Abstract While a graduate history student at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Edward Savela conducted oral history interviews with retired Detroit-area auto workers on changes in the automobile industry as part of research for his master’s thesis. Collection consists of five interviews with retired UAW members chronicling their lengthy careers in the automobile industry in the Detroit metropolitan area. Transcripts and audio recordings available for each. Interviewees discuss apprenticeship...

Abstract Angelo Deitos became president of the United Auto Workers Local 78 in the 1970s. His papers document the affairs of the local and the activities of labor union militants in the auto and other industries during that time.

Abstract Journalist Archie Robinson served as the labor editor of the Detroit News, as a press officer for the National War Labor Board, as labor editor of the U.S. News and World Report, and authored George Meany and His Times, a history of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and its president. Mr. Robinson’s papers document his career in journalism and his coverage of major labor issues.

Abstract In 1985, an oral history was conducted with Blaine Marrin by an unidentified interviewer. Blaine Marrin was a former president of UAW Local 157 and an active UAW member since 1937. Collection consists of an audio recording of reminiscences by Marrin about his time with the UAW, as well as his prior experiences with the Mechanics Educational Society of America (MESA).

Abstract Dorothy Kraus, wife of Henry Kraus, had a Jewish working class socialist family background. When married to Henry, she helped assist in local Detroit UAW strikes by organizing strike kitchens and leading the Emergency Brigade. Her efforts led to the formation of the UAW Women's Auxiliary.Material in Part I of the Dorothy Kraus Collection relates mainly to the early activities of the UAW Women's Auxiliary, attempts to control the cost of living during the Depression, and to...

Abstract Francis "Jack" Palmer worked for General Motors, Flint, MI where he became a member of the United Auto Workers. He was active in the local union, eventually serving as president. His papers relate primarily to his efforts to promote the escalator clause in labor negotiations, foster the founding of an independent labor political party, and repeal of the "no-strike" pledge of the union during WWII.

Abstract Mr. Kraus was the first editor of the UAW's newspaper The United Auto Worker (later changed to Solidarity). He was active in the early attempts by the UAW (first under the AFL and later under the CIO) to organize the auto industry. Files for the late 1920s and early 1930s cover the attempts by groups, including the Auto Workers Union of the Trade Union Unity League, to organize auto workers, and discuss such events as the Murray Body Strike (1929); the Ford Hunger March (1932); and the Briggs...

Abstract Ken Morris served as president of United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 212 and as director of UAW Region 1B. Mr. Morris was active in community affairs and served in various committees such as the Oakland University Board of Trustees, the Oakland County Mental Health Board, and the National Commission on Unemployment and Compensation. Mr. Morris’ papers relate primarily to his activities as Director of UAW Region 1B, and to a lesser degree, his trusteeship at Oakland University, and reflect his...

Abstract Mike Westfall was a member of the United Auto Workers Local 598 in Flint, MI. His papers reflect his leadership in the Flint-based grassroots movement to bring attention to the effects of corporate restructuring and job loss in the automotive industry.

Abstract Mildred Jeffrey worked as an organizer for the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, as Educational Director of the Pennsylvania Joint Board of Shirt Workers, as a consultant to the War Labor Board, as Director of the United Auto Workers (UAW) Women’s Bureau, and as Director for UAW Community Relations and Consumer Affairs Departments. Ms. Jeffrey was also active in the Democratic Party and was a founding member and chair of the National Organization of Women’s (NOW) political arm, the...

Abstract Paul Parker worked for the Flint, MI Chevrolet Division of General Motors for forty-one years. During that time he served the United Auto Workers in several capacities and was active in local and state Democratic politics. His papers primarily reflect his activities in the Michigan House of Representatives.

Abstract Richard Harris worked for the UAW, Michigan Department of Labor and Industry, and the American Arbitration Association. His papers consist of a tribute he wrote to Walter Reuther recalling the conditions of auto workers in the pre-union days of the 1930s.

Abstract Ruth Milkman (1954-) is a professor of sociology at the CUNY Graduate Center and the academic director at the Joseph F. Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies. Her professional focus is labor and labor movements, and she has published on a variety of topics revolving around work and organized labor in the United States. She received her B.A. from Brown University and her M.A. from the University of California, Berkley. Milkman’s early research focused on women workers during...

Abstract Stuart Strachan held several positions in the United Auto Workers Locals 615 and 174, throughout his career. His papers reflect UAW activities at the time, both local and national.

Abstract Thomas Starling was a United Auto Workers member and president of Local 34 in Atlanta, GA who served on the UAW Board of Directors for twelve years. His papers reflect his association with the UAW, especially in regards to General Motors.

Abstract The records of the United Auto Workers Accounting Department consist of financial reports.

Abstract The papers of the AMC department of the UAW were placed in the Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs in April of 1990 and were opened for research in 1992. The UAW and AMC began their working relationship in 1955 when the Hudson and Nash companies merged to form American Motors Corporation. This branch of the UAW represented workers in Kenosha, Wisconsin and Toledo, Ohio. The papers in this collection reflect the general office correspondence between the UAW, the UAW's three locals which worked...

Abstract The UAW Chrysler Department was formed in the year following the tumultuous sit-down strikes of 1937. Responsible of the department included planning, developing, negotiating, and administering collective bargaining agreements for Chrysler workers in the United States and Canada. The records of the department reflect its administration and activities and largely include the files of Arthur Hughes, an administrative assistant and assistant director in the department from 1940-1978.

Abstract In 1957 the United Auto Workers changed the name of their Political Action Department to the Citizenship Department, headed by Roy Reuther. Their records cover activities until the subsequent name change to the Citizenship-Legislative Department.

Abstract These records contain material from the United Auto Workers conventions held in 1951 and 1953.

Abstract The United Auto Workers Education Department records reflect their various activities, such as negotiations, and include material from the tenures of Edward Coffey and Carroll Hutton.

Abstract The UAW signed its first contract with Ford Motor Company in 1941 after years of confrontation between labor and management. They achieved many gains for Ford employees, including a pension plan, health care benefits, workplace health and safety protection, skilled trades recognition, a shortened work week, more paid days off, supplemental unemployment benefits, and a guaranteed annual income credit. Their records document department affairs under the leadership of Richard Leonard and Ken...

Abstract Between 1985 and 1998, the United Auto Workers and the Walter P. Reuther Library cooperated in a project to document the careers of members of the UAW International Executive Board and important events in the history of the union. Collection consists of audio recordings, some video recordings, transcripts for 18 interviews, and a metal die of the UAW logo created for printing the transcripts. Past and current IEB members discuss their backgrounds; entry into the labor movement; early careers;...

Abstract Subjects include: Neco Ordnance plant closing in Winona, Minnesota

Abstract Subjects include: Leonard Woodcock’s local; Continental Motors (Muskegon, Michigan); Muskegon politics and government; World War II aircraft industry workers