Robert Boone, UAW 933, March 2015
The first years of Local 933
This forward was placed into a history booklet by Maurice H. Price past President of local 933. It was supplied to me by a past political running mate and friend for more years than I want to recognize LENGTHY, but I hope not boring.
Sunday October 12, 1941 meeting called to elect first officers:
President: Merritt D. Allen
First Vice: Lee Jones
Recording Secy: Karl Kurky
Fin. Secy: Leo Vavul
3 year Trustee: Kenneth Roberts
2 year Trustee: Harry Bennett
1 year Trustee: Russell S. Burke
Sgt-At-Arms: Neal Green
Guide: James Sanderson
HISTORY AND HIGHLIGHTS
On Wednesday, September 17, l941, a meeting of the Allison workers was called by International Representative, John Bartee for the purpose of getting the names of twenty members to go on the Charter for the Allison employees. The following names were submitted to be placed on the Charter:
Clarene A. Robinett
Elmer J. Barnes
Lewis E. Haskett
Clarde Gastineau
KarI J. Kurkey
Clarence Vore
Louis Wilmany
Logan Smith
Robert Skinner
Harlow K. Ambler
Alfred Chenowith
John L. Staples
John D. Durham
Gerald V. Hamilton
Maurice C. Goss
Dan Mitchell
Bruce MiIIer
Lloyd EIIis
Wm. E. Osborne
Kenneth Roberts
Those are the 20 workers at Allison the chartered our current local union!
Charter = Document granting rights. Constitution. The international union holds the charter to local 933 and has since the day they issued it. They won its properties and resources, except us folks naturally, some of us would be hard to own.
On Sunday, October 12, 1941, a special meeting was called for the purpose of electing temporary officers. The following members were elected:
President ——————————————– Merritt Allen
Vice-President ————————————- Lee Jones
Recording Secretary —————————– Karl Kurkey
Financial Secretary —————————— Leo Vavul
Treasurer ——————————————- Dale Huffman
3 Year Trustee ———————————— Kenneth Roberts
2 Year Trustee ————————————-Harry Bennett
1 Year Trustee ———————————— Russell S. Burke
Sergeant-At-Arms ——————————–Neal Green
Guide ———————————————– James Sanderson
1943
Early in the year 1943, the UAW-CIO attempted to organize the workers in the Allison plants. They signed up enough people to request the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election in these plants. An election was held in April of that year, but the UAW-CIO lost the election.
1944
On March 14, 1944, a group of permanent officers were elected for Local 933, consisting of the following:
President ———————————————- Paul Eberts
Vice President —————————————- Authur Skibbe
Recording Secretary ——————————– Earl Hunter
Financial Secretary ———————————–Maurice Goss
Trustee ————————————————- J. Keifner
Trustee ————————————————- J. Carter
Trustee ————————————————– Ray McDonald
Sergeant-At-Arms ————————————- Robert Williams
Guide —————————————————- Charles Pierce
Note the difference in the elections for Trustee went from electing revolving terms to straight three year terms.
They opened a UAW-CIO office in the K. of P, Building on North Pennsylvania Street. This office was under the jurisdiction of Anthony Probe and operated by three office girls, Jacquiline Suttor, Margo Campbell and Irene Kilbourne. During this time a Local Union paper ‘The Rocket’ was edited by F, J. Dalton from the International Staff. He was well noted for his article headed as ‘The Old Sweeper’ in each edition of the paper.
Enough members were signed up in this drive to warrant an election in the Allison plants. This election was held by the NLRB on September 7,1944 and this election was won by the UAW-CIO.
Allowing this election at a meeting of the membership on September 10, 1944, Brother Charles Beaver was elected as delegate to the National Convention, which was held at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in September.
On September 26, 1944, Blanche Burnette and Hazel Redenbacher were hired for the office of Local 933. Shortly after this on November 22, 1944, the National Labor Relations Board granted Local 933 UAW-CIO full bargaining rights in the Allison plants.
A temporary Bargaining Committee was appointed by the International Union consisting of the following:
Maurice H. Price, Chairman
Charles W. BeIl
Gordon W. Simms
Arthur S, Skibbe
Ermine Huxhold
Harold E Todd
Henry M. Williams
On December 10, 1944, a new Executive Board was elected, consisting of the following:
President ———————————————-Ray McDonald
1st Vice-President ———————————- Cale Dick, Speedway
2nd Vice-President ——————————— John Woolley Maywood
Recording Secretary ——————————- Pat Baker
Financial Secretary ——————————— Maurice Goss
Treasurer ——————————————— Harold Todd
Trustee ———————————————– Norma Fike, 3 Years
Trustee ———————————————– Harold Wilson 2 Years
Trustee———————————————— Al Rolling 1 Year
Sergent-At-Arms ———————————– Robert Lipp
Guide ————————————————- Welfod Batchelor
Chairman Bargaining committee —————- Maurice H. Price
Executive Board Member ———————— Charles BeII
Executive Board Member ———————— Chronicle Blanks
Executive Board Member ———————— Walter Apple
In March, 1945, there was an election held for another Executive Board and a Bargaining Committee. The following people were elected to these offices:
John Berurett —————————————-President
Cale Dick ———————————————Vice President
Charles Beaver ————————————-Vice President
Harold Todd—————————————– Financial Secretary Treasure
Beva Saucer —————————————- Recording Secretary
Harold Wilson —————————————Trustee
Kenneth Roberts ———————————–Trustee
Tom Waggam ————————————– Trustee
Robert Lipp —————————————– Sergeant-At- Arms
Harold CoIIier —————————————Guide
John Craft ——————————————–Executive Board Member
Brooks ————————————————-Executive Board Member
Chronicle Blanks ———————————–Executive Board Member
SHOP COMMITTEE
Maurice E. Price, Chairman
Melvin Liston
Sheldon Baxter
Roy J. Hadler
Bert Clendenen
Logan J. Smith
Bay W. Baker
John W, WoolIey
May 29, 1945, the Bargaining Committee signed the first Local Seniority Agreement with the approval of the membership. Then during the first week in June, the Air Force cancelled the contract for 1710 engines; and Allison laid off all but approximately 2600 bargaining unit employees.
On November 19, 1945, Local 933 UAW-CIO went on strike along with all other Locals in the General Motors plants across the nation to regain the wages that had been lost during the war period. While our wages were froze at the beginning of the war prices and profits continued to rise all during this period. Facts and figures showed that we were about 30 cents per hour behind on wages. This strike continued until March 23, 1948, and ended with the workers receiving an 18-1/2 cents per hour increase with some fringe benefits.
On November 19, 1945, the Allison workers went on strike for higher wages and better working conditions, along with all other local Unions in the International UAW, This was a long and bitter strike. The Picket shacks were built for the pickets. They were heated by salamanders and made comfortable for the pickets to get warm and eat their meals which were brought to them. At the beginning of this strike, all bargaining unit employees refused to eater the plants; and all salary employees were shut out of the plant except Protection service employees. Management moved their office into a downtown hotel just before the strike began. Also, they had their salary personnel of the
power houses to hole up in the power houses with cots to sleep on, and food in the cafeteria refrigerators to last them for several days. But it soon got tiresome sleeping on these cots away from their families, and the food began to get stale and dried out. These people began to lose their undying gratitude to General Motors and wished to go home to see and protect their own families during these long winter nights.
Railroad workers refused to deliver car shipments through the picket lines to Allisons, Also, the Truck Drivers refused to deliver truck shipments through the picket lines. Then in December, Allison’s got a Court injunction against the Union, and salary workers re-entered the plant by order of Management. No hourly rate work was performed by these salary people during the entire strike period.
Our members walked the picket lines until March 23, 1946, when the strike ended, and a crew of maintenance employees entered the plant to clean it up and make ready for the other workers to go back to work. These Union people had been fighting for their rights. Their wages had been frozen all during the war, and now they had to catch up with prices. They needed new cars, new furniture and electrical appliances; therefore they had to have money to buy them. This is the reason they had walked the picket lines in the snow, sleet, rain and freezing weather. They gained an 18/2 cent per hour increase along with several contract changes for the betterment of Local 933 members.
1946
In March, 1946, an election was held for an Executive Board and a Bargaining Committee. The following members were elected to office for the next year:
John Bennett ————————————–President
Charles M Anderson —————————–Vice President
Howard W. Collier ———————————Vice President
Maurice Goss ————————————–Financial Secretary
Harry Altmeyer ————————————-Recording Secretary
Kenneth Roberts ———————————-Trustee
Harry Peterson ————————————-TrusteeĀ
Cecil Watkins—————————————-Trustee
William F. Muir ————————————-Sergeant-At-Arms
Clarence Richards ——————————–Guide
Earl N. Coleman ————————————Executive Board Member
Lucian A. Coleman ——————————–Executive Board Member
Maurice H. Price ———————————–Chairman of Bargaining Comm.
SHOP COMMITTEE
Bert Clendenen
Teddy S. Ping
Sheldon Baxter
Alvin Koch
PauI S. Ehrts
John W. Woolley
Elected delegates to the UAW-CIO International Union Convention held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on March 23-31, 1946, were Melvin Liston, Chronicle Blanks, John E. Bennett, John W. Woolley and Charles M. Anderson.
1947
In March, 1947, the following officers of the Executive Board were elected and shortly thereafter installed:
John Bennett —————————————-President
Sheldon S. Baxter ———————————Vice President
Charles Beaver ————————————-Vice President
PauI Eberts ——————————————Financial Secretary Treasure
Frank J. Muench ———————————- Recording Secretary
Cecil Watkins —————————————Trustee
Roy Hadler ——————————————-Trustee
Harry B. Peterson ———————————-Trustee
Gerald Smith —————————————–Sergeant-at -arms
Forrest Davis —————————————-Guide
William Kincaid ————————————–Executive Board Member
Carl Inlow ———————————————Executive Board Member
Anna Scott ——————————————–Executive Board Member
Maurice H. Price ————————————Chairman of Bargaining Committee
SHOP COMMITTEE
Alvin B. Carey
Teddy S. Ping
Sheldon S. Baxter
Cale C. Dick
Eugene L. Obert
Walter E. Apple
Elected delegates to the UAW-CIO International Union Convention held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, ona November 9-14, 1947, were Maurie H. Price, Alvin B. Carey and Sheldon S. Baxter.
Because of the resignation of John E. Bennett from the Presidency of our Local Union, he was replaced by Charles Beaver, who held the office of First Vice President.
1948
An election was held in March, 1948, and the following officers were elected:
Sheldon Baxter ————————————-President
Alvin Carey ——————————————Ist Vice President
Henry Williams ————————————-2nd Vice President
Frank Muench ————————————–Recording Secretary
Paul S. Eberts ————————————–Financial Secretary-Treasure
Earl Cortelyou ————————————- 3 Year Trustee
Roy Hadler——————————————-2 Year Trustee
Harry Peterson ————————————-1 Year Trustee
John W. Sott —————————————-Sergeant-At-Arms
Oliver A. Brown ————————————Guide
Clarence C. Carnes ——————————Executive Board Member
Richard S. Paul ————————————Executive Board Member
L. McKinley ————————————-Executive Board Member
Maurie H. Price ———————————–Chairman of Bargaining Committee
SHOP COMMITTEE
Teddy S. Ping
Hubert K. Clodfelter
Walter E. Apple
Alvin B. Carey
Shelton Baxter
Eugene L. Obert
Walter Apple
1949
In February, 1949, the following officers were elected for the ensuring year:
Eugene Obert ————————————President
Charles T. Beaver ——————————1.st Vice President
Alvin B. Carey ———————————–2nd Vice President
Frank J. Muench ——————————–Recording Secretary
Walter E. Apple ———————————Financial Secretary- Treasurer
Clarence Richards —————————–3 Year Trustee