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United Food and Commercial Workers 2598T (Enka, N.C.) records

 Collection
Identifier: L2012-31

Scope and Contents of the Records

The records of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 2598T (Enka, N.C.), 1939-2012, is composed of eight series which provide insight into the day-to-day activities of the local's operations. Series I: Union History contains Local 2598’s meeting minutes, photographs, and printed materials dated 1939 through 1995. The other series contain photographs from local-sponsored events, seniority reports, ballots, and correspondence from union headquarters, such as United Textile Workers of America and United Food and Commercial Workers, and the American Enka Corporation. Some major issues found in the collection include pay issues, hiring practices, and bribery of officials. The earlier years of the local are represented in more detail than 1979 onward as membership began to drop. Series VIII is composed of arbitration and grievance files that contain personal information and is restricted.

Dates

  • Creation: 1939-2012

Creator

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open for research use. Access to materials with personal or sensitive information in Series VIII 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.

Collection is stored offsite. Allow at least 2 working days for retrieval.

Historical Note on United Food and Commercial Workers 2598T (Enka, NC)

United Food and Commercial Workers 2598T represented workers at the American Enka Company located near Asheville, North Carolina. Founded in 1928 as a subsidiary of a Dutch textile firm, American Enka was an industry leader in producing rayon and nylon. in September 1939, Textile Workers Union Local 22129, affiliated with the American Federation of Labor (AFL), was chartered. In 1940, the local won a National Labor Relations Board ruling against American Enka and held its first election. In 1945, the union became Local 2598 of the AFL's United Textile Workers of America (UTWA). In 1996, UTWA merged with the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), and the local was designated UFWC Local 2598T.

During the 1960s, American Enka flourished, with several plants around the United States and about 7,000 employees at the facility near Asheville. Subsequently, the business eroded and American Enka was owned by a number of international holding companies during the 1980s into the 2000s. By the 2010s, around 200 members of UFCW 2598T were still employed in the old Enka plant near Asheville to make an element of industrial carpet.

Extent

7 Linear Feet (in 7 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 2598T (Enka, N.C.) represents workers who first organized as rayon workers of American Enka Corporation. The mill has chiefly produced Rayon and Nylon, although currently produces only carpeting. Although organized by the United Textile Workers of America (UTWA) for most of its existence, the local is now a textile peripheral of UFCW. At its height, the local had 1500 members which has since dwindled to approximately 200. This collection contains documentation from 1939-2012 which provides insight into the local's day-to-day activities, most notably its Union History consisting of meeting minutes, certificates, and photographs.

Arrangement

The records are arranaged into eight series:

  1. Series I: Union History, 1939-1995
  2. Series II: Contracts and Agreements, 1947, 1954-1968, 1992, 2001-2007
  3. Series III: Office Files, 1944-1946, 1952-1985, 2004-2012
  4. Series IV: Membership, 1943-1946, 1952-1961, 1970-1977
  5. Series V: Correspondence, 1949-1968, 1975, 2003-2004
  6. Series VI: Subject Files and Printed Materials, 1944, 1954-1976, 1998; 2003
  7. Series VII: Photographs, 1939-1978, undated
  8. Series VIII: Arbitration and Grievance Files, 1950-1991

Off-Site Storage

Collection is stored offsite. Allow at least 2 working days for retrieval.

Acquisition Information

Donated by UFCW, Local 2598T, courtesy of Tommy Humphries, August 2012.

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.

Processing Information

Processed by Rebecca Blankenship and Thai Nguyen at the file level.

Title
United Food and Commercial Workers 2598T (Enka, N.C.):
Subtitle
A Guide to the Records at Georgia State University Library
Status
Completed
Author
Georgia State University Library
Date
2016
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)