New Orleans Street Railway Union records, 1902-1948 | Louisiana Research Collection

By Mallorie Smith, Kathryn Rumer and Eira Tansey

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Collection Overview

Title: New Orleans Street Railway Union records, 1902-1948

ID: LaRC/Manuscripts Collection 26

Primary Creator: Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employees of America Division No. 194

Extent: 37.0 Boxes. More info below.

Arrangement: Arranged by topic, as follows: general records from 1902 - 1940, acts, ordinances and agreements pertaining to the union, New Orleans Public Service Inc. records from 1921 - 1933, Funeral and Old Age Benefit records from 1907 - 1939, financial reports from 1914 - 1939, membership applications, balloting records, sick reports, bound booklets, periodicals, records not directly concerned with the union and newspaper clippings and articles. The collection consists of 37 boxes and 23 volumes. It is 25.5 linear feet.

Date Acquired: 01/01/1952

Subjects: Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employees of America. Division 194 (New Orlea, Labor unions -- Louisiana -- New Orleans., Local transit -- Louisiana -- New Orleans., Local transit -- United States -- Employees., Louisiana -- Economic conditions -- 20th century., New Orleans (La.) -- Economic conditions -- 20th century., New Orleans Public Service, Inc., Street-railroads -- Louisiana -- New Orleans., Street-railroads -- United States -- Employees., Strikes and lockouts -- Railroads -- United States -- History -- 20th century., Transport workers -- Labor unions -- Louisiana -- New Orleans., Women employees -- Labor unions.

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The collection consists of handwritten and typed correspondence, financial and accounting records, funeral and old age benefit records, newspaper clippings from 1921 to 1935 directly referencing the activities of the union, labor and political propaganda, cartoons, photos, periodicals, court case records, briefs and dockets, records of charity donations, meeting minutes, union membership registries, working cards, withdrawal cards, Carnival souvenir programs, Fancy Dress and Masquerade Ball programs, strike and labor related ephemera, and general administrative records tracing the evolution of the Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employees of America Division No. 194 in New Orleans from 1902 to 1948.

Biographical Note

This collection contains the records of Union Division No. 194 of the Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employees of America, established in 1892. The date the A.A. of S.E.R.E. of A. dissolved is unknown, but approximate to the 1950s given the records available. Collection 26 traces the evolution of New Orleans Local No. 194 from 1902 – 1948. A large portion of the collection consists of correspondence, labor protests, worker contentions regarding pay, hours, administration, and strike relief, and administrative changes to the management of streetcars and streetcar lines.

The main focus of this collection, however, relates to the strikes enacted by Local No. 194. The strike of 1929 had the longest duration, held the greatest impact, and was the result of contentions with the New Orleans Public Service Company and the Progressive Benevolent Association - a dual organization that Division No. 194 deemed an attempt to undermine the labor union. The strike began with the removal of Local President Ben Commons for his involvement in the P.B.A. and ended in arbitration initiated by the American Federation of Labor President William Green and Ben Commons' reinstatement. The strike lasted for several years, stopped the distribution of funeral and old age benefits, drained union funds, left hundreds unemployed, and affected the entire city's system of public transportation. Following the strike's end, the union saw a period of recuperation - recovering losses from extensive lawsuits and the draining distribution of strike benefits. The union records then reveal a shift toward politics and elections. The election of Huey P. Long and his reign of corruption are common topics addressed later in the collection.

The A.A. of S.E.R.E. of A. Division No. 194 records also effectively trace the progression of the labor movement in the U.S. with references to "one man car" opposition, yellow dog contracts, the American Federation of Labor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the W.P.A., segregation, the employment of women, and legislation dictating work day length and working conditions. Of the labor related legislation passed between 1902 - 1948, Local Division No. 194 supported bills and acts such as the Hawes-Cooper Convict Bill, the bill for women's 8 hour work day, the Caper-Robison Bill, the Johnson Immigration Bill, the Volstead Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the National Labor Relations Act, and the Wagner Bill.

Collection 26 effectively reveals the rise and fall of Local No. 194, from the successes attained in labor related legislation in the early 1900s to the debilitating strikes that put hundreds out of work.

Subject/Index Terms

Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employees of America. Division 194 (New Orlea
Labor unions -- Louisiana -- New Orleans.
Local transit -- Louisiana -- New Orleans.
Local transit -- United States -- Employees.
Louisiana -- Economic conditions -- 20th century.
New Orleans (La.) -- Economic conditions -- 20th century.
New Orleans Public Service, Inc.
Street-railroads -- Louisiana -- New Orleans.
Street-railroads -- United States -- Employees.
Strikes and lockouts -- Railroads -- United States -- History -- 20th century.
Transport workers -- Labor unions -- Louisiana -- New Orleans.
Women employees -- Labor unions.

Administrative Information

Repository: Louisiana Research Collection

Alternate Extent Statement: 25.5 linear feet.

Access Restrictions: Collection is open to the public. No known restrictions.

Use Restrictions: Physical rights are retained by the Louisiana Research Collection. Copyright is retained in accordance with U.S. copyright laws.

Preferred Citation: New Orleans Street Railway Union records, Manuscripts Collection 26, Louisiana Research Collection, Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118.

Processing Information: Collection processed under supervision of Eira Tansey

Other Note: OCLC Number: 676836515

Box and Folder Listing

Box 5: New Orleans Street Railway Union Records, 1928-1929

Box 5 contains continued handwritten and typed correspondence and records referring to the Progressive Benevolent Association, the New Orleans Public Service Co., the Civil District Court cases of Jacob Yokers and Otis J. Alford, the strike declared on March 11, 1929, and appeals and communication from other local unions. It also includes an appeal from the American Federation of Labor for donations toward a monument for the late President Samuel Gompers, as well as receipts for donations made by the Local Division No. 194 to other organizations. General administrative and financial records and correspondence are also included.

Folder 1: Union Records, 10/1928-11/1928: Correspondence involving a Local #194 member's and P.B.A.'s protest of the increase in dues, the P.B.A's new movement in support of the local union, and support from other unions. Also, disability claims, accounting and auditing records, job inquiries and applications, resignations, receipts, and grievances are included.
Folder 2: Union Records, 12/1928: Administrative documents, meeting minutes, applications for nomination and election records, financial and auditing records, and correspondence within the Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employees of America, as well as with the U.S. Senate, the New Orleans Department of Public Safety, and the Disabled American Veterans of the World War.
Folder 3: Union Records, 01/1929: Meeting notices and minutes, correspondence refering to withdrawls of candidacy for the Union's Executive Board as well as the leasing of the Algiers Naval Dock, grievance blanks, administrative and auditing records, and correspondence relating to the continued existence of the dual organization, the Progressive Benevolent Association, and its alignment with the Public Service Company to subvert Local Division 194.
Folder 4: Union Records, 02/1929: General administrative and financial records and correspondence, grievance blanks, meeting minutes, and accounting records.
Folder 5: Strike of March 11th and Other Union Documents, 03/1929: Correspondence largely concerning union jurisdiction and requests for assistance from other local unions, records of the Civil District Court Case of Jacob Yokers v. Edwin Peyroux and the Division's subsequent enjoinment from striking, ephemera declaring a strike on March 11, 1929, and further correspondence on the pending arbitration between Division 194 and the New Orleans Public Service Inc. regarding the P.B.A. - a dual organization. Other general administrative and accounting related documents are also included.
Folder 6: Otis J. Alford v. Local Division No. 194 and Other Union Records, 04/1929: Administrative and financial records including bank notices of overdraft, grievance blanks, meeting minutes, the two-man car ordinance, and general accounting related correspondence. Records, summons, and affadavits refering to the Civil District Court case of Otis J. Alford v. Local Division No. 194 are also included, as well an appeal for donations toward the creation of a monument in honor of the late A.F.L. President Samuel Gompers.
Folder 7: Union Records, 05/1929: Further record of the Civil District Court Case of Otis J. Alford v. Local Division No. 194, ephemera, meeting minutes, and further correspondence on the Samuel Gompers monument and on the pending arbitration on the question of the New Orleans Public Service Co.'s violation of contract in fostering a dual organization. General administrative and accounting related documents, grievances, and P.B.A. meeting announcements are also included.
Folder 8: Union Records, 06/1929: Correspondence, receipts, bank overdraft notifications, union seniority contentions and appeals, and general administrative records.