United Service Employees Union records, 1941-1961

Old Resource ID was USEU

The United Service Employees Union (USEU) began with a grass-roots revolt of a local against Max Caldwell, head of Retail Clerks International Protective Association, American Federation of Labor (RCIPA, AFL). In June, 1941, several clerks circulated petitions demanding and audit of the unions' books. When Caldwell responded to the petitions by ousting the clerks from union membership, they formed the Temporary Working Committee of Local 1248 AFL, and engaged Francis Heisler as their attorney. A subsequent investigation revealed a shortage of $910,000 in union funds for which Caldwell blamed the Secretary-Treasurer, Michael Savachka. Savachka denied responsibility, but fled to Miami, Florida, where he was apprehended. Caldwell was later removed from his position by the International.

The Local's grievances against Caldwell also included his negotiation of a contract with Hillman's, Inc. in Chicago, which provided no raises for the 1937-1941 period. The Temporary Working Committee hoped to correct this situation by bargaining with Hillman's as an independent local of RCIPA. The company, however, delayed recognition of the new unit, and the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butchers Union, AFL, seized the opportunity to press the advantages of affiliation with their local. Although many of the leaders of the Temporary Working Committee favored such a move, Sidney Lens did not think the autonomy of the grocery workers could be maintained in the butchers' unit. He was able to persuade the leaders to seek a Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) charter, which was granted in September 1941.

Hillman's refusal to recognize the CIO local resulted in a seven week strike. The strike was not immediately successful because of the jurisdictional dispute between the two AFL locals and the CIO. Finally, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) established a consent election to resolve the problem. In October, 1942, the members chose the CIO affiliation; Local 329 United Grocery and Produce Employees Union was recognized; and a new Hillman's contract was signed with back pay provisions.

Local 329's association with the CIO was not fruitful. Throughout 1943 and 1944, the local attempted to organize the food industry in Chicago. It was hoped that CIO success in bettering wages and working conditions would attract many AFL workers in the grocery and allied fields. The ultimate goal was a united, city-wide organization that could exercise considerable bargaining power. To realize this objective, a major effort had to be expended in time and money - visiting stores, contracting employees, handling grievances, etc. Despite repeated appeals by Sidney Lens to the International, such support was not generally available to Local 329. While the AFL maintained sixteen full-time organizers at work in the Jewel Food chain alone, the CIO International paid the salary of one organizer for four months only. Furthermore, on one occasion the International assigned a new unit of grocery warehouse workers to another Chicago local, although the jurisdiction of Local 329 appeared obvious. Such action did not seem calculated to increase CIO solidarity in the city.

The friction between the International and Local 329 centered on the issue of local autonomy. The International insisted that per capita dues and assessments must be paid up in order to quality for organizational help. As Organizational Director of the Local, Lens stressed that such payments should be waived in the interest of strengthening the new local - especially one working in so promising a field. The adamant position of the International convinced Lens that support was available only at the cost of yielding control of local finances, personnel, and activities to the International.

In January, 1946, Lens reported to the Executive Committee of 329 that they must "organize or die." Reviewing the situation, he stressed that the AFL was gaining power in Chicago while the CIO, hindered by factional disputes, was declining. He urged that the Local remain in the CIO and fight for changes in the structure and operation of the International. Relations grew increasingly strained when the faction in power demanded Lens' resignation as the price of International support for a strike at Hillman's. Although Lens offered his resignation, the local refused to accept it.

At the beginning of May, Lens suggested that a NLRB election to determine the wishes of the membership would be the best solution to the recurrent question of whether the local was seceding from the CIO. Such an election would establish the exclusive bargaining agent at Hillman's. At this point, the dispute reached a climax. In an organization drive culminating May 10, 600 workers - over 80% of the union membership at Hillman's signed authorization cards requesting affiliation with the AFL. A membership meeting called for May 14 ratified the decision, and on July 23, 1946, Local 329 UGPEU, affiliated with the Building Service Employees Union (BSEIU), AFL. The new agreement specifically stated that both local autonomy and the industrial structure of the union were to be maintained, and per capita payments were cancelled until the treasury of the local was built up.

Subsequent history of the local did not involve such dramatic moves. The October, 1947 constitution created a new title - United Service Employees Union, reflecting the more diverse occupations of the members. With the merger of the two major United States labor organizations in December, 1955, the unite became Local 329, United Service Employees Union, Building Service Employees International, AFL-CIO.

The collection includes correspondence, handwritten and typed notes, constitutions and by-laws, contracts, minutes, job and wage classifications, membership cards, legal and financial records, grievance slips, announcements, bulletins, radio interviews, statistical reports and miscellaneous published material pertaining to the growth and internal operation of the United Service Employees Union; disputes within the union's international organization; organizational drives in Chicago's food and other industries; and the association of the local with various activist groups.

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United Service Employees Union records, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Names
  • Building Service Employees' International Union.
  • United Service Employees Union. Local 329 Building Service Employees Union (Chicago, Ill.).
  • United Service Employees Union. -- Archives
• Subject
  • Building-service employees--Labor unions.
  • Chicago Political and Civic Life.
  • Labor unions--Organizing.
  • Labor unions--Political activity.
• Geographic CoverageIllinois--Chicago.