Insurance Workers of America Records, 1944-1957
Collection Number: 5255
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Cornell University Library
DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY
Title:
Insurance Workers of America Records, 1944-1957
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Collection Number:
5255
Abstract:
Records document efforts of the CIO to unionize the insurance industry.
Creator:
Insurance Workers of America
Quanitities:
2 cubic feet
Language:
Collection material in English
Unionism in the insurance industry, just as unionism in many blue-collar industries,
had its birth in the depression years of the late thirties. Most of the insurance
agents who became interested in unionism during this period Joined the United Office
and Professional Workers of the C.I.O. This organization grew fairly rapidly and soon
included about 40,000 insurance workers (90 percent of them agents) in its ranks.
The association of the U.O.P.W.A. and the insurance workers is an important one which
leaves its mark to this day. The U.O.P.W.A. was a left-wing union and was among the
unions expelled by the C.I.O. in 1950 as communist-dominated.
Agents who didn't agree with the communistic orienta-tions of the U.O.P.W.A. experienced
little success in making their voices heard in the running of the organization. Key
party-liners occupied positions of power at conventions or other policy-making conclaves
and stifled any and all opposition. Insurance agents, who are extroverts by nature,
didn't appreciate this frustration of their leadership attempts by the U.O.P.W.A.
leaders, and a revolution soon developed within the union. This movement eventually
led to a complete break when the U.O.P.W.A. became obsessed with the party line to
the exclusion of bargaining agree-ments.
When the insurance agents went to the C.I.O. seeking an organization free of the
U.O.P.W.A. domination, they found a champion in the late Allan Haywood. This veteran
union leader became the first chairman of the newly-formed Insurance and Allied Workers
Organizing Committee in April of 1950. He became a sort of beloved patron saint of
the organization. Harold Ash served as the Secretary-Treasurer until he resigned because
of ill health in February 1952. Richard T. Leonard then filled the post and became
Chairman when-Haywood's duties elsewhere required him to relinquish the Chairmanship.
Leonard served as Chairman until the union's founding convention at Cleveland in 1953.
The new union started off with a handful of members and its future was clouded because
of the great difficulty of re-organizing the scattered insurance workers. On March
12, 1951, it scored a major victory when it won nation-wide bargaining rights for
6,000 John Hancock agents. The union has had great battles with the Metropolitan Life
Insurance Company, the largest financial institution of its type in the world. It
has succeeded in organizing Metropolitan agents in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Greater
New York City.
A problem that has plagued the I.W.A. since the breakup of the U.O.P.W.A. in 195
has been the jurisdictional battles that have raged with the rival AFL union, the
Insurance Agents International Union. The two organizations, saddled with insufficient
membership spread all over the country, scrambled continually for the same workers,
usually ex-U.O.P.W.A. remnants. A particularly strong blow to the I.W.A. occurred
shortly after the disintegration of the U.O.P.W.A. when 9,000 organized agents of
the Prudential Life Insurance Company left the C.I.O. and joined the I.A.I.U.
Eventually both unions saw the futility of such strife and a no-raiding agreement
was proposed and signed even before the merger of the AFL-CIO. Shortly after this,
in 1955, exploratory merger talks were begun between the two unions. Although these
were unsuccessful, certain agreements were reached and a new era of non-interference
began. Even though the actual merger attempts were thwarted by the sticky problem
of voting methods at conventions, a merger in spirit took place. At the time of the
writing of this history, the author, Mr. William A. Gillen, President of the I. W.
A., predicted that the actual merger would take place in the immediate future.
Mr. Simon Helfgott started his career in the insurance industry as a debit insurance
agent for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. He became one of the early members
of the Insurance Workers, Local 30, New York. He later served on its executive board
and became president in 1949. In 1950 when the local became an affiliate of the Insurance
and Allied Workers Organizing Committee, Mr. Helfgott became a vice chairman of that
organization. When the Insurance Workers of America was formed in 1952, he became
its first vice president. Mr. Helfgott also served as president of the Industrial
Insurance Employees Union, Local 1706, New York, affiliate of the I.W.A.
Excerpts from the history of the I.W.A. written by President William A. Gillen, April
26, 1957
Administrative records of the Insurance Workers of America include minutes of the
General Executive Board meetings (1953-1957), president's reports (1954-1957), vice-president's
reports (1955- 1957), and secretary-treasurer's reports (1954-1957); reports of the
Research and Education Department (1955), reports of the Merger Committee (1957),
and reports of organizing activities (1953-1955).
Discussion of organizing activities dominates the minutes and officers' reports throughout
the 1953-1957 period. Penetration of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, especially
in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, and expansion of the union's John Hancock base,
are given primary attention.
Correspondence in the records is of the union's executive officers, President Kenneth
Odell, Vice-President Simon Helfgott and Secretary-Treasurer John Brisbane, primarily
with representatives of the insurance companies regarding collective bargaining negotiations
and efforts to set up grievance procedures within the companies. Corporate correspondents
include Atlanta Life Insurance Company, Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company,
Home Life Insurance Company, John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company, Metropolitan
Life Insurance Company, Monumental Life Insurance Company of Michigan and Ohio, Nationwide
Mutual Insurance Company, United Mutual Life Insurance Company, and Western and Southern
Life Insurance Company (1951-1957).
In addition to correspondence with employers, national union officials also corresponded
with local union officials in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Boston, New York, and Danbury,
Ct. (1954-1957). The union's organizing drives and local negotiating efforts are documented
in this correspondence and in the reports of the union's organizers, which are also
included.
Despite evidence of extensive anti-union activity, especially on the part of the
Metropolitan management, which repeatedly refused to bargain over changes in the conditions
of employment, job actions among organized agents appear rare, with grievances settled
through negotiation, arbitration or similar means. Of significance was the 119-day
Home Life Insurance Company Strike, mentioned in the minutes and president's report
of 1956 and in form letters that year between the secretary- treasurer and union locals.
This strike was hailed as the longest and most successful in the history of the industry.
Correspondence and newsletters of 1955 also refer to a strike at Boston Mutual.
Legislative activity, as reflected in the minutes of 1953-1957, and 1955 newsletters,
focuses primarily on efforts to change provisions in the New York State Insurance
Law limiting agents' compensation. These efforts extended nationally to attempts to
induce other state legislatures to pass resolutions condemning the New York law.
In the 1955 minutes and newsletters, savings bank life insurance in Pennsylvania
and New Jersey emerges as an issue of concern. An undated report, "The Case Against
Savings Bank Life Insurance," outlines the IWA's opposition to the measure and also
illustrates a degree of harmony between the CIO union and its American Federation
of Labor counterpart. The report was prepared by the IWA "in cooperation with the
Insurance Agents International Union, AFL."
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
Insurance Workers of America Records #5255. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation
and Archives, Cornell University Library.
Names:
Helfgott, Simon, 1894-1957
Odell, Kenneth
Brisbane, John.
Atlanta Life Insurance Company
Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company
Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company
Home Life Insurance Company
Insurance Agents' International Union
Insurance Workers of America
John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
Monumental Life Insurance Company
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
United Mutual Life Insurance Company
Western and Southern Life Insurance Company
Subjects:
Insurance law--New York (State)
Savings-bank life insurance--United States--State supervision.
Labor unions--United States--Political activity.
Insurance company employees.
Collective bargaining. Insurance companies. Connecticut. Danbury.
Collective bargaining. Insurance companies. Massachusetts. Boston.
Collective bargaining. Insurance companies. New York (N.Y.)
Collective bargaining. Insurance companies. Pennsylvania. Philadelphia.
Collective bargaining. Insurance companies. Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh.
Collective bargaining. Insurance companies. United States.
Grievance procedures. Insurance companies. United States.
Strikes and lockouts. Insurance companies. United States.
Trade-unions. Insurance companies. United States.
Trade-unions. Insurance companies. United States. Organizing.
CONTAINER LIST
Container
|
Description
|
Date
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 1 |
Financial Statements
|
1956 |
Box 1 | Folder 2 |
Minutes of Meeting - 1953
|
1953 |
Box 1 | Folder 3 |
Minutes of Meetings - 1954
|
1954 |
Box 1 | Folder 4 |
President's Reports - 1954
|
1954 |
Box 1 | Folder 5 |
Secretary - Treasurer's Reports - 1954
|
1954 |
Box 1 | Folder 6 |
Minutes of Meeting 1955
|
1955 |
Box 1 | Folder 7 |
President's Reports 1955
|
1955 |
Box 1 | Folder 8 |
Vice Presidents' Reports - 1955
|
1955 |
Box 1 | Folder 9 |
Secretary - Treasurer's Reports - 1955
|
1955 |
Box 1 | Folder 10 |
Minutes of Meetings - 1956
|
1956 |
Box 1 | Folder 11 |
General Executive Board
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 12 |
Merger Committee
|
1956 |
Box 1 | Folder 13 |
Contract Analysis
|
1955 |
Box 1 | Folder 14 |
Conventions
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 15 |
General Resolutions
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 16 |
History of the Union
|
1957 |
Box 1 | Folder 17 |
Legislative Action
|
1955 |
Box 1 | Folder 18 |
Regional Councils
|
1955 |
Box 1 | Folder 19 |
Research & Education Dept. Reports
|
1955 |
Box 1 | Folder 20 |
Correspondence Between National Officers
|
1953-1957 |
Box 1 | Folder 21 |
Correspondence (between Nat. Officers & Nat. Staff Rep.
|
1953-1957 |
Box 1 | Folder 22 |
General Organizing Literature
|
|
Box 1 | Folder 23 |
Reports on Organization Activities of the National 1953-1955
|
1953-1955 |
Box 1 | Folder 24 |
Union Affairs (National Bulletin)
|
1954-1955 |
Box 2 | Folder 1 |
Atlanta Life Insurance Co.
|
1953 |
Box 2 | Folder 2 |
Golden State Mutual Life
|
1957 |
Box 2 | Folder 3 |
Home Life Insurance Company
|
1956 |
Box 2 | Folder 4 |
John Hancock Insurance Company
|
1954-1956 |
Box 2 | Folder 5 |
The Maccabees - Agreement
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 6 |
Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.
|
1944-1955 |
Box 2 | Folder 7 |
Monumental Life Insurance Co.
|
1956 |
Box 2 | Folder 8 |
Nationwide Insurance Companies
|
1956 |
Box 2 | Folder 9 |
North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Co.
|
1954 |
Box 2 | Folder 10 |
Quaker City Insurance Co.
|
1957 |
Box 2 | Folder 11 |
United Mutual Life Insurance Co.
|
1955 |
Box 2 | Folder 12 |
Unity Mutual Life Insurance Company
|
1957 |
Box 2 | Folder 13 |
Western & Southern Life Insurance Co.
|
1955 |
Box 2 | Folder 14 |
Correspondence
|
1954-1955 |
Box 2 | Folder 15 |
List of Locals
|
1954 |
Box 2 | Folder 16 |
Agreement (Between I.W.A. & Its Headquarters Office Employees)
|
1955 |
Box 2 | Folder 17 |
By - Laws for I.W.A. Locals
|
|
Box 2 | Folder 18 |
Local 2
|
1954 |
Box 2 | Folder 19 |
Correspondence
|
1954-1955 |
Box 2 | Folder 20 |
Local 5
|
1954 |
Box 2 | Folder 21 |
Local 11
|
1953-1954 |
Box 2 | Folder 22 |
Local 61
|
1954 |
Box 2 | Folder 23 |
Local 1706
|
1952 |