Guide to the UE Communism Collection, 1935-1968 UE.10.2.1
- Repository
- ULS Archives & Special Collections
- Title
- UE Communism Collection
- Creator
- United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America
- Collection Number
- UE.10.2.1
- Extent
- 46.25 Linear Feet (37 boxes)
- Date
- 1935-1968
- Abstract
- Beginning with the ratification of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947, which forced union leaders to sign affidavits attesting that they were not members of the Communist Party, the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE) was accused of Communist activity. The union's research department spent much of their time collecting information on McCarthyism and congressional committees investigating the threat of Communism in the United States. This series contains correspondence, transcripts, and reports regarding allegations of communist activities within the UE during the 1940s through the 1960s.
- Language
- English .
- Publisher
- ULS Archives & Special Collections
- Address
- University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
History
Beginning with the ratification of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947, which forced union leaders to sign affidavits attesting that they were not members of the Communist Party, the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE) was accused of Communist activity. Initially UE officers were united in their noncompliance, resulting in the union's expulsion from the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in 1949. Then, at the height of the Red Scare in the 1950s, many UE officers, including Director of Organization James Matles, were subpoenaed to appear before the United States Congress' House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Many of these members were also brought before the Subversive Activities Control Board (SACB), which was formed in 1950 to investigate an alleged Communist infiltration of American society, or threatened with deportation or denaturalization.
The UE took a firm stand against McCarthyism and many members refused to testify at HUAC and SACB trials, often pleading their Fifth Amendment right to not name themselves as members of the Communist Party. The union's research department spent much of their time during the 1950s collecting information on the testimonies of UE members and informants who claimed that members were active Communists. By the mid 1960s, the union was not pursued as aggressively by HUAC, but the UE continued to gather information regarding their activities and remained an outspoken opponent to the red-baiting tactics of Senator Joseph McCarthy and the various committees investigating the alleged Communist infiltration of the United States.
Scope and Content Notes
This series contains correspondence and reports regarding allegations of communist activities within the UE during the 1940s through the 1960s. Included are transcripts from HUAC and SACB testimonies given by or concerning UE members. Newspaper clippings about HUAC and SACB proceedings are present, as well as Taft-Hartley affidavits of several UE officers. Several files contain information on the red-baiting of the union and some of its more prominent members.
Arrangement
Files are grouped together by topic.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Acquisition Information
Gift of the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America in 1986 and 1997.
Previous Citation
UE Communism Collection, 1935-1968, UE.10.2.1, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Preferred Citation
UE Communism Collection, 1935-1968, UE.10.2.1, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Zachary Brodt in September 2008.
Copyright
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
Related Materials
Federal Bureau of Investigation on the UE Records, 1940-1985, UE.9.5, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Congress of Industrial Organizations Collection, 1938-1982, UE.10.2.2, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Hymen Schlesinger Papers, 1927-1990, AIS.1977.33, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Steve Nelson Oral History Project Records, AIS.1978.24, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America Local 601 Records, UE.16.601, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Charles Newell Papers, 1940-1959, AIS.2005.07, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Thomas J. Quinn Papers, 1947-92, AIS.1973.09, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Evelyn O. Darin Papers, 1954-1960, AIS.1988.19, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Subjects
- United States. Labor Management Relations Act, 1947
- United States. Congress. House. Committee on Un-American Activities
- United States. Subversive Activities Control Board
- United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America. Research Department
- United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America
- Transcripts
- Correspondence
- Politics
- Electric industry workers -- Labor unions -- United States
- Labor
- Labor unions and communism -- United States