Utica Trades Assembly Records
Collection Number: 5278
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library
Title:
Utica Trades Assembly Records, 1880-1932
Collection Number:
5278
Creator:
Utica Trades Assembly
Quantity:
7 linear ft.
Forms of Material:
Minutes, reports, pamphlets, correspondence, constitutions.
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library
Abstract:
The records include Utica Trades Assembly minutes and other administrative records, financial records and correspondence.
Language:
Collection material in English
The Utica Trades Assembly, also known as the Trades and Labor Assembly of Utica and Vicinity, was a city central of the American
Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) Its activities were directed toward strengthening the Utica locals through mutual
support and securing New York State legislation favorable to labor.
The minutes (1886-1911 (4 vol.)) reflect the Assembly's activities in both its routine administration and on public issues.
These minutes document, for example, the UTA's activities on behalf of a shorter working day (1883-1884, 1906-1907,
1911), its support of state ownership of the railroads and a New York mills strike (1894), and its work on a committee
with both the Socialist Labor Party and the Utica Common Council to investigate the possibility of municipal ownership of
the
city's electric lighting (1895-1896), among other issues.
The minutes volumes also include the minutes (1892-1895) of the UTA's Label Committee which record its concern over the issue
of how to deal with local merchants selling "scab"-produced goods.
UTA correspondence (1882-1927) indicates extensive involvement of that organization in local, state and national labor activities.
Most numerous are form letters from labor organizations urging national boycotts in support of striking or
locked-out workers, usually those involved in disputes over non-recognition of a union. Of interest is an undated appeal
from the International Association of Machinists that labor denounce Thomas A. Edison for having fired all union workers at
an Edison plant.
UTA response to these national boycotts is indicated by correspondence from businesses in Pennsylvania, Cincinnati and San
Francisco involved in the LOS ANGELES TIMES boycott of 1903. The letters are in reply to UTA requests that the companies
cancel advertising in the TIMES.
Notable direct correspondence with other labor organizations includes letters from A.F. of L. President Samuel Gompers and
Secretary Frank Morrison, ordering the UTA to recognize the local Musicians' Union (July and August, 1902), with the UTA
maintaining an independent stance, defending its refusal in a lengthy reply.
The UTA was independent-minded in its dealings with local businesses as well. In 1892, a report from a special UTA committee,
appointed to investigate charges against a hardware merchant, found that merchant fair to labor. At the same time, the
UTA cooperated with local and regional labor groups by participating in organizing efforts and special events as well
as boycotts.
The most significant local boycott call came from the Bakery and Confectionery Workers Utica local, which, in a series of
letters from ca.1895 to 1903, described working conditions of non-union bakers, reported on a survey of union-made baked
goods in local stores, and asked for a boycott of several large non-union bakeries which were trying to drive out competitors.
In addition to minutes and correspondence, the UTA papers contain the Assembly's financial records for the period 1882-1902
which include bills, financial statements, and dues payment records.
Of particular interest are the records of defunct locals which belonged to the UTA. These include minutes books (2 vol.) (1898-1902),
cash books (2 vol.) (1913-1932), and a membership book (1924-1928) of the Journeymen Barbers' International
Union, Local 103; minutes books (2 vol.) (1903-1920) of the International Union of United Brewery Workers, Utica local;
a minutes book (1914-1918) of the Utica Building Trades Council; minutes books of the Executive Board (4 vol.) (1885-1891),
and a minutes book of the Label Committee (1897- 1900) of the Cigar Makers' International Union, No. 7.
Other items of interest include a minutes book (1890-1897) of the International Molders and Allied Workers' Union, Local No.
112; minutes books (4 vols.) (1887-1920) of the Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators, and Paperhangers, Local 69; and a
minutes book (1920- 1925) of the Sheet Metal Workers International Association, Local No. 23. Among the events documented
in these volumes is a daily record of the month-long strike of Utica painters in 1911.
Names:
Bakery and Confectionery Workers' International Union of America
Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators, and Paperhangers of America. Local 69 (Utica, N.Y.)
Cigar Makers' International Union of America. Local 7 (Utica, N.Y.)
International Molders and Allied Workers' Union
International Molders and Allied Workers' Union. Local 112 (Utica, N.Y.)
International Union of United Brewery, Flour, Cereal, Soft Drink, and Distillery Workers of America. Utica Local.
Journeymen Barbers' International union of America
Journeymen Barbers' International Union of America. Local 103 (Utica, N.Y.)
Los Angeles Times
New York State Federation of Labor
New York State Trades Assembly
Sheet Metal Workers' International Association
Sheet Metal Workers' International Association. Local 23 (Utica, N.Y.)
Socialist Labor Party
Utica Building Trades Council
Utica Trades Assembly
Workingmen's Federation of the State of New York
Bates, E. A.
Edison, Thomas A. (Thomas Alva), 1847-1931
Gompers, Samuel, 1850-1924
Horton, E. B.
Morrison, Frank, 1859-1949
Rosenthal, Alex
Subjects:
Boycott--Bakers and bakeries--New York (State)--Utica.
Painters' Strike, Utica, N.Y., 1911.
Public utilities--New York (State)--Utica.
Trade-unions--New York (State)--Utica--Political activity.
Trade-union label--United States.
Bakery employees.
Cigar makers.
Lobbyists.
Los Angeles Boycott, 1903.
Trade-union label. United States.
Trade-unions. Bakery employees. New York (State). Utica.
Trade-unions. New York (State). Congresses.
Trade-unions. New York (State). Local unions.
Trade-unions. New York (State). Utica. Organizing.
Trade-unions. Painters, Industrial. New York (State). Utica.
Trade-unions. Tobacco workers. New York (State). Utica.
Form and Genre Terms:
Minutes.
Photographic prints.
Access Restrictions:
Access to the collections in the Kheel Center is restricted. Please contact a reference archivist for access to these materials.
Restrictions on Use:
This collection must be used in keeping with the Kheel Center Information Sheet and Procedures for Document Use.
Cite As:
Utica Trades Assembly Records #5278. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.
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Container
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Description
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Date
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| Box 1 | |||
| Box 1 | Folder 1 | 1886-1890 | |
|
Bound volume (Bd. v.)
|
|||
| Box 1 | Folder 2 | 1883-1898 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 3 | 1891-1898 | |
|
Bound volume
|
|||
| Box 2 | |||
| Box 2 | Folder 1 | 1898-1904 | |
|
Bound volume
|
|||
| Box 2 | Folder 2 | 1902 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 3 | 1903 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 4 | 1904-1906 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 5 | 1905-1911 | |
|
Bound volume
|
|||
| Box 3 | |||
| Box 3 | Folder 1 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 2 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 3 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 4 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 5 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 6 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 7 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 8 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 9 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 10 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 11 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 12 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 13 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 14 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 15 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 16 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 17 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 18 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 19 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 20 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 21 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 22 | ||
| Box 3 | Folder 23 | ||
| Box 4 | |||
| Box 4 | Folder 1 | 1882-1902 | |
| Box 4 | Folder 2 | 1882-1902 | |
| Box 4 | Folder 3 | 1882-1902 | |
| Box 4 | Folder 4 | 1882-1902 | |
| Box 4 | Folder 5 | 1882-1902 | |
| Box 4 | Folder 6 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 7 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 8 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 9 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 10 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 11 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 12 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 13 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 14 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 15 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 16 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 17 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 18 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 19 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 20 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 21 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 22 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 23 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 24 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 25 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 26 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 27 | ||
| Box 4 | Folder 28 | ||
| Box 5 | |||
| Box 5 | Folder 1 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 2 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 3 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 4 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 5 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 6 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 7 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 8 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 9 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 10 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 11 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 12 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 13 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 14 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 15 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 16 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 17 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 18 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 19 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 20 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 21 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 22 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 23 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 24 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 25 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 26 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 27 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 28 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 29 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 30 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 31 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 32 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 33 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 34 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 35 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 36 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 37 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 38 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 39 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 40 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 41 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 42 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 43 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 44 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 45 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 46 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 47 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 48 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 49 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 50 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 51 | ||
|
51a: Steel Cabinet Workers Union, Number 7294
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| Box 5 | Folder 52 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 53 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 54 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 55 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 56 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 57 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 58 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 59 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 60 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 61 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 62 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 63 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 64 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 65 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 66 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 67 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 68 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 69 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 70 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 71 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 72 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 73 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 74 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 75 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 76 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 77 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 78 | ||
| Box 5 | Folder 79 | ||
| Box 6 | |||
| Box 6 | Folder 1 | 1898-1902 | |
| Box 6 | Folder 2 | 1915-1928 | |
| Box 6 | Folder 3 | 1913-1917 | |
| Box 6 | Folder 4 | 1928-1932 | |
| Box 6 | Folder 5 | 1924-1928 | |
| Box 7 | |||
| Box 7 | Folder 1 | 1903-1914 | |
| Box 7 | Folder 2 | 1914-1920 | |
| Box 7 | Folder 3 | 1914-1918 | |
| Box 8 | |||
| Box 8 | Folder 1 | 1880-1888 | |
| Box 8 | Folder 2 | 1891-1895 | |
| Box 9 | |||
| Box 9 | Folder 1 | 1895-1906 | |
| Box 9 | Folder 2 | 1907-1910 | |
| Box 10 | |||
| Box 10 | Folder 1 | 1885-1887 | |
| Box 10 | Folder 2 | 1887-1889 | |
| Box 10 | Folder 3 | 1889-1890 | |
| Box 10 | Folder 4 | 1890-1891 | |
| Box 10 | Folder 5 | 1897-1900 | |
| Box 10 | Folder 6 | 1890-1897 | |
| Box 11 | |||
| Box 11 | Folder 1 | 1887-1894 | |
| Box 11 | Folder 2 | 1899-1903 | |
| Box 11 | Folder 3 | 1904-1912 | |
| Box 11 | Folder 4 | 1913-1920 | |
| Box 12 | |||
| Box 12 | Folder 1 | 1920-1925 | |
| Box 12 | Folder 2 | ||
| Box 12 | Folder 3 | ||
| Box 13 | Folder 1 | ||