Guide to the Armour Workers United Records, 1983-1986 AIS.1991.11
Arrangement
Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Armour Workers United Records
Creator
Armour Workers United
Collection Number
AIS.1991.11
Extent
1.25 Linear Feet
Date
1983-1986
Abstract
Armour Workers United (AWU) was a group formed by employees of the Armour Meat Packing Plant in Crafton, Pa., soon after the plant was closed down in 1983. AWU sought to purchase the property, and created Pittsburgh Provision and Packing, Inc. as a corporation, to develop an employee owned meat-processing plant, structured as an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). The papers in the collection reflect this effort.
Language
English
.
Author
Sally Barkan. Revisions occurred to the finding aid as a part of the encoding process on April 9, 2001.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System Archives & Special Collections Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman) Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
History
In June 1983, Greyhound, then the parent corporation of Armour, announced it would close thirteen of its meat packing and processing facilities, including the plant in Crafton, Pa., unless employees accepted proposed concessions. Twice between June and December, the workers, who were members of Local 23 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, voted to reject the contract that would have lowered wages by almost 25%, and reduced both vacation time and benefits. This forced the plant to shut down, leaving 260 people out of work, most of whom had been long term employees. Shortly thereafter, on December 17, 1983, the plant was sold to Con-Agra Corporation of Iowa, which announced that they would re-open the plant with non-union labor at nearly half the wages. Armour Workers United was formed in the wake of these events, initially with the goal of negotiating with Con-Agra for the re-hire of the unemployed workers. When Con-Agra repeatedly ignored AWU's requests to meet, the group's objective shifted to purchasing either the shut down Armour plant or a new site on which to launch an employee-owned meat processing facility. In the summer of 1984, AWU began receiving assistance from the Center for Entrepreneurial Development through meetings held at their offices in East Liberty. It was agreed that some of the former Armour workers would attend a class that CED would be offering in August. Following the completion of that class, some of the members of AWU organized Pittsburgh Provision and Packing, taking the name from the original company founded in 1909, which was purchased by Armour in 1936. In the period following the formation of PPP, the group got assistance from CED in studying the feasibility of opening their own meat processing facility in the Pittsburgh area, and sought aid from public and private agencies in attaining their goal.
Scope and Content Notes
The collection reflects the events leading up to the formation of Armour Workers United, their efforts to organize and gain knowledge relating to the ownership of a meat packing facility, their seeking of grants and loans, and their efforts to enlist support in a national boycott.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Acquisition Information
The material came in one accession from Bob Anderson of the Rainbow Kitchen. The papers are the files of Stan Frankowski, who was the chairman of Armour Workers United. 1991
Preferred Citation
Armour Workers United Records, 1983-1986, AIS.1991.11, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Previous Citation
Armour Workers United Records, 1983-1986, AIS.1991.11, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Records of Armour Workers United, 1983-1986, UE 91:11, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Sally Barkan in 2001.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Sally Barkan in April 9, 2001. Information about the collection title and the controlled access terms was extracted from the MARC record in the University of Pittsburgh catalog Voyager ID number: 1479451
Copyright
Permission for publication is given on behalf of the University of Pittsburgh as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Subjects
Corporate Names
Armour and Company
Armour Workers United
Center for Entrepreneurial Development
Con-Agra (firm)
Greyhound Corporation
Pennsylvania Employee Ownership Assistance Program
PACE of Philadelphia (Association)
Pittsburgh Provision and Packing, Inc.
United Food and Commercial Workers International Union
