Post number 53, UAW 933, The first years of Local 933

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