Scope and Contents note

The materials in this series are arranged alphabetically by folder title and date from 1941 to 1985. While the bulk of the executive board minutes relate to donations to the community, they also include resolutions endorsed by the Local on topics related to World War II and communist investigations. Membership meeting minutes contain the business agent's report, recommendations from the executive board, discussions on special topics and the nominations of delegates to conventions, the executive board, and other panels. Steward meetings provide information on the more pertinent worker issues such as dues increases, layoffs, grievances and collecting funds. This series also contains a file on the 1981 organizing of salaried workers.

Scope and Contents note

These materials are arranged chronologically and date from 1937 thru the 1960s. Files exist for Local 610's petitions and elections for representation at the Wilmerding and Swissvale plants. This series also includes representation petitions and elections from other unions such as the International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers (IUE), and Patternmakers League. Additional files relate to unfair labor practices charges filed against the company and the Local during the 1950s for collective bargaining and representation rights.

Scope and Contents note

This series relates directly to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and arbitration files from 1939 to 1948. Files regarding Executive Order 9240 document overtime issues. NLRB/Arbitrations files contain correspondence with union officials and legal representatives on the progress of arbitration proceedings. Files entitled "Company Officials" contain information on contract negotiations and the arbitration of grievances.

Scope and Contents note

This series contains contract agreements reached between Local 610 and the Westinghouse Airbrake Company, which are arranged chronologically. In addition to the major contract agreements, these files also contain supplemental agreements on specific issues, such as wage increases, pension, and benefit plans; supporting materials collected for negotiations; negotiation minutes; and company and union proposals. This series also includes agreements from other companies and locals/unions in related industries.

Scope and Contents note

Extensive files exist for health plans considered by and utilized by the Local, such as Health America. This series also contains general information and settlement files for pension plans and the weekly indemnity insurance program, which relate to the contract and negotiations files.

Access Restrictions

Access to Box 16, Folders 2, 37 and 38 requires a signed confidentiality agreement.

Scope and Contents note

These files contain minutes from the grievance meetings, as well as the grievances themselves. The meeting minutes are divided into those originating from the Airbrake Division and those from the Switch and Signal Division. The minutes include the date of the meeting, representatives from the company and the union, the grievance to be discussed, and the parties' main arguments. The grievances are arranged by department for 1943 to 1955, section for 1955 to 1986 or alphabetically by either complainant or topic for the 1970 to 1980s. The grievances reveal the date, department, and nature of the grievance.

Access Restrictions

Acces to Box 20 Folder 34 a signed confidentiality agreement.

Scope and Contents note

These files originate from both the Airbrake and Switch divisions and date from 1940 to 1985. Materials are arranged alphabetically by either employee name or topic. One box of arbitrations dates from 1940 to 1949 and contains several War Labor Board cases. Several files exist for arbitrations generated from departmental grievances and are therefore arranged by department. Other arbitrations refer to individual employees or specialized issues such as veterans' re-employment or vacation rights, length of the workweek, contract negotiations, wage increases, and piece rates.

The two remaining boxes date from 1955 to 1985 and contain arbitrations concerning employees or specific issues. More extensive files exist for the Briney arbitration, in which Local 610 members Harold Briney and Theodore Wright were suspended from employment for utilizing the Fifth Amendment during an examination by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Extensive files also exist for arbitrations concerning female retirement and pensions, and unjustified or suspicious discharges and suspensions. Also included in this series is information on unemployment compensation during the 1960s.

Scope and Contents note

The bulk of these files are derived from Local 610 and include general leaflets on organizing, meetings, and elections from 1955 to 1987. Additional leaflet files exist for specific topics such as Batesburg, salaried workers, and the Union Bulletin. In addition to Local 610 publications, this box also contains company publications such as the Airbrake News and Bulletin from 1967 to 1984.

Scope and Contents note

These files date from 1943 to 1987. The bulk of the files contain information on general topics such as the policies of American Standard, equal employment, exportation of Switch products, patents, and political action. Additional files contain correspondence with Westinghouse Airbrake Company (WABCO) managers and representatives of labor and employee relations. Occupational safety files address issues such as asbestos, general worker health and safety, and filing hazard evaluations. Additional files document the activities of the salary division of the Swissvale plant during the 1960 and 1970s.

Extensive files exist for the transfer of work from the Wilmerding and Swissvale plants to areas in the Southern United States and Canada, such as Batesburg, South Carolina; Lexington, Kentucky; and Macon, Georgia. Several files exist for a steering committee focused on improving productivity rather than relocating jobs. This series also contains files on the "Save Our Switch" organization that developed in 1982 in response to work transfers and document the use of the National Labor Relations Board, writing to politicians, and union organizing. Files for the unemployed committee contain financial and general information on the group as well as the addresses of members. A few additional files provide information on the likelihood of future investments into the Airbrake division.

Scope and Contents note

This series includes information on the Goldwater-Rhodes Bill and press clippings on the company and committee investigations into communist activities. This series also includes Local 610 noncommunist affidavit forms from 1954 to 1960 and the UE manual on Taft-Hartley procedures.

Scope and Contents note

The bulk of this series consists of newspaper articles and strike bulletins that document the progress of the strike. Additional files pertain to an injunction filed by the company to stop the strike and the arbitration on strike-related violence and vandalism.

Scope and Contents note

This series contains information on the general campaign to save the Swissvale and Wilmerding plants from closing and the formation of the "Coalition to Save the Brake and Switch" organization. Extensive correspondence and newspaper articles document the actions taken to save the plants. The miscellaneous files include press statements, correspondence, arbitrations and collected information. More specific files exist for the Coalition to Save organization and include bylaws, meeting minutes, and financial and legal information. The PACE business retention study files contain an evaluation of the financial feasibility of maintaining operations at Wilmerding and Swissvale. The Steel Valley Authority files focus on the organizations efforts to keep the plants in operation. In addition to subject files, this series also contains a large quantity of cards written to the chairman of American Standard to stop the removal of work from Wilmerding/Swissvale to Canada and Southern United States.

Scope and Contents note

These files contain information on Local 610's efforts to acquire severance pay and Trade Adjustment Act benefits for employees terminated from the Swissvale plant in 1986. The severance pay files include arbitrations, employee lists, correspondence, and other general information on the topic. The TRA files include program information, petitions for the release of confidential company information, eligibility of Local 610 workers, and the union's brief before the labor department for TRA assistance.

Scope and Contents note

Cards are arranged alphabetically by last name of the union member.

Scope and Contents note

This series contains job descriptions from the Westinghouse Airbrake Company (WABCO) that date from 1943 to 1983. These descriptions were used for the salary negotiations. Also included are rate/wage ranges from WABCO that date from 1940 to 1980 and show the graduations of pay for each position depending on rank.

Scope and Contents note

This series contains internal memos and lists of individuals who faced layoff, recall, termination or transfer. These memoranda/lists generally contain employee name, check number, seniority, and date of activity (layoff, recall, termination, etc.). The termination files from April 1986 include the worker service record and document changes in worker occupation.