Emergency Board no. 52 Files
Collection Number: 5308
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library
This collection was processed with the help of generous funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).Title:
Emergency Board no. 52 Files,
1937-1948
Collection Number:
5308
Creator:
Emergency Board no. 52;
Meyer, Arthur S. (Arthur Simon), 1880-1955;
Friedman, Clara H. (nee Handelman)
Meyer, Arthur S. (Arthur Simon), 1880-1955;
Friedman, Clara H. (nee Handelman)
Quantity:
1.5 linear ft.
Forms of Material:
Records (documents), case files .
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and
Archives, Cornell University Library
Abstract:
Transcripts, exhibits, and reports of United States
Emergency Board no. 52. The dispute concerned a contract dispute between the Railway
Express Agency and the New York City Metropolitan area Local chapters of the
International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Language:
Collection material in English
Emergency Board no. 52 was created by President Harry S. Truman on October 22, 1947
under the provisions of the Railway Labor Act to investigate a dispute between the
Railway Express Agency and its 4,700 vehicle and garage employees in the New York
City Metropolitan area, specifically the five boroughs of New York and Weehawken,
Hoboken, and Jersey City, New Jersey. The dispute, regarding contract negotiations
between the Railway Express Agency and the employees' unions, Local 808 and 459 of
the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of
America, A.F.L., resulted in a strike which lasted from September 18 to October 14,
1947. The employees were demanding a reduction in hours to a 40-hour workweek and
higher wages. The strike ended when the unions agreed to submit their demands to a
Presidential fact finding board.
At the suggestion of Mayor William O'Dwyer, President Harry S. Truman appointed three
New Yorkers to the board. The chairman was Arthur S. Meyer; the other two members
were Frank M. Swacker and Aaron Horovitz. Mr. Meyer brought on Clara Friedman (nee
Handelman), with whom he had worked on arbitration boards overseeing New York City
transit disputes, as consultant and secretary. Mrs. Friedman was a member of the
National Academy of Mediators.
The Emergency Board conducted 20 days of hearings between October 27 and December 1,
1947, considering union proposals for changes in the title, preamble, and 26 working
rules of the Local Agreement, and Railway Express Agency proposals for changes in 17
working rules. The mediation was able to dispose of 62 contested matters, the most
important being the voluntary agreement between both sides to create Board of
Adjustment procedures for arbitrating future grievances.
The Emergency Board recommended a general wage increase and a reduction of work hours
from a six day, 44 hour week to a five day, 40 hour week. The other demands of the
union, including vacations and holidays, were denied.
The decision in this case was predicated upon its location in the New York City
metropolitan area. It declined to set a precedent for other areas or classes of
employees.
Inclusive dates: 1937 - 1948
Bulk date: 1947
This collection contains transcripts of the proceedings of the Emergency Board no.
52, exhibits and briefs submitted to the Emergency Board by both the Railway Express
Agency and the Locals 459 and 808 of the Teamsters Union, the notes, correspondence
and memos from the chairman of the Emergency Board, Arthur S. Meyer, and the
correspondence file of the Emergency Board. It also contains a final draft of the
report submitted to President Harry S. Truman on January 15, 1948.
The transcripts are divided into 20 volumes. The exhibits contain rulebooks,
contracts, previous decisions by other emergency boards, summaries of costs of
living compared to the current wage structure, the costs of a wage increase to the
REA, and comparisons of the national contract to what the Locals were requesting.
Arthur S. Meyer's folders contain drafts of the agreement, supplemental exhibits,
economic summaries from labor arbitrator Clara H. Friedman (nee Handelman), and
drafts of the final report with annotations.
The correspondence file documents the various people and agencies who were involved
in the mediation. It also contains a letter signed by President Truman appointing
Arthur S. Meyer as chairman and member of the Emergency Board.
Names:
United States. Emergency Board No. 52.
Railway Express Agency.
International Brotherhood of Teamsters,
Chauffeurs, Warehousemen, and Helpers of America.
Subjects:
Transport workers -- New York (State) -- New
York.
Transport workers -- Labor unions -- New York
(State) -- New York.
Wages-- Transport workers -- New York (State) --
New York.
Collective bargaining agreements -- Local transit
-- New York (State) > New York.
Strikes and lockouts -- Transport workers -- New
York (State) > New York.
Form and Genre Terms:
Records (documents)
Case files
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:
Emergency Board no. 52 Files #5308. Kheel Center for Labor-Management
Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.
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Container
|
Description
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Date
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| Box 1 | Folder 1 | 1947 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 2 | 1947 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 3 | 1947 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 4 | 1947 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 5 | 1947 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 6 | 1947 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 7 | 1947 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 8 | 1947 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 9 | 1947 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 10 | 1947 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 11 | 1947 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 12 | 1947 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 13 | 1947 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 14 | 1947 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 15 | 1947 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 16 | 1947 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 17 | 1947 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 18 | 1947 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 19 | 1947 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 20 | 1947 | |
| Box 1 | Folder 21 | 1948 | |
|
Final draft of report, with five corrections of small typos in red pencil.
Separate sheet lists the corrections, and the names of the individuals the
report was sent to at its completion.
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| Box 2 | Folder 1a | 1937-1947 | |
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(extra long paper in exhibit, needs to be copied or re- housed)
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| Box 2 | Folder 1b | 1937-1947 | |
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(extra long paper in exhibit, needs to be copied or re- housed)
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| Box 2 | Folder 1c | 1937-1947 | |
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(extra long paper in exhibit, needs to be copied or re- housed)
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| Box 2 | Folder 2a | 1944-1947 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 2b | 1944-1947 | |
| Box 2 | Folder 3 | 1947 | |
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Submitted December 1, 1947
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| Box 2 | Folder 4a | 1947 | |
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Notes, correspondence, and memos from Arthur Meyer and Clara Friedman
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| Box 2 | Folder 4b | 1947 | |
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Notes, correspondence, and memos from Arthur Meyer and Clara Friedman. Also
contains full draft of report to President Harry S. Truman
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| Box 2 | Folder 5 | 1947-1948 | |
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Includes letter from President Harry S. Truman to Arthur S. Meyer, appointing
him as member and Chairman of Emergency Board no. 52 on October 22,
1947.
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