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United Paperworkers International Union, Local 446 (St. Marys, Ga.) records

 Collection
Identifier: L2002-06

Scope and Content of the Records

The records of the United Paperworkers International Union (UPIU) Local 446 consist of materials that reflect the establishment and day-to-day running of the union (administrative and financial records), as well as illustrating its relationships with the Gilman Paper Company and with other unions (administrative, personnel and company relations records). Some of the records also represent a time, after the enactment in 1964 of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, when desegregation was an important issue in the United States. Relating to this matter, and of particular interest, are the records of a racial discrimination suit filed in 1975 against the Gilman Paper Company and its unions.

Dates

  • Creation: 1941-1998

Creator

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open for research use. Access to materials with personal or sensitive information in boxes 13-14 is restricted for 75 years from the date of creation.

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.

Historical Note

The Gilman Paper Company was originally established in 1884 in New England. In 1939, in order to develop southern pine fiber for papermaking, the company acquired land, timberlands and a short-line railroad in St. Marys, Georgia, and by 1941 it began the operation of a paper mill -- its St. Marys Kraft Division. Its operations were expanded in 1950 to include the St. Marys Kraft Bag Division which converted paper into bags.

A number of locals represented the workers at the company: Local 446 of the International Brotherhood of Pulp, Sulphite and Paper Mill Workers and Local 453 of the United Paperworkers and Papermakers Union both represented non-supervisory production employees in the Mill. Local 958 of the International Brotherhood of Pulp, Sulphite and Paper Mill Workers represented non-supervisory production employees in the Bag Plant. Local 616 of the International Brotherhood of Pulp, Sulphite and Paper Mill Workers represented production and "clean-up" jobs at both the Mill and the Bag Plant. Locals 446, 453 and 958 traditionally had white members, and Local 616 was comprised of mostly black and a few white employees.

In 1970, after a number of unsuccessful attempts, Local 616 merged into Locals 446 and 958, and in 1972, both Locals 446 and 958 of the International Brotherhood of Pulp, Sulphite and Paper Mill Workers and Local 453 the United Paperworkers and Papermakers Union merged to become the United Paperworkers International Union (UPIU), at which time Local 453 was redesignated Local 1453.

Between 1975 and 1981 a group of black employees sued the Gilman Paper Company and its unions on the grounds of racial discrimination. In Elmo V. Meyers et al., v. Gilman Paper Corp., three hundred and twenty incumbent employees and thirty-four retired/disabled employees claimed that "job seniority" provisions were unfair. Until the passing of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, blacks had not been hired to semi-skilled or skilled positions, so they belonged to a lower "line of progression." Further, until 1972, an individual transferring from one line of progression into another would lose the benefits of seniority accrued in the line of progression he had left. As a result, it was possible that a black employee who was hired before 1965 into a traditionally all-black line of progression, and who transferred into a traditionally white line of progression, could have less seniority than a white employee who was hired on the same day but was initially assigned to an all-white line of progression. The final ruling in the case, after a number of appeals, fell largely in favor of the plaintiffs.

The Gilman Paper Company was purchased by the CorporaciĆ³n Durango in December 1990.

Extent

10.63 Linear Feet (in 26 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement Note

By and large, the records have been arranged chronologically. Oversized items have been removed from the main body of the collection and are housed separately in an oversize box physically located at the end of the collection. Subject files, found in Series I, however, have been arranged alphabetically. The negotiation files in series III have an idiosyncratic arrangement: due to the volume of negotiations and because there are records for numerous locals, they have been arranged first by Local Lodge number and then chronologically. Some of the records involved either multiple lodges or do not refer to any lodge: these records have been arranged to reflect that fact.

A number of subseries contain both bound and loose materials related to the same subject. In these instances, the bound volumes have been listed before the loose files. An exception are the loose papers that were found inside bound volumes -- these have been placed in folders and filed immediately after the volume from which they were removed.

Off-Site Storage

Oversized materials stored off-site. Allow at least 2 working days for retrieval.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Mike Dees, President, United Paperworkers International Union, St. Marys Local 446, May 30, 2002.

Processing Information

Processed by Morna Gerrard at the file level, July 2003. This collection had no original order and was organized by the GSU processing staff. Very few files were originally titled, so file names were also provided by processing staff. Series IV, subseries D, box 5/10 (dues paid, 1985) included Social Security numbers. These have been blocked out to make the materials available for research purposes.

By and large, the records have been arranged chronologically. Oversized items have been removed from the main body of the collection and are housed separately in an oversize box physically located at the end of the collection. Subject files, found in Series I, however, have been arranged alphabetically. The negotiation files in series III have an idiosyncratic arrangement: due to the volume of negotiations and because there are records for numerous locals, they have been arranged first by Local Lodge number and then chronologically. Some of the records involved either multiple lodges or do not refer to any lodge: these records have been arranged to reflect that fact.

A number of subseries contain both bound and loose materials related to the same subject. In these instances, the bound volumes have been listed before the loose files. An exception are the loose papers that were found inside bound volumes -- these have been placed in folders and filed immediately after the volume from which they were removed.

Subject

Title
United Paperworkers International Union, Local 446 (St. Marys, Georgia):
Subtitle
A Guide to Its Records at Georgia State University Library
Status
Completed
Author
Georgia State University Library
Date
July 2003
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:
100 Decatur St., S.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
404-413-2880
404-413-2881 (Fax)