Samuel Gompers Papers

Reel 13

368 O'Connell to SG, 8-22-14, refutes general belief that AFL has done nothing to organize unskilled

Reel 26

2206 Coughlin to SG, 2-3-14, Labor Forward campaign; some unions that favor industrialism at conventions, don’t organize their trade at home.

2207 Sheehan to SG, 4-21-14, Labor Forward campaign: International unions are not supporting the effort

Reel 27

1410 Moore to SG, 4-29-15, Need for Labor Forward movement in Baltimore; says the movement there is shattered.

1446 Stephagen to SG, 10-13-15, organizing school and female carpenters

1450 Conference re: Organizing Women workers, 3-19-14, SG, Frank Morrison, Hugh Frayne, John Golden, Mrs. Robins; notes Seattle convention’s 1 cent assessment to organize women; includes list of capable female candidates

2195 Stephagen to SG, 7-10-15, she agrees with primacy of trade unionism; reaching wives and children of strikes in Illinois

2271 Mahon to SG, 1-31-16, re: Metal Trades Department complaints against AASRE – he goes into organizing the
unskilled in the shops including “barmen, car washers, cleaners, track greasers, etc.” Also good on organizing women.

Reel 28

1038 A collection of letters from organizers on the Labor Forward campaign begins here.

Reel 29

1149 SG to Lysle, 12-4-18, re: right to meet in Mckeesport; Steel Workers Organizing Committee
[W. Z. Foster, 12-14-18, telegraphs that Lysle has no intention of conceding right; should he take letter
to paper? Note newspaper coverage re: steelworkers campaign follows]

Reel 34

1139 John Tobin to SG, 6-14-16, does not like to organize strikers; says funds are for members and contributors, not noncontributers.(Boot and Shoeworkers; NB, should be Moberly, not Mobile, Mo. according to surrounding correspondence; details follow)

2574 Hinzman to SG, 5-23-16, Boilermakers organizing laborers at Standard Oil, (more, SG to Reddick, 6-1-16, 2568; Reddick’s letter follows)

2588 McCarthy to Morrison, 9-26-18, boilermakers refusal to take in black workers ruined Fore River organizing campaign [reply precedes, 9-28-28].

2589 Morrison to Flynn, 10-2-18, more on above; more follows, 10-17-18

2673 Nee to Morrison, 8-11-17, wants a black organizer in Portsmouth, VA [reply precedes, see also 8-23-17, which precedes that.]

2676 Sause to Morrison, 4-8-18 and Morrison to Sause, 4-10-18, re: organizing railroad laborers, black and white.

2677 Jos. Ryan to Morrison, 4-8-18; wants AFL to organize FLU at La Junta for black shopmen who “are not eligible for membership.” Morrison to Ryan, 4-24-18, follows.

2678 Sause to Morrison, 4-12-18, organizing in Altoona. [FM response, 4-15-18, follows.]

2679 SG to Franklin, 5-9-18, re: organizing black Boilermakers in Florida; 4-27 letter referred to follows.

Reel 35

1646 Tracy to Morrison, 11-1-18, Organizers in steel campaign

2545 Wells to SG, 3-4-18, organizing in Canada [Carpenters; related correspondence precedes]

Reel 36

1153: Nolte to SG, 3-12-18, Pennsylvania RR organizing campaign and jurisdictional obstacles: Carpenters vs Carmen [related documents follow]

1659 Hilfers to SG 1-24-16, organizing striking girls working for the trust (cigarmakers)

2106: Van Horn to SG, 1-21-18, re: organizing less skilled cigarmakers, bunch makers, etc: “As long as we pay the freight, it is only right in my mind that we run the engine.”

Reel 37

1314 J. L. Lewis to Morrison, 9-17-15, organizing Westinghouse (IBEW)

1315 J. L. Lewis to Morrison, 10-1-15, more on Westinghouse

1323 Ford to SG, 5-16-17, organizing GE/Lynn [Sullivan letter, follows]

1675: Snelling to SG, 12-17-17, why is the AFL organizing Federal Labor Unions that compete
with International Unions? (Operating Engineers)

Reel 38

2443 J. L. Lewis to Morrison, 4-25-14, organizing Westinghouse, company-industrial union, organizing steel workers (AAISW).

2247 Williams to SG, 4-28-17, organizers deported from Gary

2248 Morrison to Nockles, 4-25-18, re: organizing steelworkers

Reel 39

1597 Quinlan to Morrison, 4-3-18, organizing; also ILA and IWW in Philadelphia

Reel 41

1652 SG to Fitzgerald, 8-14-16, NY Railway going back on its agreement to let men organize (AASRE)

1518 Morrison to McGillivray, 2-29-24, organizing potters in New Cumberland, WVA[Morrison to Higgins, follows]

2200 Ross to Morrison, 6-6-23, organizing clericals in Railroad Telegraphers’ union office, St. Louis [reply follows]

2442, Oats to Morrison, 5-6-24, men who transport trains across the river in New Orleans want to organize [sends it on to Furuseth; reply follows]Reel 42

2626 Morrison to Golden, 1-24-14, re: organizers and using organizing assessment for strike payments (Textile Workers)

2630 Golden to SG, 8-22-14, Atlanta strike; organizing in the South (Textile Workers)

2672: Golden to SG, 5-14-18, re: unofficial organizer caught with dynamite, German literature, etc. [Jerome Jones and P. W. Greene letters follow and provide more details]

1542 Morrison to Frayne, 4-2-23, organizing multigraph operators in NYC [related documents both precede and follow]

2346 Emmett Flood to FM, 12-16-24, Apparently he’s in Belleview, Ill., fighting off Communists in the Foundry Employes union and getting assaulted; he’s under arrest and awaiting trial; more, Holtschult to FM 12-10-24.

Reel 44

1431, Flannery to SG, 6-26-14, Freight Handlers being discharged for organizing, wants US Commission on Industrial Relations to acquaint Congress with attitude of RRs depriving workers of their rights as citizens.

Reel 45

1435 Morrison to Dudley, 8-1-18, re: shop crafts to be organized by Maintenance of Way

1576 Moyer to SG, 12-9-13, organizers have 24 hours to get out of town (WFM)

2067: Lampson to Morrison, 5-28-18, organizing black teachers

Reel 51

1123 Morrison to D’Alessandro, 11-11-18, re: other unions organizing laborers in steel mills

1206 Young to Morrison,, 3-29-18, re: shipyard laborers “We have largely organized ourselves by the efforts of our active members. We have laid hold of an opportunity to fill a very large gap in the Labor Movement.” [more follows; SG sends out a letter, 7-9-18, calling a conference for 9-23 on issue of organizing shipyards;1222, Young to O’Connor, 1-6-19, lays out issues; there is more on Young, reel 52, 1273, Morrison to Fisher, 2-8-19]

1476 Wynn to SG, 6-3-18, a Pullman porter wants to organize [note, there’s plenty of correspondence here re: formation of Pullman Employees union]

Reel 78

205 Stuart Reid to SG,11-1-14, he misses organizing (SG's letter to him, ca Sept 1914, reel 77; SG replies, 260, no money)

Reel 83

229 Abrams to Larkin, 4-17-17, Federal Marshals arrest organizers in Gary, Ind.

Reel 84

311 O’Brien to SG, 5-26-17, organizing skilled workers at Lawrence mills [agreement follows; 334, strike settled]

C. O. Young, 5-29-17, 410, organizing unskilled who are being stiffed by government.(more 537)

Reel 86

203, Moore to SG, 7-19-17, Government discharged two “labor agitators” as IWW men – [reply, 283; passes it on, 285; more, 348; 448; 521 and 563, affidavits; 647, 649, 687; reel 87, 215; 217, 402; reel 88, 207; 282; 701;828; reel 89, 614; 616; reel 90, 27]