Colonial Stores, Raleigh, North Carolina, Contract, 1968

The records of the United Food and Commercial Workers [UFCW], Local 525 (Asheville, N.C.), 1944-1986 (bulk 1961-1983), contain correspondence, organizing materials, National Labor Relations Board cases and decisions, legal files, publications, meeting minutes, annual reports, convention and mass meeting materials, financial records, political and legislative materials, and newspaper clippings. The collection mainly covers the work of members in North and South Carolina.

Early records (1944-1960) reflect the activities of the International Fur & Leather Workers Union. Records from 1961-1979 reflect activities of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of America Local 525 and records from 1979-1983 reflect the work of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 525.

The majority of the collection contains information about organizing individual stores, petitioning for elections, and negotiating contracts. A significant segment of UFCW members worked for Colonial Stores and A & P. While the records reflect that most negotiations were straight forward, the collection also includes information about notable labor contests with Gerber, Winn-Dixie, and Lundy meat packing.

In addition to day-to-day union business, this collection also contains correspondence from political candidates and the regional AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education office, mostly dealing with elections and political issues in western North Carolina.