International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 32 (Lima, Ohio) records

 Collection
Identifier: MS-0035

Collection Overview

Abstract

The records of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 32, date from 1942 to 1964 and consist of two linear feet of material, contained in four boxes. Included in the collection are three varieties of minutes--those of the Local itself, entitled Regular Minutes, those of the Executive Board, and the minutes of the Electrical Workers Benefit Association. Also contained in the collection are ledger books, dating from 1942 to 1951, which give information concerning the receipts and expenditures of the Local, and a few miscellaneous itesm, such as correspondence, resignations, nominations, stewards reports, and resolutions.

Dates

  • Creation: 1942-1964

Extent

1.84 Cubic Feet (4 legal archival boxes)

Creator

Scope and Contents

The records of Local 32 provide the researcher with a good, albeit scattered, history of a northwestern Ohio labor organization. The most complete series within this collection are the regular minutes, which are complete from 1943 to 1964. These written records contain the names of the officers of the Local who were in attendance and the various matters that were discussed at each meeting. The discussions generally centered around voting on applications for membership or voting for officers of the Local. The regular minutes also contain other matters of business, such as approval of the payment of bills. The Executive Board minutes (1944 to 1964) mainly document requests and examinations for job reclassifications. The minutes of the Benefit Association (1957-1965) provide insight into the death care and death benefits offered to members and their families.

The next largest, and also quite complete, record series are the ledgers, of which there are two types. These consist of two volumes which contain information on the receipts and expenditures and five volumes that list each member's dues. The dues ledgers also contain information on the length of military service of the members. The researcher who is examining this series may be confused, initially, by the denotations "A" and "B" on the front of the two ledgers. These are merely the dues ledgers of those members whose card numbers begin with either "A" or "B."

The remaining portions of the collection contain items which, because of their incomplete nature, serve as examples of other series of records that one might encounter in a collection of this type. These documents consist of twelve pieces of correspondence, one Steward's Report, two resignations, one listing nominations for officers, one undated listing of officers, and two Resolutions by the Local on the event of the deaths of long-time members.

The early records (1898-1943) of this Local were destroyed in a flood, and the records since 1964 are being kept by the Local until they are microfilmed, at which time the originals will be transferred to the CAC. These records should be of interest to anyone engaged in research concerning the history of labor, especially at the local level.

Biographical / Historical

Local 32 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, chartered in 1898, is a "mixed" local as membership includes inside wiremen, linemen, utility and telephone workers, and sign erectors. The Local represents electrical workers in five counties and seven townships in northwestern Ohio. In the entire history of the local there has never been a strike, although it has been quite active politically, usually supporting Democratic candidates. The only material that is published by the Local is a newsletter, which is distributed among the members.

The current offices (1997) for Local 32 are located at 1975 North West Street, Lima, Ohio \ 45801-2632. Mr. Dave Smith serves as business manager.

Conditions Governing Access

No known access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.

Language of Materials

English

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The records of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 32, were donated through the efforts of Paul Yon, Associate Director of the Center for Archival Collections, and Steve Gietschier, Labor Field Representative of the Ohio Historical Society, in June 1977.

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Joanne Passet, of the CAC. Literary and property rights have been donated to the public, the result of a deed of gift. The finding aid for the collection was prepared by David Spoon, graduate assistant in history in March 1982.

Title
Guide to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 32 (Lima,OH) records
Author
David Spoon, Madeleine Williams
Date
March 1982, March 2021
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin