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