Correspondence, General (1 of 2), 1948

Inclusive date range: 1919-1973

Bulk dates: 1925-1958



This collection consists of the records of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen [BLFE], Local 807, located in Auburn, New York. The members of this Lodge were employees on the Lehigh Valley Railroad [LVRR] on the Lehigh Valley, Auburn, Cortland, and Auburn-Ithaca branches. This collection, when examined along with Collection 5869, offers a mostly complete historical portrait of a BLFE Lodge and a glimpse into the day to day work of railroad employees in upstate new York during the first half of the 20th Century.



This collection contains the log books of Local 807's recording secretary, which contains the records of the Lodge's meetings, members, dues, and elections. The collection also contains the minutes of meetings for the General Grievance Committee of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, which offers a broader view of both the BLFE and the LVRR system. The records from the General Grievance Committee also contain the records of an on-going dispute between the Auburn and Cortland factions of the Local 807 firemen and enginemen regarding their seniority districts, work rosters, mileage equity, and rights to specific runs on branch lines. The two factions, each responsible for separate branch lines, had their rosters merged in 1932. This led to an ongoing conflict between the members of Local 807 for the remainder of its existence. As the LVRR was forced to abandon branch lines in the mid-20th Century, these disputes grew more contentious, finally culminating in having the International President decide on the matter (see box 6, folders 6 and 7). Extensive records of mileage worked by the various employees were kept by the local to argue their individual cases. The situation was further exacerbated by conflicts between the BLFE and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers [BLE], and who had the standing to represent the LVRR employees. As a result, there were multiple local chairmen, both de facto and official, who worked on behalf of their own factions. As a result, the correspondence files have a great deal of crossover between the LVRR General Grievance Committee and the various Lodge officials, who all kept separate correspondence files but were oftentimes writing to each other.



These correspondence files make up the bulk of this collection. Major correspondents include: William H. Sullivan and Louis Edelmayer (BLFE general chairmen, Lehigh Valley System); James R. Lathrop, Harry Glowacki, William Welhaf, and F.W. Fehr (local chairmen, Lodge 807); J.N. Haines, C.W. Wagner, and various officials of the Lehigh Valley Railroad; and the financial secretaries of Lodge 807. Subjects discussed include grievance cases, violations of the union shop agreement (1956), the abandonment of lines, discontinuance of passenger service, fringe benefits, vacation agreements, and internal union issues, including the Auburn and Cortland conflict. The correspondence files of the financial secretaries contain records of the expenses of running a BLFE Lodge. The monthly financial reports are also found in this collection as well as the annual filings with the IRS and the Railroad Retirement Board. The financial records also contain complete membership lists, information of insurance policies, and applications for membership.



Additional documents include various union organizers' forms, rosters for LVRR divisions, contracts and agreements between the BLFE and the LVRR, and publications of the BLFE.