Finding aid for the Lorain City Federation of Labor Records
Title:
Lorain City Federation of Labor Records
Repository:
Western Reserve Historical Society
Phone: 216-721-5722
http://www.wrhs.org
Creator:
Lorain City Federation of Labor
Dates:
1932-1961
Quantity:
0.40 linear feet (1 container)
Abstract:
 The Lorain City Federation of labor was the central labor body of the American Federation of Labor in Lorain, Ohio prior to its merger with the Elyria AFL and the Lorain County CIO in 1961. It was founded as Lorain County Central Labor in 1917. The collection consists of minutes of the federation, 1932-1953; minutes of the merger committee and clippings, 1957-1961; and minutes and clippings of United Organized Labor of Lorain County, 1958.
Identification:
MS 4168
Location:
closed stacks
Language:
The records are in English

History of the Lorain City Federation of Labor

The Lorain Ohio, City Federation of Labor (f. 1917), was the central labor body of the American Federation of Labor in Lorain, Ohio, prior to its merger with the Elyria AFL and the Lorain County CIO. The federation was founded as Lorain County Central Labor in 1917. Al Shibley served as Secretary-Treasurer from 1932 to 1953 and was head of the committee to merge the organizations from 1957 to 1961. Nationally, the AFL was officially founded in 1886 after being organized in 1881. The AFL expelled the CIO in 1936 and reunited with them in 1955. The Ohio AFL-CIO was created in 1958. A debate on whether to have separate councils in Lorain and Elyria under a joint county council or to form a single entity delayed unification in Lorain County until 1961. Separate councils were rejected and the Lorain City Federation of Labor merged with the Elyria Central Labor Union (AFL) and the Lorain County CIO Council to form the Lorain County AFL-CIO Federation of Labor. The three founding organizations were then dissolved.

Scope and Content

The Lorain City Federation of Labor Records, 1932-1961, consist of minutes of the federation, 1932-1953; minutes of the merger committee and clippings, 1957-1961; and minutes and clippings of United Organized Labor of Lorain County, 1958.

This collection pertains to the activity of the federation from 1932 to 1953 and to the formation of the Lorain County AFL-CIO Federation of Labor. It also includes information on the successful campaign to defeat a "right-to-work" amendment to the Ohio Constitution in 1958.

Statement of Arrangement

The collection is arranged by document type and then chronologically. It is maintained in six folders.

Restrictions on Access

None.

Related Material: Related Material

The researcher should also consult MS 5186 Lorain City Federation of Labor Scrapbook.


Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.
American Federation of Labor.
Congress of Industrial Organizations.
Elyria Central Labor Union.
Industrial relations -- Ohio -- Lorain County.
Labor -- Ohio -- Lorain County.
Labor laws and legislation -- Ohio.
Lorain City Federation of Labor (Lorain, Ohio).
Lorain County AFL-CIO Federation of Labor.
Ohio -- Politics and government -- 1951-
Open and closed shop -- Law and legislation -- Ohio.
Right to labor -- Ohio.
Trade-unions -- Ohio -- Lorain County.

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4168 Lorain City Federation of Labor Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Lorain County AFL-CIO Federation of Labor, 1981.

Processing Information

Processed by Dan Ashyk in 1988.