Guide to the CF&I Archives – Industrial Relations Record Group

Bessemer Historical Society

2007-2008


Guide to the CF&I Archives – Industrial Relations Record Group
	Title	CF&I Archives – Industrial Relations Record Group
	Dates	1877-1993
	Identification	BHS-CFI-RG2
	Extent:	1,700 cubic feet
	Repository	CF&I Steel Archives, Bessemer Historical Society, 215 Canal Street, Pueblo, CO 81004, Phone: 719-564-7742 www.steelworks.us

Industrial Relations Scope and Content Note

The Industrial Relations records group contains some of the most important components of the archives. The records provide an invaluable insight into the relationship between CF&I’s management and the labor force. Records documenting the period before unionization as well as after, from both a labor and management point of view, contribute to providing a more well-rounded picture of a company and its workforce than is generally seen in one archival collection. Particularly rare are the glimpses into management decision-making, union avoidance strategies, resolution of grievances and other important labor relations issues.

The record group is divided into nine subgroups: Labor Relations, Employee Relations, Publications, Personnel, Employee Benefits, Medical Department, Sociological Department, Steel Y.M.C.A., and the Mabel Henry Fund.

Records in the Labor Relations subgroup (1894-1993) trace the troubled history of CF&I’s management of its labor force over a great extent of its history. It documents living and working conditions in the mines and steel mill, development of the Employee Representation Plan (Rockefeller Plan) at CF&I. in an attempt to address some of the grievances arising from the Coal Wars of 1913-1914 (which resulted in the Ludlow Massacre), through unionization, and the continuing labor disputes which plagued the company.

The Employee Relations subgroup (1915-1993) contains documentation of employee development and recognition, as well as its steel worker apprenticeship program.

Over the years, CF&I put out many publications, most of them aimed at workers and their families. The Publications subgroup (1901-1996) includes: Camp & Plant, 1901-1904; the Industrial Bulletin, 1915-1929; the Steel Works Blast, 1922-1928; the CF&I Blast, 1924-1976; and CF&I Today, 1987-1992, 1996. These publications are a rich source of documentation on the lives of both miners and steel workers. CF&I’s advertising department also published Turnover, 1929-1931, a journal directed at the vendors who marketed CF&I’s coal as fuel.

The Personnel subgroup (1880-1993) contains employment records for CF&I employees, both miners and steel workers. Some of the most valuable of these records are employment cards, ca. 1910-1950s, and personnel files, ca. 1950s-1990s, which detail an employee’s entire work history, noting jobs worked and time periods in each job, layoffs, illnesses, and often, physical descriptions, national origin, family relationships, education and other interesting information. This subgroup also includes records relating to employment status, seniority and job descriptions.

Employee Benefits (1915-1993) is by far the largest subgroup, containing pension files, workman’s compensation files and records relating to all other benefits received by employees.

The Medical Department subgroup (1905-1993) includes detailed medical files for employees from ca. 1940s to 1990s. One notable group of records is the Black Lung X-Ray files which document the incidence of the disease in CF&I’s coal miners. Earlier records are sporadic, but include the Surgeon’s Personal Injury Reports from 1905, which document how the company’s doctors dealt with injuries and treatment and how the company managed compensation for its employees in a pre-union environment.

Under the direction of its chief surgeon Richard Corwin, the company created a Sociological Department in 1901. The Sociological Department subgroup (1901-1915) contains reports detailing the activities of the department and its efforts to “better” the lives of its workers by offering lectures on such topics as hygiene, civics, politics, home economics, history and the dangers of communism as well as offering adult education classes and kindergardens for employees’ children.

The Steel Y.M.C.A. (1910-1949) was a successor to the Sociological Department after its demise in 1915, and become the center of social life for many of the company’s employees. This subgroup consists primarily of publications of the Steel Y.M.C.A.

The Mabel Henry Fund subgroup (1930-1965) contains records documenting the fund’s efforts to provide monetary assistance to employees during the Great Depression and later.

CF&I Industrial Relations Arrangement

Currently organized into ten subgroups

SG 2.1, Labor Relations, 1901-1992

SG 2.2, Employee Relations, 1915-1992

SG 2.3, Publications, 1901-1996

SG 2.4, Personnel, 1880-1992

SG 2.5, Employee Benefits, 1915-1992

SG 2.6, Medical Department , 1905-1992

SG 2.7, Sociological Department, 1900-1915

SG 2.8, Steel YMCA, 1910-1950

SG 2.9, Mabel Henry Fund, 1930-1962

SG 2.10, Undefined, 1970-1985

Restrictions

Restrictions on access:

Some materials in the industrial relations group are restricted due to privacy and confidentiality concerns. Records, including, but not limited to, personnel records, arbitration, grievance and other records containing personally-identifiable information are restricted 70 years from the date of creation. These records are available to immediate family members upon application and proof of identity. Exceptions may also be made for use of the records in an aggregate study, if the researcher signs an agreement not to reveal personally identifiable information. Such applications must be approved by the archivist and/or Director.

Restrictions on use:

Not all of the material in the collection is in the public domain. Researchers are responsible for addressing copyright issues. Please see the BHS copyright statement at

http://steelworks.us/index.php/archives2/copyrightinformation

Index Terms

Subject Terms:

Coal mines and mining.

Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation.

Colorado Fuel and Iron Company.

Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation.

John A. Roebling’s Sons Corporation.

Iron mines and mining.

Steel industry and trade.

SG 2.1
Labor Relations 1894-1992

368 boxes, INR-0468 through INR-0563, INR-0581 through INR-0757, INR-0795 through INR-0836, INR-0845 through INR-0847, INR-0866, INR-0867, INR-0880, INR-0881, INR-0894, INR-0915 through INR-0919, INR-0921, INR-0923 through INR-0925, INR-0928, INR-0929, INR-0938, INR-0943.1, INR-0943.2, INR-0975, INR-0976, INR-0981 through INR-0987, INR-1094, INR-1098, INR-1110, INR-1111, INR-1148 through INR-1155, INR-1205, INR-1206, INR-1215, INR-1216, INR-1233, INR-1236, INR-1237, INR-1240, INR-1249 through INR-1253, INR-1285, INR-1292 through INR-1304, INR-1314, INR-1315, INR-1317

Labor Relations Scope and Content Note

The Labor Relations subgroup contains seven series detailing relations between the company and its workers: Pre-Unionization, Contract Negotiations and Agreements, Grievance Files, Arbitrations, Discrimination Files, Discharge Hearings and Work Stoppages.

Labor Relations Arrangement

Currently organized into eight series

Series 2.1.1Pre-Unionization Labor Relations 1894-1948

Series 2.1.2Contract Negotiations 1933-1992

Series 2.1.3Grievance Files 1942-1993

Series 2.1.4Arbitrations 1941-1990

Series 2.1.5Discrimination Files 1962-1992

Series 2.1.6Discharge Hearings 1943-1993

Series 2.1.7, Work Stoppages, 1949-1990

Series 2.1.8, Undefined, ca. 1940-1990

Series 2.1.1
Pre-Unionization Labor Relations 1894-1948

14 boxes, INR-1292 through INR-1304 and INR-1317

Pre-Unionization Labor Relations Scope and Content Note

This series consists of records of the pre-unionization period, including minutes of the Employee Representation Plan, 1916-1927, which give valuable insights into the workings of the ERP. Grievance files created during the ERP are contained within this series as well. The records are the first grievances formally recognized by the company. One case of note from 1919 involves an African-American employee who protested CF&I’s segregation of the company’s YMCA. Other cases include problems with mine safety, poor working conditions, poor housing conditions, and low wages. The ERP files also include a detailed self-study conducted in 1924 examining the success and failures of the company union.

Other materials include documentation on the continuing labor strife, including information on the 1927-1928 I.W.W. strike, and a small amount of documents on the 1913-1914 coal wars strike. Most documentation of the 1913-1914 period has disappeared, but there is one document of note, a photocopy of a notebook containing “strike notes” maintained by CF&I management. It provides a fascinating insight into the company’s stance on the events of the coal wars. The photocopy was recently donated to the archives by Frank Yaklich, last CEO of CF&I, who made the copy from the original document, which has since disappeared.

The archives also contain amazing documentation of the 1927-1928 Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.) strike. Detailed reports from spies called X, XX, and X3 planted within the I.W.W. by CF&I management provide information on the union’s activities. The spies were also tasked to spread misinformation about the union to the public. The files include lists of blacklisted employees — employees who were unfortunate enough to be observed attending union meetings. The communications between the mine managers detail their responses to the unionization efforts. The company also seized union materials from workers, including posters, newspapers, flyers and a songbook.

Pre-Unionization Labor Relations Arrangement

Information is arranged chronologically.

This series is currently arranged into two subseries

Subseries 2.1.1.1, Pre-Unionization Documentation, 1900-1938

Subseries 2.1.1.2, Transitional Documentation, 1938-1948

Go to the Series Inventory

Description	Container

Series 2.1.2
Contract Negotiations 1933-19921950-1990

117 boxes, INR-0468 through INR-0563, INR-0581, INR-0582, INR-0583, INR-0665, INR-0809 through INR-0815, INR-0825, INR-0826, INR-0827, INR-0846, INR-0847, INR-0866, INR-0867, INR-1098, INR-1111, INR-1154, INR-1155, INR-1215, INR-1216, and INR-1233

Contract Negotiations Scope and Content Note

This series includes the working papers, drafts, and related documents for agreements between various unions (e.g. the United States Steelworkers Association or USWA, the United Mine Workers Association or UMWA, the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen and Switchmen, the United Transportation Union or UTU, etc.) and CF&I or its subsidiary companies. These agreements include basic and supplemental agreements governing the relationship between the company and its workers, with rules about how the company and workers interact and what is expected of each. Other negotiations and contracts concern pensions, insurance, other benefits, and specifics about working conditions such as seniority, wages, or safety. There are also several boxes of examples of agreements from other steel companies.

The Pueblo Plant and some subsidiary CF&I companies (such as Roebling Sons, C&W, South San Francisco, various mines and quarries, etc) are represented in this series. This series spans the years 1933 to 1993, and the bulk of the records fall in the 1950s through the 1980s. Folders are artificially numbered. If the original folder required more than one new folder, then the new folders were labeled with letters as well (3A, 3B, etc).

Contract Negotiations Arrangement

Information is arranged chronologically.

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Description	Container

Series 2.1.3
Grievance Files 1942-19931960-1990

95 boxes, INR-0584 through INR-0664, INR-0723, INR-0753, INR-0754, INR-0798 through INR-0808

Grievance Files Scope and Content Note

The grievance files consist of complaints that bargaining employees held against the company or against other employees. The grievances represented here cover a variety of topics ranging from wage and job classification disputes to disagreements over seniority, harassment, and blue slips (formal write-ups given to employees for reasons ranging from safety concerns to tardiness or absenteeism). Cases could be instigated by single individuals, small groups of workers, seniority units, or an entire department. Almost all case files have the original form stating what the grievance is and the company’s initial decision to reject, compromise, or accept that grievance. Most files have other supporting documentation, such as fact-finding reports, correspondence, meeting summaries, and handwritten notations. Usually the ultimate outcome of the case is noted in the file.

Unions represented in this series include USWA Local #2102, #3267 (Clerical and Technical), #3751 (Plant Protection), and #4709 at Sunrise Mine. The United Transportation Union is also represented. The bulk dates for the series fall in the 1960s to the 1980s, but the 1940s, 1950s, and early 1990s are also represented. Folder titles in the finding aid come from the information on the folder itself and include the subject of the grievance. Folder numbers typically correspond with case numbers.

This series includes three boxes of cases that went to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and six boxes of grievance meeting files, consisting of minutes and other documents from the meetings for the steps (1, 2, 3) in the grievance process. Grievances could be resolved at any of these levels; if they were not resolved, they could move into arbitration between the grievant(s) and the company, which is the next series in the Labor Relations subgroup. These last two sets of boxes have folders with artificial numbers added (1, 2, 3, etc), and the folder titles in the finding aid come directly from the folders themselves.

Grievance Files Arrangement

Information is arranged by department and chronologically.

Go to the Series Inventory

Access restrictions may apply. Consult the archivist.

Description	Container

Series 2.1.4
Arbitration Files 1942-1990

35 boxes, INR-0666 through INR-0689, INR-0828 through INR-0835, INR-0986, INR-0987, INR-1094, INR-1291

Aribtration Files Scope and Content Note

The arbitration files consist of cases that could not be solved at the grievance meeting level. The disputes cover the same type of grievances as those covered in the grievances series, including for example, wage disputes, suspensions, provisional discharges, and job assignments. Individuals, groups of workers, and entire units are again represented in this series. Because not every grievance went to arbitration, there are fewer cases, and therefore fewer boxes, in this group. The files also include working documents, such as correspondence.

This series includes fifteen boxes of arbitration cases from other steel companies around the United States, as well as documentation concerning incentive arbitrations between the United Steel Workers Association (USWA) and steel companies in the United States. The dates for this series span the 1940s to the 1980s. Folder titles in the finding aid are taken directly from the folders themselves, and folders are artificially numbered (1, 2, 3, etc.).

Arbitration Files Arrangement

These files are in their original order.

Go to the Series Inventory

Access restrictions may apply. Consult the archivist.

Description	Container

Series 2.1.5
Discrimination Files 1962-19921970-1990

79 boxes, INR-0690 through INR-0757, INR-0836, INR-0845, INR-0880 and INR-0881, INR-0928, INR-0938, INR-0943.1, INR-0943.2, INR-0975, INR-0976, INR-0981 through INR-0985, INR-1148 through INR-1153, INR-1205, INR-1206, INR-1237, INR-1240, INR-1249 through INR-1253

Discrimination Files Scope and Content Note

This series concerns grievances employees had against the company or against other employees specifically related to discrimination, including race and ethnicity (also known as national origin), religion, gender, age, and physical or mental disabilities (also known as handicaps). The majority of the series focuses on individuals’ cases involving the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Colorado Civil Rights Commission (CCRC), and the Affirmative Action Program (AAP). Some larger cases are represented, including the EEOC vs. CF&I case and the Commissioner Powell Charge, and these case files include a number of supporting documents, such as depositions and interrogatories, as well as reference materials and working papers. The bulk dates for this series fall in the 1970s and 1980s, but the 1960s and early 1990s are also represented. Folder titles in this series are usually the subject of the grievance, or taken directly from the original folder title. If the employee worked at one of the mines or a subsidiary company, that information is noted in the folder title in parentheses. Also noted is if the grievant was a woman. Typically if there is a case number, it is the folder number; later boxes in the series, starting with INR-0711, have folders with artificial numbers attached (1, 2, 3, etc). Many cases had multiple case numbers, particularly if they went through more than one government agency (such as both the CCRC and the EEOC). In those instances, both or all case numbers are noted in the folder number.

Discrimination Files Arrangement

Some information is arranged alphabetically by employee’s surname; the remaining boxes are arranged in some other original order.

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Access restrictions may apply. Consult the archivist.

Description	Container

Series 2.1.6
Discharge Hearings 1943-19921965-1985

7 boxes, INR-0816 through INR-0822

Discharge Hearings Scope and Content Note

Records in this series concern employees who were provisionally discharged by the company. A provisional discharge did not necessarily mean an employee was fired, and he was often reinstated; many employees were discharged more than once. Hearings were held between the union and the company, during which the union usually pleaded on behalf of the employee, and those hearings are where these documents come from. Files typically contain the reason why a worker was discharged and can contain such information as the proceedings of what happened during the hearings, personnel records, background information gathered by the company when the employee appealed the discharge, disciplinary record information, and working notations about the case. Reasons for discharge included failure to perform the assigned work, excessive absenteeism, insubordination, being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, etc. Folder titles in the finding aid are taken directly from the folders, including the employee’s payroll number (PR#); the subject of the provisional discharge is noted in parentheses. Folders are artificially numbered in sequential order (1, 2, 3, etc). The series spans 1943 to 1992, and the bulk dates fall in the 1960s to early 1980s.

Discharge Hearings Arrangement

Information is arranged alphabetically by employee’s surname

Go to the Series Inventory

‘Access restrictions apply. Consult the archivist.

Description	Container

Series 2.1.7
Work Stoppages 1945-1990

4 boxes, INR-0795 through INR-0797, INR-1285

Work Stoppages Scope and Content Note

The information in this series concerns strikes, slowdowns, sickouts, and related ways and means bargaining employees protested against the company. Departments in the Pueblo Plant and local unions related to the railroad are represented in this series. The series spans 1945 to 1990, the majority of the unionized period. By the 1940s, CF&I had shut down most of the mines, so the preponderance of records in this group relate to USWA strikes at the Pueblo steel mill. All of the major (and many minor) strikes are documented, including the lengthy and bitter strikes of 1949 and 1959. This series includes correspondence, memoranda, hearings, grievances, activity summaries, notices of hearings, personnel complaints, employee lists of eligible workers, union negotiations and plans, proposed pay adjustments and newspaper clippings.

Work Stoppages Arrangement

Information is arranged chronologically and by Department

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Description	Container

Series 2.1.8
Undefined ca. 1940-1990

Boxes INR-0823, INR-0824, INR-0894, INR-0915 through INR-0919, INR-0921,INR-0923, INR-0924, INR-0925, INR-0929, INR-1110, INR-1236, INR-1249, INR-1314, and INR-1315

Undefined Scope and Content Note

Under construction

Undefined Arrangement

Under construction

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Description	Container

SG 2.2
Employee Relations 1915-1992

28 boxes, INR-0841 through INR-0844, INR-1156, INR-1159, INR-1162, INR-1164, INR-1171, INR-1174, INR-1177, INR-1190, INR-1191, INR-1199 through INR-1202, INR-1211, INR-1218, INR1223, INR-1225, INR-1235, INR-1256, INR-1271, INR-1306, INR-1307, INR-1310

Employee Relations Scope and Content Note

Under construction

Employee Relations Arrangement

Currently organized into five series

Series 2.2.1, Employee Development Files, 1967-1992

Series 2.2.2, Apprenticeship Program, no date

Series 2.2.3, Employee Recognition, no date

Series 2.2.4, Suggestions Committe, no date

Series 2.2.5, Undefined, no date

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Description	Container

SG 2.2 Employee Relations 1915-1992

SG 2.3
Publications 1901-1996

Under construction

Publications Scope and Content Note

Under construction

Publications Arrangement

Information is arranged chronologically.

Currently organized into five series

Series 2.3.1, Camp and Plant, 1901-1904

Series 2.3.2, Industrial Bulletin, 1915-1929

Series 2.3.3, CF&I Blast, 1924-1976

Series 2.3.4, Turnover, 1929-1931

Series 2.3.5, CF&I Today, 1987-1992, 1996

Series 2.3.6, Steel Works Blast, 1922-1928

Series 2.3.7, Undefined, 1920-1989

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Description	Container

SG 2.3 Publications 1901-1996

SG 2.4
Personnel 1880-1992

279 boxes, INR-0001 through INR-0183, INR-0451, INR-0837 through INR-0840, INR-0850, INR-0851, INR-0868 through INR-0879, INR-0892, INR-0893, INR-0897, INR-0914, INR-0957, INR-1007, INR-1061, INR-1076, INR-1078, INR-1113, INR-1116, INR-1117, INR-1119 through INR-1124, INR-1126, INR-1130, INR-1157, INR-1158, INR-1163, INR-1165, INR-1167, INR-1168, INR-1170, INR-1173, INR-1175, INR-1178, INR-1180 through INR-1187, INR-1189, INR-1193 through INR-1197, INR-1203, INR-1208 through INR-1210, INR-1212 through INR-1214, INR-1217, INR-1219 through INR-1221, INR-1224, INR-1227 through INR-1230, INR-1243 through INR-1245, INR-1248, INR-1251, INR-1255, INR-1257 through INR-1261, INR-1265, INR-1269, INR-1270, INR-1273 through INR-1275, INR-1281, INR-1282, INR-1284, INR-1288, INR-1311 through INR-1313. 74 reels of microfilm, reels 508-524, 578, 964-982, 1004-1011, 1013-1019, 1021, 1023-1024, 1026, 1029, 1032, 1034, 1035, 1037, 1038, 1040, 1042, 1044, 1046, 1286, 1287, 1505, 1547-1549, 1554

Personnel Scope and Content Note

Microfilm includes employee service records, ca. 1910-ca. 1950. Service records typically contain: name, age, nationality, level of education, parents’ names, work history, physical description, and other information. Records were filmed in two series, one labeled [before 1916], the other [after 1917]. Examination of the film has shown that the date range for both groups of microfilm is closer to ca. 1910-1950.

Paper documents in boxes include employee service and medical records, ca. 1930-1993. Same information can generally be found as that on microfilm.

Personnel Arrangement

Information on reels is arranged alphabetically. A partial index is available.

This subgroup is currently organized into seven series

Series 2.4.1, Mining Personnel Records, 1880-1985

Series 2.4.2, Steel Works Personnel Records, 1880-1990

Series 2.4.3, Unidentified Personnel Records, unknown

Series 2.4.4, Employment Status, no date

Series 2.4.5, Seniority Lists, no date

Series 2.4.6, Job Descriptions,no date

Series 2.4.7, Undefined, ca. 1930-1990

Go to the Subgroup Inventory

Access restrictions likely apply. Consult the archivist for further information.

Description	Container

SG 2.4 Personnel 1880-1992

SG 2.5
Employee Benefits 1915-1992

295 boxes, INR-0451, INR-0564 through INR-0580, INR-0758 through INR-0794, INR-0848, INR-0851, INR-0882 through INR-0891, INR-0895, INR-0896, INR-0898 through INR-0913, INR-0920, INR-0922, INR-0926, INR-0927, INR-0930 through INR-0937, INR-0939 through INR-0956, INR-0958 through INR-0974, INR-0977 through INR-0980, INR-0988 through INR-1006, INR-1008 through INR-1060, INR-1062 through INR-1075, INR-1077, INR-1079 through INR-1093, INR-1095, INR-1097, INR-1100 through INR-1109, INR-1114, INR-1115, INR-1127 through INR-1129, INR-1132 through INR-1147, INR-1169, INR-1172, INR-1179, INR-1188, INR-1192, INR-1198, INR-1204, INR-1207, INR-1231, INR-1232, INR-1238, INR-1239, INR-1241, INR-1242, INR-1250, INR-1254, INR-1262 through INR-1264, INR-1266 through INR-1268, INR-1286, INR-1287, INR-1289, INR-1290, INR-1309