27 [Tape 19].

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/50785051

Usery's work as Assistant Secretary of Labor is recounted here, with Usery detailing the various speeches of the Department of Labor: the chain of command and proper protocol within the department, the breaking down of the department into various programs, the description of responsibilities of the office, and the length of hours involved. The necessity of caution in decision making is emphasized as well. The Landrum-Griffin and Len Lurry cases are explored, and Usery describes the legal side of the Labor Department. Usery mentions utilizing cautionary behavior as Secretary because of fears of false judgment by his staff, and he notes the importance of building a social foundation of interaction. Collective bargaining in the federal sector, the Mine Workers investigation, and Tony Boyle are mentioned, along with Usery's recounting of public and federal labor relations, Labor Department processes and his relationships with George Schultz and Jim Hodgson. Usery describes the emergency board, the dock workers' strike in New York, and the Seafarers International Union. Paul Hall and Usery's meeting with him in New Orleans are noted. Usery speaks to the problems with serving subpoenas and with labor relations, describes the system of power at the Labor Department, and explains the workings of the [National] Mediation Board. Curt Counts, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, is mentioned at some length. Usery describes his relationship with Counts, noting the process of his [Usery's] appointment as National Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

1 sound cassette.Transcript (37 p.)

Georgia State University

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SNAC Resource ID: 7632395

Georgia State University

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United States. Department of Labor

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The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is a cabinet-level department of the U.S. federal government, responsible for occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unemployment benefits, reemployment services, and occasionally, economic statistics. Many U.S. states also have such departments. The Department of Labor is headed by the U.S. Secretary of Labor. The purpose of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote, and develop the well being of the wage earners, job seekers,...

United States. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service

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Usery, W. J., 1923-

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W.J. Usery (1923- ), machinist, union official, Assistant Secretary and Secretary of Labor, federal and private mediator, born in Hardwick, Georgia. From the description of W.J. Usery papers, 1940, 1952-1985. (Georgia State University). WorldCat record id: 38477540 W.J. Usery, Jr. (1923- ), machinist, union official, Assistant Secretary and Secretary of Labor, federal and private mediator, born in Hardwick, Georgia. From the description of W.J. Usery, Jr. oral hi...

Hough, Leslie S.

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Shultz, George Pratt, 1920-

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George Pratt Shultz was born December 13, 1920, in New York, New York, son of Birl E. and Margaret Pratt Shultz. He married Helena Marie O''Brien in 1946. He received a B.A. in economics from Princeton University in 1942. That same year he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served until 1945, attaining the rank of Captain. In 1949, he earned a Ph.D. in industrial economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). From 1948 to 1957, he taught in both the MIT Department of Economics and...

Counts, Curt.

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Hall, Pauline Cook

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