Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America, Local 442 (Atlanta, Ga.) records
Scope and Content of the Records
The collection consists of records of Local 442 (Atlanta, Ga.) of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America from 1918-1968. The collection primarily includes minutes (1938-1968) and financial ledgers (1949-1954). The minutes discuss the business activities of the local including election of officers and intra-union disputes. Of particular interest is information on the Meat Cutters’ strikes of 1939 over agreements and in 1945 over a new contract giving workers a New Year’s Day holiday. The collection also includes reports (1952-1954), membership data (1952-1953), contract proposals (1952), photographs (1921-1964), and certificates and charters (1918, 1934, and 1966).
These records describe the business activities of Local 442 including the Meat Cutter's strikes of 1939 over agreements and of 1945 for a new contract to give union members a holiday on New Year's Day. A meat shortage of the mid-1940s resulted in a drop on the number of new members, loss and unemployment of old members, and dwindling money reserves. Election of officers and intra-union disputes are also included in the minutes.
Dates
- 1918-1968, 1987
Creator
- Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America. Local 442 (Atlanta, Ga.) (Organization)
Restrictions on Access
Collection is open for research use.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Georgia State University is the owner of the physical collection and makes reproductions available for research, subject to the copyright law of the United States and item condition. Georgia State University may or may not own the rights to materials in the collection. It is the researcher's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and obtain permission from the copyright holder before publication, reproduction, or display of the materials beyond what is reasonable under copyright law. Researchers may quote selections from the collection under the fair use provision of copyright law.
Oversized materials stored off-site. Allow at least 2 working days for retrieval.
History of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America, Local 442 (Atlanta, Ga.)
The Amalgamated Meat Cutters (AMCBW), officially the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America, was a labor union that represented retail butchers and packinghouse workers.
It was chartered by the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in 1897 to consolidate seven local unions in Chicago. The union was strongly committed to craft unionism. The union had 56 departments, each of which represented a different worker in the meatpacking industry. Workers in a given craft in a city had their own council, executive board, business agent and contract. The union was so divided internally that some members would continue working while others in the same city were on strike.
Over time, the Amalgamated absorbed several other unions, including the International Fur and Leather Workers Union in 1955, the National Agriculture Workers Union in 1960, and the United Packinghouse Workers of America in 1968. In 1979, the AMCBW merged with the Retail Clerks International Union to form the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).
Source: Wikipedia, January 9, 2009.
Extent
1.88 Linear Feet (in 5 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract:
The collection consists of records of Local 442 (Atlanta, Ga.) of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America from 1918-1968. These records describe the business activities of Local 442 including the Meat Cutter's strikes of 1939 over agreements and of 1945 for a new contract to give union members a holiday on New Year's Day. A meat shortage of the mid-1940s resulted in a drop on the number of new members, loss and unemployment of old members, and dwindling money reserves. Election of officers and intra-union disputes are also included in the minutes.
Off-Site Storage
Oversized materials stored off-site. Allow at least 2 working days for retrieval.
Acquisition Information
Records were donated by the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America. Local 442 (Atlanta, Ga.) in 1972.
Online Availability
Some of the photographs in this collection may have been digitized and could be available online at Georgia State University Library Digital Collections.
Separated Materials
During processing, materials were separated to other Southern Labor Archives Printed Collections. For photographs see the Southern Labor Archives Photographs Collection finding aid. For contracts, see the Meat workers contracts collection finding aid.
Separated to Southern Labor Archives Photograph Collection
- Photographs, Items 1-4
- Photographs (items 5-12), 1947-1964 (oversize)
Separated to Contracts and Agreements Collection
- Agreements dated 1951-1962
Processing Information
Processed by E. L. Eltzroth at the file level, July 10, 1972. 2 separate finding aids combined.
Creator
- Title
- Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America, Local 442 (Atlanta, Ga.):
- Subtitle
- A Guide to Its Records at Georgia State University Library
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Georgia State University Library
- Date
- July 10, 1972
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Repository
100 Decatur St., S.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
404-413-2880
404-413-2881 (Fax)
archives@gsu.edu