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Subseries 3A.10: Freedom of Belief, Expression, and Association: Labor and Business, 1937-1978

12 boxes
Collection Creator:
American civil liberties union
Dates:
1937-1978
Extent:
12 boxes
Languages:
English
Scope and Contents

This subseries (5.04 linear feet) contains various legal, administrative, and correspondence files relating to the ACLU's involvement in the protection of union and employee rights. The records also contain newspaper clippings and reprints of ACLU-published documents relating to labor unions and business practices.

The bulk of the material is from the 1950s, a time of active union unrest and tense labor politics. Many of the files from this time refer to the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947. Also known as the Labor/Management Relations Act, this legislation was passed by Congress over the veto of President Truman. It restricted unions from engaging in certain practices including inducing an employer to discriminate against an employee who had been expelled from a union for any other reason than failing to pay dues; restricting the rights of employees to form and participate in unions; and limiting the right to strike. Furthermore, the Taft-Hartley Act increased the role of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in union politics by requiring that all unions register with the federally-regulated NLRB. The Taft-Hartley Act is often referred to in these records in various legal challenges throughout the subsequent decade. The unions and organizations most often referred to in these records include the United Mine Workers (UMW), the United Auto Workers (UAW), the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). The AFL-CIO united in 1955.

The collection is divided into the following headings: unions, federal government, legislation, state issues, cases, protest, other organizations, and miscellaneous. Union documents include records for any recognized union, its internal democracy, or its charter. Federal government records are composed of documents relating to the labor views and practices of any facet of the United States government. Legislation files include proposed federal legislation governing business and labor practices. State issues files include records relating to state labor bureaus and state and local legislation. The Case files contain only legal cases in which the ACLU had minimal or no involvement. These cases served as legal precedents and often evoked much debate within the ACLU in terms of policy concerning certain important issues. Protest files include records pertinent to strikes by labor unions and picketing in general. The Outside Organizations subseries includes records pertinent to the AFL-CIO.

Existence and Location of Copies

American Civil Liberties Union Records: Subgroup 2, Subject Files Series, Boxes 704 through 1192 are stored offsite. The records in these boxes have been digitized and are available online to members of the Princeton University Community, or visitors to campus, through the Princeton University Library's subscription to the Gale database American Civil Liberties Union Papers, 1912-1990.

Public records of the ACLU from 1917 to 1989, have been microfilmed by the Microfilming Corporation of America (MCA) and University Microfilms International (UMI). These records include minutes of the board of directors, mailings to the board of directors, biennial conference papers, policy guides, the national legal docket, organization manuals, constitution and bylaws, legal briefs, and publications. The microfilm may be requested through this finding aid, in the second series.

Conditions Governing Access

Subgroup 2 is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Credit this material:

Subseries 3A.10: Freedom of Belief, Expression, and Association: Labor and Business; American Civil Liberties Union Records: Subgroup 2, Subject Files Series, MC001-02-03, Public Policy Papers, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Storage Note:
  • ReCAP (rcpph): Box 844-855
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Paula Jabloner in 1994-1996 with the assistance of Assistant Archivist for Technical Services Daniel Linke, Special Collections Assistants Amy Escott, Claire Johnston, Alison McCuaig, and Tom Rosko, and students Laurie Alexander, Christina Aragon, Laura Burt, Jue Chen, Clement Doyle, Joe Faber, Said Farah, Boyd Goodson, Naomi Harlin, Janet Hine, Matthew Honahan, Katherine Johnson, Damian Long, Theresa Marchitto, Laura Myones, Olivia Kew, Grace Koo, Dan Sack, Bijan Salehizadeh, Tina Wang, Kyle Weston, and Elizabeth Williamson.

Collection Overview

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

This subseries (5.04 linear feet) contains various legal, administrative, and correspondence files relating to the ACLU's involvement in the protection of union and employee rights. The records also contain newspaper clippings and reprints of ACLU-published documents relating to labor unions and business practices.

The bulk of the material is from the 1950s, a time of active union unrest and tense labor politics. Many of the files from this time refer to the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947. Also known as the Labor/Management Relations Act, this legislation was passed by Congress over the veto of President Truman. It restricted unions from engaging in certain practices including inducing an employer to discriminate against an employee who had been expelled from a union for any other reason than failing to pay dues; restricting the rights of employees to form and participate in unions; and limiting the right to strike. Furthermore, the Taft-Hartley Act increased the role of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in union politics by requiring that all unions register with the federally-regulated NLRB. The Taft-Hartley Act is often referred to in these records in various legal challenges throughout the subsequent decade. The unions and organizations most often referred to in these records include the United Mine Workers (UMW), the United Auto Workers (UAW), the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). The AFL-CIO united in 1955.

The collection is divided into the following headings: unions, federal government, legislation, state issues, cases, protest, other organizations, and miscellaneous. Union documents include records for any recognized union, its internal democracy, or its charter. Federal government records are composed of documents relating to the labor views and practices of any facet of the United States government. Legislation files include proposed federal legislation governing business and labor practices. State issues files include records relating to state labor bureaus and state and local legislation. The Case files contain only legal cases in which the ACLU had minimal or no involvement. These cases served as legal precedents and often evoked much debate within the ACLU in terms of policy concerning certain important issues. Protest files include records pertinent to strikes by labor unions and picketing in general. The Outside Organizations subseries includes records pertinent to the AFL-CIO.

Arrangement

No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.

Collection History

Appraisal

During the processing of this collection, many items were discarded, including newspaper clippings from the New York Times and other major newspapers, government publications, well- known serial publications, and publications and large distribution memoranda from well-known and well-documented organizations such as the American Jewish Committee or Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.

Sponsorship:

These papers were processed with the generous support of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and the John Foster and Janet Avery Dulles Fund.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Paula Jabloner in 1994-1996 with the assistance of Assistant Archivist for Technical Services Daniel Linke, Special Collections Assistants Amy Escott, Claire Johnston, Alison McCuaig, and Tom Rosko, and students Laurie Alexander, Christina Aragon, Laura Burt, Jue Chen, Clement Doyle, Joe Faber, Said Farah, Boyd Goodson, Naomi Harlin, Janet Hine, Matthew Honahan, Katherine Johnson, Damian Long, Theresa Marchitto, Laura Myones, Olivia Kew, Grace Koo, Dan Sack, Bijan Salehizadeh, Tina Wang, Kyle Weston, and Elizabeth Williamson.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Subgroup 2 is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Subseries 3A.10: Freedom of Belief, Expression, and Association: Labor and Business; American Civil Liberties Union Records: Subgroup 2, Subject Files Series, MC001-02-03, Public Policy Papers, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Location:
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
65 Olden Street
Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
(609) 258-6345
Ask Us a Question
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Storage Note:
  • ReCAP (rcpph): Box 844-855

Find More

Existence and Location of Copies

American Civil Liberties Union Records: Subgroup 2, Subject Files Series, Boxes 704 through 1192 are stored offsite. The records in these boxes have been digitized and are available online to members of the Princeton University Community, or visitors to campus, through the Princeton University Library's subscription to the Gale database American Civil Liberties Union Papers, 1912-1990.

Public records of the ACLU from 1917 to 1989, have been microfilmed by the Microfilming Corporation of America (MCA) and University Microfilms International (UMI). These records include minutes of the board of directors, mailings to the board of directors, biennial conference papers, policy guides, the national legal docket, organization manuals, constitution and bylaws, legal briefs, and publications. The microfilm may be requested through this finding aid, in the second series.

Related Materials

American Civil Liberties Union, Washington, D.C. Office Records

American United for the Separation of Church and State Records

Roger N. Baldwin Papers

Osmond K. Fraenkel Diaries

Fund for the Republic Records

Arthur Garfield Hays Papers

Peggy Lamson Collection on Roger N. Baldwin

Law Students Civil Rights Research Council Records

PEN American Center Records (at Firestone Library)

Other Finding Aids

This finding aid describes a portion of the American Civil Liberties Union Records held at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library. For an overview of the entire collection, instructions on searching the collection and requesting materials, and other information, please see the Guide to the American Civil Liberties Union Records.

Bibliography

Historical sketch based on In Defense of American Liberties: A History of the ACLU by Samuel Walker. See also Samuel Walker's The American Civil Liberties Union: An Annotated Bibliography.

Names:
American Union Against Militarism
United States. | Constitution. 1st-10th Amendments
Marshall Civil Liberties Trust Fund
National Civil Liberties Bureau (U.S.)
New York Times company
Baldwin, Roger N. (Roger Nash) (1884-1981)
Dorsen, Norman
Dulles, John Foster (1888-1959)
Ennis, Bruce J. (1941)
Epperson, Susan
Escobedo, Danny
Everson, Arch R.
Gault, Gerald Francis (1949 or 1950-)
Gideon, Clarence Earl
Griswold, Estelle
Hays, Arthur Garfield (1881-1954)
Holtzman, Elizabeth.
Jacobellis, Nico
Levy, Herbert Monte (1923)
Malin, Patrick Murphy (1903-1964)
Miranda, Ernesto
Neier, Aryeh (1937)
Neuborne, Burt (1941)
Nixon, Richard M. Richard Milhous (1913-1994)
Pemberton, John de J., Jr. (1919-2009)
Perry, Richard L.
Pound, Ezra (1885-1972)
Powell, John A. (John Anthony)
Reitman, Alan
Schempp, Edward L.
Schwarzschild, Henry
Scopes, John Thomas (1900-1970)
Seeger, Daniel A.
Tinker, John Frederick
Wulf, Melvin A.