Textile Workers Union of America, Local 202 (Covington, Va.) records

Collection

Identifier: L1980-36B

Staff Only
Not requestable

Scope and Content of the Records

The records of the Textile Workers Union of America, Local 202 (Covington, Va.), 1938-1976 (bulk 1940-1960), document the daily operations of the union spanning several decades. The records include administrative files and correspondence of Local 202 elected officials; minutes; contract agreements and negotiation materials; Virginia CIO (later Virginia AFL-CIO) updates; wage rates and job descriptions; legislative materials; Shop Steward training materials; memos from TWUA Washington representative John Edelman; Labor Day celebration materials; convention calls and programs; election materials; constitutions and bylaws; financial reports; and arbitration and grievances.

Officers in the local represented in the records include Presidents Paul Pearman, Ovid Walton, John Henderson, Sylvia Entsminger, and H.V. Fridley, as well as TWUA officials Wesley Cook (Assistant Director of Rayon Division) and Director Herbert Payne. Box 5 contains a 1949 news release regarding Local 202's proposal for a two week strike in protest of anti-strike legislation. This document references the collaborative efforts of Local 675 of the United Paperworkers International Union and Local 202’s political action committees on the Virginia CIO Council.

Dates

Creation: 1938-1976

Creator

Textile Workers Union of America. Local 202 (Covington, Va.) (Organization)

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open for research but may contain material subject to restriction. Allow at least 15 working days for evaluation by Special Collections and Archives staff.

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.

History of Textile Workers Union of America, Local 202 (Covington, Va.)

Textile Workers Union of America (TWUA) was a Congress of Industrial Organizations affiliate formed in 1939 with the merger of the Textile Workers Organizing Committee and the United Textile Workers of America. From 1937, Local 202 represented all workers at the Industrial Rayon Corporation plant in Covington, Virginia. In 1955, powerhouse and filter workers separated from TWUA 202, joining an International Union of Operating Engineers local. TWUA continued to represent textile workers at the plant until 1976, when TWUA merged with the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America in 1976 to form the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union.

Extent

8.75 Linear Feet (in 7 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract:

The Textile Workers Union of America, Local 202 represented textile workers in Covington, Virginia. Its records, 1938-1976, include administrative files and correspondence of Local 202 elected officials; minutes; contract agreements and negotiation materials; Virginia CIO (later Virginia AFL-CIO) updates; wage rates and job descriptions; legislative materials; Shop Steward training materials; memos from TWUA Washington representative John Edelman; Labor Day celebration materials; convention calls and programs; election materials; constitutions and bylaws; financial reports; and arbitration and grievances.

Offsite Storage

Off-site storage.

Acquisition Information

Donated by United Paperworkers International Union, courtesy of Ernest Jones, 1980 [L1980-36A, L1980-36B].

Related Archival Materials

The Southern Labor Archives contains numerous collections created by various unions representing workers in the textile industry. These collections include union records from the International Ladies Garment Workers (ILGWU), Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers (ACTWU), United Textile Workers of America (UTWA), Textile Workers Union of America (TWUA), Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Workers (UNITE), and its successors UNITE HERE and Workers United.

Separated Materials

During processing, materials were separated to other Southern Labor Archives Printed Collections. For periodicals, see the Southern Labor Archives Periodicals Collection finding aid or catalog. For proceedings, consult Special Collections for access.

Separated to Southern Labor Archives Periodical Collection

AFL-CIO Education News and Views, Vol. 3, No.1, 1958
Co-Weav-Echo, Covington Weaving Company-Burlington Mills Corporation, Vol. 3, No. 8, 1947
Labor Report, Vol. V, No. 36, 1946; Vol. V, No. 47, 1948
Legislative and Educational Bulletin, United Furniture Workers of America, CIO, Vol. VI, No. 7-8, 10, 1956
Memo from PAC, CIO Political Action Committee, Vol. 2, No. 12, 1948
The Midwest Labor Digest, Vol. 2, No.11, 1946
Monthly Review of Labor and Industry, Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Labor and Industry, Vol. 1, 1947
National News Letter, Textile Workers Organizing Committee, Vol. 4, No.10, 1938
Textile Labor, Textile Workers Union of America, CIO, Vol.1, No. 17, 1940; Vol. 9, No. 8, 1948
Textile Topics, Textile Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO, Local 482, Vol. 3, No. 4, 1959
The Union News, Virginia State Federation of Labor, Vol. XXXII, No. 1, 1956
Virginia State Council News Letter, Virginia State CIO Organizing Committee, No. 19, 21-27, 34-42, 1945-1946

Separated to Southern Labor Archives Proceedings Collection

Textile Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO, CLC, Eleventh Biennial Convention, 1960

Processing Information

Collection has not been processed fully. Duplicate or out-of-scope material may have been deaccessioned. Finding aid by Crystal Rodgers, October-December 2011.