Reel 44

Scope and Contents The apparent failure of AWOC in California and the influence of UPWA on the AWOC continued to trouble Mitchell; see his exchange with Patrick Gorman (Nov 1, 16), Galarza's letters on the California situation (Dec 12, 24), a memorandum from Franz Daniel to George Meany replying to Mitchell's charges that AWOC was UPWA-dominated (Dec 9), and Mitchell to Gorman, commenting on the memorandum at length (Dec 29). On Mitchell's growing involvement in the civil rights campaign in the South, the...

Scope and Contents

Statement of H.L. Mitchell on "Regulations on Referral of Workers in Agricultural Labor Disputes"; Statement of the California Citizens Committee For Agricultural Labor on "Legal Aspects of Legislative Discrimination Against Agricultural Labor"

Scope and Contents

Folder 1589 -- Weekly organizer's reports of H.L. Mitchell [Note: expense sheets attached to the reports were not filmed]. Folders 1590, 1590a, and 1590b -- Routine correspondence. Folders 1592a to 1592c -- Not Filmed

Scope and Contents Mitchell became deeply involved in a civil rights crisis in Fayette and Haywood Counties, Tennessee, where black sharecroppers who had attempted to register for voting had received threats of eviction from their homes. On this subject, see Mitchell's detailed memorandum (Jan 17), the minutes of a meeting held at Le Moyne College in Memphis to deal with the problem (Jan 21), and a report by "Operation Freedom" (Feb 2). Legal papers relating to a suit filed against the White Citizens Council...

Scope and Contents Mitchell moved from Memphis to Lake Charles, Louisiana, at the beginning of March to begin a campaign to organize rice mill workers. On the campaign, see his detailed proposal to the AMC (March 4), his letters to Leon Schachter (March 27; April 28), and the letters from leadership toward the campaign (April 13, 19). There is a letter from C.O. Cabe on his work organizing Louisiana dairy plants (April 3), and a letter and set of documents from the American Bakery and Confectionary Workers...

Scope and Contents From the Collection: Consist of correspondence, reports, ledgers, legal documents, leaflets, printed material, photographs, and newspapers published by the union. These document the activities of the Southern Tenant Farmers' Union from its origins through its transformations into the National Farm Labor Union in 1946 and the National Agriculture Workers Union in 1952, and through its merger with the Amalgamated Meat Cutters Union in 1960. The records also contain selected materials from the Socialist Party...

Scope and Contents On August 2, 1960, the NAWU ended its existence as an AFL-CIO International Union and became a department of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters Union. Important items relating to the merger include: a long letter from Mitchell to Harry R. Poole (June 3); the minutes and report of the NAWU Executive Board (June 26); a letter from Mitchell to all NAWU locals announcing the final tally of the membership vote on the merger (July 18); Mitchell's memorandum to the AMC on an organizing campaign among...

Scope and Contents The papers include the minutes of the first meeting of the Executive Board of Agricultural and Allied Workers Union, Local 300 (Sept 24). On Mitchell's activities, including his initial organizing trip to Louisiana as an AMC representative, see his letters to AMC Executive Vice-President Harry R. Poole (Sept 11, 19; Oct 25). Mitchell began to formulate plans for a low-key educational campaign for civil rights in the rural South; see his memorandum to NSF on this subject (Oct 10), as well as...