New York City Board of Transportation and the Transport Workers Union Records, 1946-1950
Collection Number: 5118

Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Cornell University Library


DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY

Title:
New York City Board of Transportation and the Transport Workers Union Records, 1946-1950
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Collection Number:
5118
Abstract:
This collection consists of the transcripts from the hearings of the New York City Transit Fact Finding Board, which was tasked by Mayor O'Dwyer with hearing the complaints of both the Board of Transportation [BoT] and Transport Workers Union [TWU] during contract negotiations in 1950. The collection also contain union and industry pamphlets about the dispute.
Creator:
New York City Board of Transportation
Transport Workers Union
Quanitities:
0.5 cubic feet
Language:
Collection material in English

Biographical / Historical

On October 18, 1945, Mayor O'Dwyer of New York City suggested that the use of collective bargaining might alleviate the friction between the Board of Transportation and the transit employees. It was not until 1950, however, when Michael J. Quill, President of the Transport Workers Union, demanded immediate contract negotiations with the Board of Transportation, that this issue came to the forefront. Quill had circulated a petition among the transit workers calling for these negotiations, and claimed that 21,834 of the 27,000 employees had supported his stand.
Other T.W.U. demands were a $2-a-day raise for all transit employees, increased overtime pay, an improved pension plan, and additional vacation days after five years of service. The Greater New York CIO requested that the present grievance procedure of the BoT be modified. Conversely, the BoT argued that it did not have the funds to meet these demands. Mayor O'Dwyer offered to set up a fact-finding board to hear the complaints of each side, and both the Board of Transportation and the Transport Workers Union agreed to submit their cases before this impartial board.
The Board was appointed by Mayor William O'Dwyer on January 9, 1950. David L. Cole was appointed as chairman of the Board, and Theodore W. Kheel, Thomas A. Morgan, and Edward P. Mulrooney were appointed as Board members. The hearings began on April 12, 1950.
The findings of the Board may be found in its printed Report to Honorable William O'Dwyer, Mayor of the City of New York, May 31, 1950.

Inclusive dates: 1946-1950
Bulk Dates: 1950
This collection consists of three volumes of transcripts of the hearings held before the New York City Transit Fact Finding Board on April 12, 13, and 14, 1950. Testimony was offered from Board of Transportation officials, the City of New York, and various employee labor groups.
For the Board of Transportation: Sidney H. Bingham, chairman; G. Joseph Minetti, commissioner; John J. Woods, deputy commissioner; and Harold E. Wagner, counsel.
For the City of New York: Howard C. Fischbach, assistant corporation counsel.
For the Employees:
Transit Workers Union of Greater New York, CIO Local 100: Michael J. Quill, international president; Matthew Guinan, president, Local 100; Ellis F. Van Riper, secretary-treasurer, Local 100; Louis Hollander, president, New York State CIO Council; R.J. Thomas, representative of the CIO; and John F. O'Donnell, counsel.
And representatives from the following labor unions: New York City Transit Police Patrolmen's Benevolent Association; New York City Transit Police Sergeant's Benevolent Association; Station Supervisors; Assistant Station Supervisors; Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen of America; Civil Service Technical Guild; Civil Service Forum; Supervisory Employees Association, Inc.; Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers; American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Local 624; American Federation of Municipal Transit Workers, Local 380; and, Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway and Motor Coach Employees of America.
Also located in this collection are three pamphlets: two are printed by the TWU in 1946 to garner support for their position; one is printed by the bus industry in 1948 to garner support for their position.
Access to the collections in the Kheel Center is restricted. Please contact a reference archivist for access to these materials.
Conditions Governing Use

This collection must be used in keeping with the Kheel Center Information Sheet and Procedures for Document Use.

INFORMATION FOR USERS

Preferred Citation

New York City Board of Transportation and the Transport Workers Union Records #5118. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.

Related Materials

Related Collections: 5085: U.S. National Mediation Board Transcripts Regarding American Air Lines and Transport Workers Union of America 5588: David L. Cole Papers 5800: Transport Workers Union of America Local 2001 Files 5990 mf: Transport Workers Union of America Minutes on Microfilm 5114: New York City Transit Authority Fact Finding Panel Records 5251: New York City Mayor's Advisory Transit Committee Hearing Transcripts and Records 5026: Sara Gamm Collection of Miscellaneous Materials from the New York City Transit Authority

SUBJECTS

Names:
Cole, David L. (David Lawrence), 1902-1978.
Kheel, Theodore W.
Quill, Michael J.
O'Dwyer, William
New York (City) Board of Transportation.
New York (N.Y.). Fact Finding Board in the Transit Industry.
Transport Workers Union of America.
Subjects:
Transit workers -- New York (State) -- New York.
Transit workers -- Labor unions -- New York (State) -- New York.
Wages -- Transport workers -- New York (State) -- New York.
Collective labor agreements -- Transport workers -- New York (State) -- New York.
Employee fringe benefits -- Collective agreements.

CONTAINER LIST
Container
Description
Date
Box 1 Folder 1
New York City Fact Finding Board in the Transit Industry: "In the Matter of The Board of Transportation of the City of New York and Transport Workers Union, CIO., et. April12, 1950"
1950
Box 1 Folder 2
New York City Fact Finding Board in the Transit Industry: "In the Matter of The Board of Transportation of the City of New York and Transport Workers Union, CIO., et. April13, 1950"
1950
Box 1 Folder 3a
New York City Fact Finding Board in the Transit Industry: "In the Matter of The Board of Transportation of the City of New York and Transport Workers Union, CIO., et. April14, 1950" [folder 1 of 2]
1950
Box 1 Folder 3b
New York City Fact Finding Board in the Transit Industry: "In the Matter of The Board of Transportation of the City of New York and Transport Workers Union, CIO., et. April14, 1950" [folder 2 of 2]
1950
Box 1 Folder 4
Transport Workers Union Pamphlet: "Our Case for Higher Wages"
1946
Box 1 Folder 5
Transport Workers Union Pamphlet: "Union Security Means a Good Job - Our case For Collective Bargaining In the New York City Transit System"
1946
Box 1 Folder 6
Bus Industry Pamphlet: "You Arbitrate This Case!" Preprinted from the May 1948 Issue of Bus Transportation
1948