Finding aid for the Textile Workers Union of America, Local 482 Records

History of the Textile Workers Union of America, Local 482

The Textile Workers Union of America, Local 482, Painesville, Ohio, was chartered on March 2, 1942, by the textile Workers Union of American as the bargaining agent of the workers at the Painesville, Ohio, plant of the Industrial Rayon Corporation. The Textile Workers Union of America was established in 1939 in order to improve the wages, working conditions, and security of textile workers by organizing them into bargaining units that could secure these goals from employers by negotiation or legislation.

The history and activities of Local 482 often intertwine with that of the locals representing other Industrial Rayon Corporation plants. The Industrial Rayon Corporation manufactures only four products and several of their plants manufacture the same product. The Painesville, Ohio, plant manufacturers rayon textile yarn and rayon tire cord fabric while the company's Covingtoon, Virginia, plant, (Local 202), manufacturers rayon knit cloth and nylon staple fiber. The Cleveland, Ohio, plant (Local 212) manufacturer's rayon tire cord fabric.

From 1938, when the Painesville plant began operations, until March 1942, the Painesville employees were not organized. When the union was organized, it enjoyed a period of quick acceptance and achieved rapid gains, such as increased wages and vacation time. These early years were a period of steady growth for the textile industry, especially in the rayon industry. When the industry began to decline in the late 1950's and early 1960's the union struggled merely to maintain benefits secured in earlier years.

Since contracts between the local and the company were usually for one, two, or three years, the history of the local is one of constant contract negotiations and frequent walkouts. Major strikes occurred in 1953, 1955, and 1957, when wage increased were a major issue. Through the years the grievance procedures secured by the union generally resolved most other disputes before binding arbitration or walkouts occurred.

Local 482 not only represented its workers in dealings with the company, but also participated in the national programs of the Textile Workers Union of America. For example, the local sent delegates to the national convention and selected employees to attend the union's various schools and workshop. The local also helped other locals on strike by contributing relief funds, as in 1948 when they sent funds to Local 689 in Rome, Georgia, and in 1955 when they provided support for Cleveland Worsted Mill strikers.

Other activities of the local were of a political nature, and included endorsing candidates friendly to labor that were running for local, state, or national office. Through the Committee on Political Education (COPE), the union fostered the worker's loyalty to the union and publicized issues of importance to the members. Examples of this include materials on the Taft-Hartley Act, the Fulbright Amendment to the Walsh-Healy Minimum Wage Bill, and the anti-union activities of the J.P. Stevens Company.

Scope and Content

The Textile Workers Union of America, Local 482, Painesville, Ohio, 1942-1978 and undated, include constitutions of the Textile Workers Union of America; constitutions, by-laws, and agreements of Local 482; constitutions and agreements of other local unions in the textile industry; and minutes of the executive board and the membership of Local 482. Records of contract negotiations, grievance reports and hearings, arbitration proceedings and decisions, correspondence, committee reports, newsletters, and miscellaneous pamphlets are also included.

This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of organized labor in Cleveland, Ohio in the twentieth century. The records of the Textile Workers Union of America, Local 482, relate to Constitutions, by-laws, and agreements as well as contract negotiations between the local and the Industrial Rayon Corporation, as well as grievance meeting minutes, correspondences, proceedings and decisions of the arbitration committee. Among the more important organizations and topics represented are COPE, National Labor Relations Board, programs to secure jobs for the handicapped, apprenticeship standards, unemployment compensation, time studies, strikes, and conditions in the rayon industry. These records will be useful to researchers studying the history of Painesville and Cleveland, Ohio, and organized labor there in the twentieth century. The collection as a whole provides valuable insight into the development of unions in the textile industry in the twentieth century.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

All photographs have been removed to the WRHS photograph and print collection.

Indexing Terms

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

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS The Textile Workers Union of America, Local 482 Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gift of the Textile Workers Union of America, Local 482 in 1978.

Processing Information

Processed by Debra R. Biggs and Richard W. Arpi in 1979.

Detailed Description of The Collection