Guide to the Dayton Typographical Union, Local 57 Records

History of Dayton Typographical Union, Local No. 57

The National Typographical Union, which was founded in 1852 in Cincinnati, and Canadian affiliations, formed the International Typographical Union in 1869.

The Dayton Typographical Union Local No. 57 was organized May 13, 1862 and a charter was issued to twenty-one members who met at various locations including the Sheriff's office. The union was located at 120 West 2nd Street in the Hulman Building in the 1970s. According to the Constitution and By-Laws, the purpose of the Union is to "elevate and protect the interests of the craft in general; to regulate wages and working conditions and all other things appertaining to the conduct of the printing business" within its jurisdiction.

The Constitution and By-Laws established the specific records to be kept by Union Officers. The Recorder was charged with keeping a record book of the proceedings of all meetings and recording the Constitution, By-Laws, Scale of Prices and amendments thereto, and all resolutions relating to the government of the Union. The Secretary-Treasurer was to receive and review all membership applications, register a variety of information on union members, submit financial reports to the Secretary-Treasurer of the I.T.U., answer Union correspondence, keep journals of receipts and expenditures and ledgers of accounts. The correspondence files of three of the Union's Secretary-Treasurers - J.E. Duncan, 1918-1920; E.K. Reinhard, 1936-1938; and Merton W. Phillips, 1962-1965 are included in this collection.

Early problems encountered by the Union included difficulties in obtaining contracts, in collecting dues, and in getting its officials to attend meetings. Officials serve on a part time basis at low wages. There was no full time Secretary-Treasurer until 1938. From 1865 through 1930, the Union campaigned for the controversial 40-hour work week. Technological innovations such as the introduction of the linotype in 1891 and the teletype about 1950 created wage scale and training problems. The Union further adapted to new processes in 1955 when it initiated a vigorous training program in the use of the I.T.U.'s new ruling machines, and had the machines placed in its contractor's shops.

In addition to concern for wages and the training required to keep members abreast of new technology and techniques, the Union actively undertook to educate government officials, businessmen, and members of their families about the history of trade unionism and the importance of supporting unions by buying union-made products. The families of members became involved in the educating process through the auspices of the Women's Auxiliary of the Dayton Typographical Union No. 57, organized in 1933.

Despite problems created by increased mechanization, the Taft-Hartley Art and right-to-work legislation, the Union expanded in the late 1950's and early 1960's when it organized chapters in Greenfield, Troy, and Washington Court House in Ohio. In 1962 the Union celebrated its 100th anniversary.

Scope and Content

The records of the Dayton Typographical Union No. 57 document the growth of trade unionism and the printing industry at the local level; they also document local involvement in national and international trade union movement and national and international trends in the printing trade.

The records are arranged by type of record into six series: legal reports from 1932-1970; correspondence files of the Secretary-Treasurer from 1930-1967; a varied collection of printed material; minutes of union meetings from 1866-1968; financial ledgers and journals from 1914-1972; and membership records from 1896-1970.

Series I, Legal Reports, 1932-1970, contains arbitration and appeal cases arranged alphabetically within chronological order.

Series II, Secretary's files, 1930-1967, contains correspondence files arranged alphabetically. In these files, one can find commercial printer and newspaper contract negotiations, the minutes and reports of various Union committees, arbitration and appeal cases, membership and apprentice applications, and formal agreements with contractors.

Series III, Printed Materials, 1866-1977, contains pamphlets, journals, newsletters and miscellaneous material arranged alphabetically.

Series IV, Minutes, 1866-1968, are arranged in chronological order and include reports from the Executive Board and various committees, summary financial information and discussion of issues of concern to the Union membership.

Series V, Financial Records, 1914-1972, contains journals, ledgers, receipts and reports arranged alphabetically, then in chronological order. The financial records include accounts of dues paid, sick relief and mortuary benefits, and statistical summary reports.

Series VI, Membership Records, 1896-1970, contain registers and roll books arranged alphabetically, then in chronological order. The records include much information on individual members relating to the stages of apprenticeship, the history of their membership, and the monetary benefits received are found in the membership registers and roll books.

Gaps in the collection include missing volumes of minutes for 1891-1899 and 1919-1934; Financial Secretary's Account 1910-1914; and Membership Roll Book 1924-1926. Also, there are gaps in the Secretary's Files, particularly in the correspondence files of the Secretary-Treasurer from 1920-1936 and 1938-1962. The collection lacks the files of the Union President's office. The records of the Dayton Typographical Union No. 57, however, document the ongoing operation and concerns of a local trade union and contain extensive financial and membership information along with that of detailed contract negotiation.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Restrictions on Access

There are no restrictions on accessing materials in this collection.

MS-22, International Stereotyper's & Electrotyper's Union Local #114 Records

MS-47, Springfield Typographical Union, Local 117 Records

MS-50, Urbana Typographical Union, Local 747 Records

MS-56, International Printing and Graphics Communication Workers Union, Local 48 Records

MS-61, Printing and Pressman's Union, Local 54 Records

MS-222, International Stereotyper's and Electrotyper's Union, Local 55 Records

Subject Terms

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

Subjects:

Organizations/Corporations:

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Preferred Citation

MS-41, Dayton Typographical Union, Local 57 Records, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.

Acquisition Information

Steven Gietschier, a field representative for the Ohio Historical Society's Ohio Labor History Project, visited the Union in July 1976 to verify the inventory. He suggested that the records be donated to the Wright State University Archives Collections. The records were donated to the University without restrictions upon their use and were transferred on March 4, 1977.

Processing Information

Archives staff, in 1978. Reprocessed by Karis Raeburn and Toni Vanden Bos, 2014.

Other Finding Aid

This finding aid is available on the Special Collections and Archives, Wright State University Libraries website at
https://wright.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/612.