Neil P. Speirs Collection of U.S Railroad Retirement Board Memorabilia
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Scope and Contents
Inclusive date range: 1953-1977, undated
Bulk dates: 1953-1977
This collection contains memoribilia collected by Neil P. Speirs over the course of his career. Numerous pins, both pin-back buttons and enameled stick pins, from SUNA are located in this collection. These pins either mark important milestones of Speirs' membership in SUNA or publicize SUNA initiatives and camapigns. Other SUNA memoribilia found in this collection include a commemorative plate and a zippered vinyl pouch. Because of his position as the president of SUNA and as assisstant president of UTU, Mr. Speirs also collected numerous guest badges and medals for the conventions of other unions. Also found in this collection are three enamel pins from the National Railway Workers' Union of Japan [NRU], given to Mr. Speirs during a visit NRU members made to SUNA headquarters in Buffalo, NY. A medal commemorating the founding of the UTU, with a portrait of Mr. Speirs on the front, is found in this collection. Finally, a pen used by President Lyndon B. Johnson to sign an act to facilitate research into high-speed ground transportation.
Dates
- 1953-1977
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
Neil P. Speirs was born in Alberta, Canada, on December 25, 1912 and moved to the United States with his parents in 1919. He became a naturalized citizen in 1942. Mr. Speirs graduated from the University of Idaho in 1934, having majored in business and education.
Mr. Speirs began his railroad career with Southern Pacific Railroad, working in the railroad's train yards. He was first elected to the local Grievance Committee of Adjustment for the Switchmen's Union of North America [SUNA], Local 98 (San Francisco, CA) in 1950. In 1952, he was elected as a full-time officer, serving as chairman of the General Grievance Committee of Adjustment, Southern Pacific Railroad [SP]. Mr. Speirs served in this capacity until 1955, when he was elected to serve as SUNA International Vice-President. In 1959, he was elected to be President of SUNA and served as President until January 1, 1969.
On January 1, 1969 SUNA, along with the Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen, and the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen formed the United Transportation Union [UTU]. Upon the merger, Mr. Speirs became Assistant President of UTU.
In 1969, President Richard Nixon appointed Mr. Speirs as the Labor Member of the Railroad Retirement Board. In 1974, President Gerald Ford re-appointed him to that position. He retired from the Railroad Retirement Board in 1977, but served on the Arbitration Panel of the National Mediation Board on a part-time basis until 1978.
Extent
1 cubic feet
Abstract
This collection contains the memorabilia of Neil P. Speirs, former president of the Switchmsn's Union of North America [SUNA], assistant president of the United Transportation Union [UTU], and labor member of the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board.
Quantity:
1 linear ft.
Forms of Material:
Memorabilia.
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, May 02, 2017
- EAD encoding:
- E. Parker, May 02, 2017
- AFL-CIO
- Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America
- Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees
- Brotherhood of Railway Carmen of North America
- Brotherhood of Railway Clerks
- Gilbert, H. E.
- Gompers, Samuel, 1850-1924
- International Brotherhood of Firemen and Oilers
- Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973
- Lane, C. F.
- Luna, Charles
- Meany, George, 1894-1980
- Schnitzler, William F.
- Switchmen's Union of North America
- United States. Railroad Retirement Board
- United Transportation Union
- Title
- Neil P. Speirs Collection of U.S. Railroad Retirement Board Memorabilia
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Compiled by E. Parker
- Date
- May 02, 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
227 Ives Hall
Ithaca NY 14853