Inventory of the United Brick and Clay Workers, Buckeye Council 9 Records, 1935-1970

History of Biography or History

The United Brick and Clay Workers of America (UBCWA), District Council 9 began as a sewer pipe jurisdiction and later added some brick local organizations. Most of the locals for this union organized during a major drive in the mid-1930s. The Dennison, Ohio area was one of two major centers for the industry, Brazil, Indiana being the other. District No. 9 of the United Brick and Clay Workers of America encompasses the locals involved in the manufacture of sewer pipe. The majority of locals were located within the vicinity of district headquarters in Dennison, Ohio, other parts of Ohio, as well as Pennsylvania and Indiana, are represented.

Scope and Content

This collection relates to the concerns of District Council Number 9 and the individuals and locals comprising the district. The records date from 1935 to 1979, with the bulk from the early 1950's. Most of the collection is from the files of Clyde Meyers, the business agent and principal union functionary of the district for most of this period. Therefore, it largely reflects upon matters brought to his attention and in which he frequently played a role.

The collection is divided into two series. Series I: Local Unions contains information relevant to individual locals. Series II: District Matters encompasses much of the same type of material, but on a broader scope. Essentially the second series contain everything which does not pertain to any one particular local.

The collection embraces a substantial amount of useful documentation on the attitudes and efforts of sewer pipe workers, particularly of Clyde Meyers, whose career is highlighted. It appears most descriptive in revealing the interplay of locals, the district and the national union with each other as well as the Uhrichsville area, in which the sewer pipe industry once concentrated a number of plants.

This collection is uneven in its coverage. While there is much of interest, a concentration upon particular years, locals, and issues creates an incomplete portrait of the district. In part this reflects the facts that most of the items came from the files of one of the officials. Moreover, though a great deal of the collection focuses upon the 1950's, a period of decay for the clay sewer pipe industry, the records disclose little to document either the attitude of the UBCWA or its members to the phenomenon.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Permission to reproduce or publish materials in this collection must be secured in writing from Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron.

Restrictions on Access

No restrictions on access; except not available through interlibrary loan. Copyright restrictions may apply. Permission to reproduce or publish materials in this collection must be secured in writing from Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron.

Communications Workers of America, Local 4302 (Akron)

Electrical Workers, International Brotherhood of, Local 306

Greater Akron Area Barbers-Stylists Association, Local 105

International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Moving Picture Machine Operations of the United States and Canada, Local 48 (Akron)

Indexing Terms

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

Organizations/Corporations:

Preferred Citation

[Identification of Item], United Brick and Clay Workers, Buckeye Council 9 Records, Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Donated to the University of Akron September 22, 1976

Detailed Description of The Collection