TABLE OF CONTENTS

Biographical Note

Scope and Content Notes

Restrictions

Controlled Access Terms

Administrative Information

Series A: Union Correspondence and Internal Documents

Series B: Union Case Records - 3rd Step Minutes

Series C: Grievance and Arbitration - 4th Step and Arbitration Hearings (Specific Cases)

Series D: Grievance and Arbitration - Arbitration Awards

Series E: Grievance-Related Documents

Series F: Arbitration-Related Documents

Series G: Legal Proceedings

Series H: Workmen's Compensation and TRA Case Files

Series I: External Political Campaigns

Series J: Intra-Union Disputes and Campaigns

Series K: General Mill History

SERIES L: Mike Stout Personal Items

United Steel Workers of America Local Union 1397 1950-1990

Biographical Note

Included in this collection are Intra-Union disputes and campagins, mill history and various documents.

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Scope and Content Notes

The documents of the United Steelworkers of America Local 1397 are arranged into twelve series, which fill over seventy archival boxes. Five general topic areas were used to organize the collection. The first was Internal Union Functioning, which comprises series A - H. Outside Political Campaigns, represented by series I, came next. Topic area three included Intra-Union Disputes and Campaigns, contained in series J. Fourth was General Mill History, represented by series K. Last came Mike Stout's Personal Items, which make up series L. The collection is comprised of many different types of documents, such as arbitration transcripts, union correspondence, employee listings, and newspaper clippings. These various types of materials are usually arranged together within their respective series. The documents cover a wide period of time, beginning as early as the 1930's with a few papers, and concluding in the early 1990's. Most materials are from the 1970's and 1980's, when operations at the Homestead mill were winding down. Series Descriptions SERIES A: Union Correspondence and Internal Documents Series A includes documents from the 1970's through the 1990's. The bulk of the series is made up of the internal documents of Local 1397, including correspondence, local election material, by-laws, consent decree letters, and other union-related files and forms. SERIES B: Grievance and Arbitration - 3rd Step Minutes The third step in the arbitration and grievance process occurred with the meeting of the grievance committee. This series includes the minutes from those meetings between 1958 and 1985. The minutes are arranged chronologically and provide a unique behind-the-scenes look at the grievance process. SERIES C: Grievance and Arbitration - 4th Step and Arbitration Hearings (Specific Cases) These files contain grievance and arbitration cases from 1958 to 1985, and are arranged by case number. Most of the documents deal with the fourth step of the grievance and arbitration process, which was a preliminary step before the case was taken to arbitration. Some arbitration material is is also included, such as transcripts of various arbitration proceedings. The grievant's name, the reason for the grievance, and his or her location in the mill are listed as well. SERIES D: Grievance and Arbitration - Arbitration Awards The final step in the grievance and arbitration process was the decision of the arbiter. Series D lists arbitration decisions from 1958 to 1985 by their case number. Most decisions were awards, although there are a few award denials included. SERIES E: Grievance-Related Documents Series E includes documents relating to the grievance process dating from the 1950's, with most of the material centering on the 1980's. Grievance case listings, grievances from specific shops in the Homestead mill, listings of grievance settlements, grievance teaching materials, severance- related documents, and various other grievance materials are included. Series Descriptions SERIES F: Arbitration-Related Documents Series F contains arbitration material from the 1970's and 1980's, arranged within the series by topic. Arbitration indices, awards, cases from other mills, and correspondence are included, as well as contracting out documents, and a copy of the USS Index of Basic Labor Agreement. The series provides additional information on the arbitration process, as well as some specific arbitration cases. SERIES G: Legal Proceedings Series G looks at lawsuits that related to the union. Four main lawsuits are listed, including a Secretaries Lawsuit, the Robert Check Lawsuit, the Valley Machine Shop Lawsuit, and the I.J.O.P. Lawsuit. Materials concerning these lawsuits are also included, as well as two other union- related cases. The lawsuits date from the 1980's into the early 1990's. SERIES H: Workmen's Compensation and TRA Case Files Series H includes TRA Case Files, and a few workmen's compensation files. The TRA was the Trade Readjustment Act passed by congress to pay for the retraining of workers who lost their jobs due to imports. It was reinstated in 1986 after expiring in 1984. The files contain requests for training approval and allowances while in training, and the ensuing decisions regarding those requests. The cases are listed alphabetically by the name of the worker, and date from 1983 to 1987. SERIES I: External Political Campaigns Series I contains the materials from campaigns brought about to revitalize the steel-making areas of southwestern Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia that have been affected by deindustrialization. The campaigns took place during the later 1980' and early 1990's, and documents are listed with their respective campaigns. Most of the documents concern the Tri-State Conference on Steel/Steel Valley Authority, and its various activities. DMS Mellon and Unemployment Committee documents are also included. Series Descriptions SERIES J: Intra-Union Disputes and Campaigns Series J focuses on internal union disagreements from the late 1970's to the early 1980's. USWA correspondence is included, as well as union- related documents and reports. Rank and File materials from Local 1397 make up a large part of the series. SERIES K: General Mill History This series focuses on the Homestead mill itself, the steel industry, and the Homestead/Pittsburgh region. The series is divided into five sections, including: Deindustrializaton, Steel-Related Correspondence, Articles, and Publications, Labor, Union, and Strike-Related Documents, Steel-Related Reports, and Homestead Mill Operations. Most documents date from the 1980's, although a few originate in the 1930's or 1940's. SERIES L: Mike Stout Personal Items Series L contains the files of Mike Stout, who was the chairman of the grievance committee at Homestead during the mid-1980's. Included are various personal materials, documents concerning his campaign for the state legislature, and his grievance committee chairman files.

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United Steel Workers of America Local Union 1397 papers are housed in ??? boxes

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Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Property rights reside with Indiana University of Pennsylvania, University Archives and Special Collections. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the coordinator of the University Archives and Special Collections.

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Administrative Information

United Steel Workers of America Local Union 1397, 1950-1990, MG# 62, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, University Archives and Special Collections

This collection was processed by Special Collections Staff,date unknown. Papers rearranged and inventory rewritten by Special Collections Staff in Fall 2002.

Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Meghan Rising on January 29, 2003.

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