United Steelworkers of America, Research Department records, 1921-1981.

ArchivalResource

United Steelworkers of America. Research Dept. United Steelworkers of America, Research Department records, 1921-1981.

United Steelworkers of America, Research Department records, 1921-1981.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/688604816

The United Steelworkers of America (USWA) Research Department records document activities of the department through correspondence and office files. Correspondence is primarily between department staff and company officials, USWA district directors and staff representatives, and other labor unions. Office files document the USWA's relationship with various national labor boards, international labor organizations, labor officials, and the press. One reference and correspondence file on U.S. Steel Corporation dates from 1921 to 1945; all other documents post date the formation of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee (1936) and the United Steelworkers of America (1942). Although from 1968 to 1978, the Research and Contract Departments merged into one unit, contract-related documents from that era are contained in the Contract Department records. The majority of the company correspondence files concern company-supplied financial and economic data, in the form of annual company reports, employee production and wage rate figures, and annotated contracts, to be used by USWA officials for collective bargaining. The collection also includes newspaper clippings and articles that document company management, reorganization, ownership, and finances. Files on USWA districts demonstrate the variety of research undertaken by this department. These records focus on company data needed by district directors for negotiations and arbitration proceedings, and also include information on company sales, mergers, safety records, and studies on organizing strategies. Inter-union correspondence pertains to matters of company finances and organization efforts for collective bargaining negotiations. Negotiation files reflect the depth of research required involving statistics on employee numbers, wage rates, and incentive figures. Wage Stabilization Board documents feature cases heard in 1952, in conjunction with the Steel Panel which oversaw disputes between USWA and various steel companies. Because all local union issues were addressed through district offices and forwarded to the Research Department, the Department had little contact with local unions or general membership.

116.45 cubic feet.

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