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.

AGREEMENTS, BYLAWS, AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENTS OF REFINERY WORKERS' FEDERAL LABOR UNION NO. 23927; 1951 - 1954; Aarranged chronologically. Official documents of this forerunner of O.C.A.W. Local 7-624.

NEGOTIATIONS AND AGREEMENTS; 1958 - 1973; arranged by record series and date for each negotiation process. Correspondence, minutes, bulletins, and final agreements outlining a series of contract negotiations between the Union and Management of the Lima Refinery of Standard Oil.

MONTHLY MEETINGS; 1955 - 1970; arranged chronologically. A series of printed minutes and agendas of the regularly scheduled meetings held between the Union and Management each month. Grievances were among the major issues discussed at these meetings.

GRIEVANCES; 1957-1964; arranged by grievance and within chronological order. Each grievance file contains the official report filed by the Union Steward with subsequent correspondence and exhibits which were used by the arbitrator to resolve the issue. Reports of hearings, decisions, and awards are all included whether the case was won by the Union or the Company.

LOCAL 7-624 CORRESPONDENCE; 1961 - 1970; arranged chronologically. Incoming and outgoing correspondence from the files of the Local dealing with specific and general labor issues.

GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE; undated, 1963; arranged chronologically. Two files outlining the grievance procedure approved by Local 7-624 and the National Labor Relations Board.

LIMA BULK PLANT; 1965 - 1966; arranged chronologically. Contract negotiations between the Independent Oil Workers of Ohio Local No. 2 and Standard Oil Company Bulk Plant, Lima. Also contains results of an election held by Independent Oil Workers of Ohio members to decide if they would join O.C.A.W.

O.C.A.W. OIL COUNCIL; 1968 - 1969; no discernible arrangement. John P. Dornick's notes and printed materials from the February 1968 O.C.A.W. Oil Council Meetings.

OHIO WINDOW CLEANING COMPANY; 1960 - 1964; arranged chronologically. Local 7-624 correspondence, minutes and grievances dealing with its members employed by the Ohio Window Cleaning Company who had a perpetual contract to clean windows at the Standard Oil Refinery complex in Lima.

PETROLEUM SAFETY CODE COMMITTEE; 1946 - 1966; arranged chronologically. Correspondence, notes and reports generated by the O.C.A.W. Safety Code Committee detailing their efforts to obtain a Petroleum Safety Code for all those employed by the Petroleum Industry in Ohio.

SAFETY COMMITTEE, LOCAL 7-624; 1946 - 1967; arranged chronologically. Correspondence and meeting minutes between Local 7-624 and Standard Oil over safety issues. Newspaper and magazine articles and accident and injury reports supplement this information.

STANDARD OIL COMPANY; 1962 - 1964; arranged chronologically. Includes correspondence and individual proposals by Standard Oil to modify working procedures and job descriptions at the Lima Refinery.

STEWARDS COUNCIL; 1951 - 1970; arranged chronologically. Contains detailed minutes and correspondence of the Local 7-624 Stewards Council. Also included are all grievances filed by individual Stewards during this time as well as reports, election results, and training information for the Union Steward.

STRIKE; 1968 - 1969; arranged chronologically. Photocopies of newspaper articles detailing the strike held by O.C.A.W. Local 7-624 during January 1969 at the Lima Refinery of Standard Oil.

TAFT-HARTLEY "RIGHT TO WORK" BILL; 1947 - 1959; arranged chronologically. Includes a booklet, flyers, reports, and a newspaper article outlining Union and Workers objections against the Taft-Hartley Law.

UNION ORGANIZATION; 1965, 1974; A directory of the O.C.A.W. International Union officers, and written materials illustrating its organization. Also some correspondence relating to the training and education of Union members.

UNITED ACTION COMMITTEE; 1953 - 1955; arranged chronologically. Proceedings of the United Action Committee comprising bargaining units from all Union Locals working with the Standard Oil Company and its subsidiaries. Its purpose was to unite in order to achieve better labor conditions.

CONSTITUTIONS; 1956, 1960, 1964, 1972, undated; arranged chronologically. Constitutions and Bylaws of Local 7-624 from its beginnings as Federal Labor Union No. 23927.

AGREEMENTS; 1956 - 1967; arranged chronologically. A collection of contract agreements between Sohio Petroleum and the Ohio Window Cleaning Company with various O.C.A.W. Locals. Includes aMemorandum of Understanding between the Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporationand the United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implements Workers ofAmerica, Local 106.

SUMMONS; 1969. A court summons detailing charges made by Standard Oil against John P. Dornick and Local 7-624 for picketing activities during the strike of 1969.

CONSTITUTIONS; 1949 - 1975, undated; arranged chronologically. O.C.A.W. handbooks of constitutions ratified at the Union's constitutional conventions. Also examples of Local constitutions of the O.C.A.W., the A.F.L.-C.I.O., and the Independent Oil Workers of Ohio.

AGREEMENTS; 1952 - 1971; arranged chronologically. Articles of Agreement ratified between Standard Oil, the Pure Oil Company, Gulf Oil, and various Locals of O.C.A.W. Also includes agreements made with other companies.

O.C.A.W. MATERIAL; 1960 - 1972; arranged chronologically. Reports, manuals, and pamphlet material printed and issued by the O.C.A.W. International detailing bargaining policies, safety and health issues, and organizational procedures. One issue of the O.C.A.W. Union News (July 1972) is included.

INDUSTRY MATERIAL; 1949 - 1971, undated; arranged chronologically. Reports and publications concerned with labor in general, and the petroleum industry in particular.

STANDARD OIL COMPANY; 1959 - 1972; arranged chronologically. Annual and financial reports printed and issued by the Standard Oil Company.