Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union, Local 7-624 records

The bulk of the records included in this manuscript collection defines the organization and activities of O.C.A.W. Local 7-624, 1956 to 1975, although some records dating from this Local's earlier affiliation as Refinery Workers' Federal Labor Union No. 23927 are included. Best represented are the negotiations and meetings conducted between the Union and the Management of the Sohio Oil Refinery in Lima, Ohio. In particular are the series of contract negotiations which took place almost annually between 1958 and 1973. Each series of deliberations are very well-represented by a sequence of Minutes and Bulletins which were printed and distributed by the Union to its members. Personal notes and memos by Union officers provide an even more intimate view of the negotiations process. Most of the Agreements signed at the termination of bargaining are included. The contract negotiations are arranged by record type (e.g. minutes, proposals, agreements) and by each new contract negotiation process (usually over a two year period).

Another major element of the collection are the files containing official grievances charged by the Union against management activities in the work place. Each contain the original or facsimile "Report on Complaint and Settlement" issued to company officials which describe perceived contract violations. Subsequent correspondence reveal the selection of a legal arbitrator as well as the arbitration hearing and the final decision.

Incoming and outgoing correspondence of Local 7-624 provide an exposure to the wide array of social and legislative issues which the Union dealt with between 1961 and 1970. More specialized correspondence and minutes generated by the Safety Committee and Stewards Council reveal more of the internal organization and government of this particular Local. Some files deal exclusively with the employees of the Ohio Window Cleaning Company who were organized and absorbed within Local 7-624 in 1960.

The papers and correspondence of the Petroleum Safety Code Committee record the early efforts of Ohio legislators, in combination with the O.C.A.W. to create and define a set of regulations for the oil industry within this state. The efforts and proposals of this committee were overturned.

Predictably the collection contains much about general labor issues on the local, state and national levels. Communications and printed materials from other O.C.A.W. Locals in the state of Ohio are included. Industry and company reports provide information which also might serve as a backdrop to the many activities of the O.C.A.W. Local 7-624.