Carpenters, Local 1138 (Toledo, Ohio) records

Collection – Multiple Containers

Identifier: MS-0147

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

The records of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, Local 1138, Toledo, Ohio, date from 1885 to 1986. The collection includes minutes (both the local and the district council), correspondence, agreements, financial reports, and miscellaneous printed matter.

Dates

Creation: 1885-1986

Extent

19.71 Cubic Feet (3 letter boxes, 11 legal boxes, 13 record cartons)

Creator

United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. Local 1138 (Toledo, Ohio) (Organization)

Scope and Contents

The records of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America Local 1138 date from 1855 to 1985, with the bulk of the material dating from the 1940s through the 1960s. Over one-half of this collection consists of bound volumes of dues registers (1887-1958). These registers provide statistical information on the members.

More important to the researcher are the minutes and correspondence. The regular minutes of Local 1138 are complete from 1946-1970. The minutes include reports, motions made, business conducted, and quarterly financial audits. The District council (overseeing various locals in northwest Ohio) minutes (1948-1956, 1966-1971) provide a broader perspective to issues than those of the Local. The only Business Agent minutes, unfortunately, are from 1967, as these minutes reflect the real day-to-day conflicts of the union. The correspondence (1944-1974) is separated as to that of the District Council, Local 1138, and general and reflects the union's dealings with other unions and city officials. The legal aspects of the union are documented within the union agreements (1928-1968) and the resolutions of various jurisdictional disputes. Miscellaneous union printed material and photographs complete the collection.

Biographical / Historical

Local 1138 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America was organized in 1885. Earlier attempts (1860s) to organize carpenters in Toledo had been unsuccessful until local 25 was chartered in 1882. The early objectives of the Carpenters' Union were to:

"Discourage piece work, to encourage an apprentice system and a higher standard of skill, to cultivate a feeling of friendship among the craft, to assist each other to secure employment, to reduce the hours of daily labor, to secure adequate pay for our work, to furnish aid in cases of death and sickness, and by legal and proper means to elevate the moral, intellectual, and social conditions of its members and improve the trade." (The Toledo Union, November 1897.)

At present (1997) Mr. Ron Rothenbuhler serves as Business Manager, with offices at 1217 Prouty Avenue, Toledo, OH 43612.

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

Additional Description

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into the following series:

Proceedings, 1946-1971
Correspondence, 1944-1974
Legal documents, 1928-1973
Reports, 1954-1971
Financial documents, 1885-1986
Printed material, 1899-1961

Related Materials

The researcher also might wish to review the records of the Carpenters Women's Auxiliary #2 (MS-0149), Toledo, Ohio.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The records of Local 1138 were donated to the Center for Archival Collections in July 1980 through the cooperation of Dave Gray, field representative of the Ohio Labor History Project, and Paul Yon, Associate Director of the Center for Archival Collections, Bowling Green State University. An addition to the collection was made in October 1997 with the cooperation of Mr. Ron Rothenbuhler, Business Representative and Kristin Dusseau, archives assistant for the Center in 1997.

Processing Information

The finding aid was prepared by Jill Morse, a graduate assistant at Bowling Green State University in February 1981, amd updated in 1997 by Kristin Dusseau.