MS 80 - National Association of Letter Carriers, Branch 100
MLA Citation
Tags
| Title | MS 80 - National Association of Letter Carriers, Branch 100 |
|---|---|
| Introduction | The records of the National Association of Letter Carriers, Branch 100, Toledo, Ohio, date from 1896 to 1969 and consist of four linear feet of regular meeting minutes, attendance books, correspondence, account ledgers, newsletters, entertainment organization material, and convention programs. The records of the Letter Carriers 100 were donated to the Center for Archival Collections in 1975 through the efforts of Steve Gietschier, Co-Director of the Ohio Labor History Project. Literary and property rights have been dedicated to the public and duplication is permitted for the purposes of preservation and scholarly research. The collection was processed and register prepared by Peter Lundskow, CAC volunteer, in March 1982. |
| Agency History | Toledo Branch 100 was an early member of the National Association of Letter Carriers. The National Association was organized in August 1889 with the impetus from the Letter Carriers of Milwaukee. The following year many attempts were made in Toledo to organize a local chapter. Durign a year of continuous effort the letter carriers met with little success until December of that year when they were granted a charter. The Letter Carriers' experiences reflected those of many other labor unions of the era. The branch struggled to survive at the start of its first decade. Many monthly meetings of those years were adjourned for lack of a quorum representing the thirty-two members. No actual records remain except the Chapter's biographical sketch, found in an 1896 convention program. Fortunately, from 1896 on, extensive minutes were kept of all regular meetings. Also from 1896, it appeared that the Branch was becoming more powerful as membership increased, an in 1898 the Branch hosted the national convention in Toledo. During the first half of the twentieth century, the Union continued to strive for better working conditions, higher pay, and supported other pro-labor causes in the United States. Highlights of the era were: the suspension of Sunday mail service; contributions ot the Sacco and Vanzetti defense; boycotts of non-union consumer goods; and the drive to end twice daily delivery service. The membership of the Local in 1975 consisted of over 500 active members and over 150 pensioned retirees. In 1966, Branch 100 purchased a building which houses its current offices at 602 Dearborn, Toledo, Ohio 43605. |
| Scope and Content | The records of the National Association of Letter Carriers, Branch 100, of Toledo, Ohio, document the history of a governmental service labor union and its members from 1896 to 1969. These records contain minutes, correspondence, reports, financial records, newsletters, and programs. Regular meeting minutes document the years 1896-1969. The minutes contain regular business information, reports of committees, special meeting reports, and monthly financial reports. Also included are minutes from the entertainment organization of the union from 1941-1947 and membership roll books for 1924-1963. Branch 100 correspondence is very minimal. The best of these letters is a file which embodies the campaign for increased salary in 1942, the first substantial increase since the early 1930s. Reports contain those of the entertainment organization ("Boo Hum Ditt Dum"), conventions, and an 85th anniversary report of Branch 100 (1975). The latter report contains a history of the Branch, its parent organization, and the history of the wives' auxiliary. Financial records include expense and receipt ledgers (1898-1969) and dues books (1921-1948). From 1899 to 1969 the general and convention funds were kept and audited. Beginning in 1946 building fund records were kept along wtih the latter, which culminated in the purchase of a union hall in 1966. The dues books are kept monthly. They are alphabetical records of each member and the amount of union dues paid. From 1948 the dues are automatically withdrawn from paychecks. In May of 1964, a union newsletter was created with the intention of keeping members informed on both local and national union news and, also as an organ in which the executive committee could address its members. Completing the collection are three convention programs, the two most important being: the program for the national convention in Toledo in 1898 and the state convention program which took place in Toledo in 1971. The former contains the only information on the early years (1889-1896) of the union in the collection. |
| Series Description | PROCEEDINGS MONTHLY MEETING MINUTES BALLOT TALLY SHEETS ENTERTAINMENT ORGANIZATION MINUTES ROLL BOOKS CORRESPONDENCE CORRESPONDENCE CORRESPONDENCE CORRESPONDENCE CORRESPONDENCE REPORTS ANNUAL REPORTS ANNIVERSARY REPORT LITERARY PRODUCTIONS RESEARCH NOTES FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS RECEIPT AND EXPENSE LEDGER DUES BOOKS PRINTED MATERIAL NEWSLETTERS NEWSLETTERS FLYERS PROGRAMS |
| Inventory | Box 1 Folders
Box 2 Folders
Box 3 Folders
Box 4 Folders
Box 5 Folders
Box 6 Folders
Box 7 Folders
Box 8 Folders
|