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George Novack "Unity Caucus on the Railroads: The Story of the Consolidation Committee of Enginemen" on Microfilm

 Collection
Identifier: 5496 mf

Scope and Contents

Inclusive date range: 1957-1958

Bulk dates: 1957-1958



This collection consists of the microfilmed copy of an unpublished monograph, written by George Novak, public relations advisor for the Consolidation Committee of Engineers. The manuscript has been annotated by the author and contains corrections, additional notes, and edited sections. The manuscript pages are numbered 1-137, and a supplemental report follows, with pages numbered 1-5.



Table of Contents:

1. The Uncoupled Brotherhoods, page 1

2. Earlier Attempts At Unification, page 7

3. Background of the Consolidation Movement, page 13

4. Walker Launches The CCE, page 22

5. First Reactions of the Brotherhood Heads, page 31

6. The First CCE National Conference, page 39

7. Popularizing the Program, page 45

8. Moves Against The Consolidators, page 51

9. The BLE Convention, page 61

10. Showdown At The BLFE Conference, page 71

11. The Joint Committees In Session, page 85

12. Pressure From The CCE, page 93

13. Robertson's Reprisals, page 101

14. Crisis In The CCE, page 106

15. The Merger Plan, page 112

16. Defeat Of The Merger Plan, page 116

17. The CCE Folds Up, page 124

18. Unification Today, page 128

19. References, page 135

Supplement:

"Report: What Did The BLF&E Members Get From Their Convention?" by C.R. Hedlund, member BLF&E Lodge 814



A negative copy is available upon request.

Dates

  • 1957- 1958

Language of Materials

Collection material in English

Conditions Governing Access

Access to the collections in the Kheel Center is restricted. Please contact a reference archivist for access to these materials.

Conditions Governing Use

This collection must be used in keeping with the Kheel Center Information Sheet and Procedures for Document Use.

Biographical / Historical

This unpublished monograph was prepared by George Novak in 1957-1958 for the Labor Project of the Fund for the Republic, directed by Paul Jacobs. The Fund for the Republic was a non-profit education corporation created by the Ford Foundation in 1952 to counter pressures on civil liberties and basic freedoms from the political right. The Fund wanted to "support activities directed toward the elimination of restrictions on freedom of thought, inquiry and expression in the United States, and the development of policies and procedures best adapted to protect these rights."*



The manuscript was written by George Novack, who had served the Consolidation Committee of Enginemen [CCE] as public relations advisor. The CCE was a powerful postwar nationwide caucus to affect the fusion of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers [BLE] and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen [BLF&E]. It functioned within the framework of the two unions to achieve amalgamation through constitutional procedures. Beginning in April 1946 under the leadership of Russell R. Walker, the CCE attempted to mobilize the rank and file of the two labor unions in support of unification. The merger plan was defeated in May, 1949.



Mr. Novak's manuscript describes the development of the CCE, its approach to the issue of unification, and its strategies for organizing in support of a merger. The CCE did succeed in having its program adopted by the conventions of both the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Engineers.



*Click here for additional information on the Fund for the Republic.

Extent

0.11 cubic feet

Abstract

Microfilm copy of "Unity Caucus on the Railroads: The Story of the Consolidation Committee of Enginemen." This manuscript is an account of the development of the CCE, including an assessment of its impact.

Quantity:

1 microfilm reel

Forms of Material:

Records (documents), microfilm .

General

Contact Information:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives Martin P. Catherwood Library 227 Ives Hall Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 (607) 255-3183> kheel_center@cornell.edu http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/kheel-center
Compiled by:
E. Parker, December 01, 2017
EAD encoding:
Elizabeth Parker, December 01, 2017
Title
George Novack "Unity Caucus on the Railroads: The Story of the Consolidation Committee of Enginemen" on Microfilm
Status
Completed
Author
Compiled by E. Parker
Date
December 01, 2017
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Sponsor
This collection was processed with the help of generous funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Revision Statements

  • 02/23/2024: This resource was modified by the ArchivesSpace Preprocessor developed by the Harvard Library (https://github.com/harvard-library/archivesspace-preprocessor)

Repository Details

Part of the Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives Repository

Contact:
227 Ives Hall
Ithaca NY 14853