Finding aid for the Cleveland Printing and Graphic Communications Union, Local No. 56 Records


Repository: Western Reserve Historical Society
Creator: Cleveland Printing and Graphic Communications Union, Local No. 56
Title: Cleveland Printing and Graphic Communications Union, Local No. 56 Records
Dates: 1893-1978
Extent: 11.60 linear feet (12 containers and 9 oversize volumes)
Abstract: The Cleveland Printing and Graphic Communications Union, Local No. 56 was chartered in 1891 as the Cleveland Printing and Pressmen's Union, Local No. 56. It became the Cleveland Printing Pressmen's and Assistants Union, Local No. 56 in 1929, after merging with the Cleveland Pressmen's Assistants Union, Local No. 45. The present name was adopted after a 1973 merger with the Stereotypers and Electrotypers International. Activities of the union have included support of other unions, establishment of a technical school and a tuberculosis sanitarium in Tennessee, and support of the Cleveland Citizen, one of America's oldest labor newspapers. The collection consists of minutes, ledgers, cash and dues books, payment records, tax information, attendance books, subject files, and newsletters.
MS Number MS 3728
Location: closed stacks
Language: The records are in English

History of the Cleveland Printing and Graphic Communications Union, Local No. 56

The Cleveland Printing and Graphics Communications Union, Local No. 56 was chartered in 1891 as the Cleveland Printing and Pressmen's Union, Local No. 56; after merging with the Cleveland Pressmen's Assistants union, Local No. 45 in 1929, Local No. 56 became known as the Cleveland printing Pressmen's and Assistants union, Local No. 56. Another merger, in 1973, with the Stereotypers and Electrotypers International gave the union its present name.

Local No. 56 encouraged the formation of stronger unions locally and nationally by supporting the American Federation of Labor and its local subsidiary, the Allied Printing Trades Council, and the Tri-State District Joint Council. Local No. 56 also supported the Cleveland Citizen, one of America's oldest labor newspapers, until the union began to publish its own newsletter in 1967. The union promoted excellence among printers by helping to establish a technical school in Hale Springs (later the town's name was changed to Pressmen's Home), Tennessee, in 1910, and by adopting the apprentice system in 1926. Local no. 56 also contributed to the establishment of a tuberculosis sanitarium in Hale Springs which operated from 1916-1961.


Scope and Content

The Cleveland Printing and Graphic Communications Union, Local No. 56 Records, 1893-1978 and undated, consist of minutes, ledgers, cash and dues books, payment records, tax information, attendance books, subject files, and newsletters.

This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of Cleveland, Ohio, and organized labor there in the late nineteenth century and twentieth century. The collection provides valuable insight into the development of a printer's union in a large American city in the twentieth century. The union's activities included organizing efforts in the newspaper, magazine, and other printing-related industries. The minutes, financial records, and miscellaneous subject files give a general overview of the growth of Local No. 56. The subject files detail specific facets of the union's relations with other unions, organizations, and businesses such as the Altoona, Pennsylvania Local No. 352, East Liverpool, Ohio Local Nos. 122 and 638, the Allied Printing Trades Council, the Cleveland Federation of Labor, the Newspaper Enterprise Association, Printing Industries Association of Northern Ohio, the Tri-State District Joint Council, the World Publishing Company, Sherwin-Williams Company, Columbia Match Company, and Avery Label Company.


Statement of Arrangement

The collection is arranged in five series.
Series I: Minutes is arranged chronologically.
Series II: Financial Records is arranged by document type and then chronologically, Researchers should note that oversize material is located at the end of the series regardless of document type.
Series III: Attendance Books is arranged chronologically.
Series IV: Subject Files is arranged alphabetically by subject, then by document type, and then chronologically.
Series V: Newsletters is arranged by subject and then chronologically.

Restrictions on Access

None.

Related Material

The researcher should also consult MS 4172 Cleveland Printing and Graphic Communications Union, Local No. 56 Records, Series II.

Separated Material

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:

Cleveland Printing and Graphic Communications Union. Local No. 56.
Collective bargaining -- Printing industry -- Ohio -- Cleveland.
Labor unions -- Ohio -- Cleveland.
Printing industry -- Labor unions -- Ohio -- Cleveland.
Printing industry -- Ohio -- Cleveland.

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 3728 Cleveland Printing and Graphic Communications Union, Local No. 56 Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gift of the Cleveland Printing and Graphic Communications Union, Local No. 56 in 1978.

Processing Information

Processed by Roberta L. Hudson in 1978.

Detailed Description of The Collection

Series I: Minutes 1904-1950

Box Folder
1 1 Minutes 1904-1909
1 2 Minutes 1910-1916
1 3 Minutes 1916-1926
1 4 Minutes 1922-1929
1 5 Minutes 1927-1938
1 6 Minutes 1938-1950

Series II: Financial Records 1893-1973 undated

Box Folder
1 7 Treasurer's reports 1893-1894
1 8 Benefit ledger 1940
1 9 Cash book 1917-1922
1 10 Cash book 1922-1925
1 11 Cash book 1935-1941
1 12 Cash book 1941-1946
1 13 Cash book 1946-1951
1 14 Cash book 1951-1956
1 15 Cash book 1956-1960
1 16 Cash book 1958-1968
Box Folder
2 1 Cash book 1960-1964
2 2 Cash book 1964-1968
2 3 Cash book 1968-1972
2 4 Cash book 1972-1973
2 5 Cash book undated
2 6 Receipt ledger 1920-1925
2 7 Dues book 1926-1933
2 8 Dues book 1927-1935
2 9 Dues book 1931
2 10 Dues book 1931-1933
2 11 Dues book 1933-1934
2 12 Dues book 1934-1936
2 13 Dues book 1943-1944
2 14 Dues book 1944-1946
2 15 Dues book 1946-1947
Box Folder
3 1 Dues book 1947-1948
3 2 Dues book 1949-1950
3 3 Dues book 1950-1951
3 4 Dues book 1951-1952
3 5 Dues book 1952-1953
3 6 Dues book 1953-1956
3 7 Dues book 1956-1958
3 8 Dues book 1958-1961
3 9 Dues book 1961-1963
3 10 Dues book 1963-1966
3 11 Dues book 1966-1969
3 12 Dues book 1969-1972
Box Folder
4 1 Dues book 1972
4 2 Payment record, Local No. 45 1909
4 3 Payment record, Local No. 45 1910
4 4 Payment record, Local No. 45 1911
4 5 Payment record, Local No. 45 1912
4 6 Payment record, Local No. 45 1913
4 7 Payment record, Local No. 45 1914
4 8 Payment record, Local No. 45 1915
4 9 Payment record, Local No. 45 1916
4 10 Payment record, Local No. 45 1917
4 11 Payment record, Local No. 45 1918
4 12 Payment record, Local No. 45 1919
4 13 Payment record, Local No. 45 1920
4 14 Payment record, Local No. 45 1921
4 15 Payment record, Local No. 45 1925
Box Folder
5 1 Payment record, Local No. 45 1926
5 2 Payment record, Local No. 45 1927
5 3 Payment record, Local No. 45 1928-1929
5 4 Payment record, Local No. 56 1911
5 5 Payment record, Local No. 56 1912
5 6 Payment record, Local No. 56 1913
5 7 Payment record, Local No. 56 1914
5 8 Payment record, Local No. 56 1915
5 9 Payment record, Local No. 56 1916
5 10 Payment record, Local No. 56 1917
5 11 Payment record, Local No. 56 1918
5 12 Payment record, Local No. 56 1919
5 13 Payment record, Local No. 56 1920
5 14 Payment record, Local No. 56 1921
5 15 Payment record, Local No. 56 1922
5 16 Payment record, Local No. 56 1926
Box Folder
6 1 Payment record, Local No. 56 1927
6 2 Payment record, Local No. 56 1928-1929
6 3 Payment record, Local No. 56 1930
6 4 Payment record, Local No. 56 1931
6 5 Payment record, Local No. 56 1932
6 6 Payment record, Local No. 56 1933
6 7 Payment record, Local No. 56 1934
6 8 Payment record, Local No. 56 1935
6 9 Tax information 1938-1943
6 10 Tax information 1944-1946
6 11 Tax information 1947
6 12 Tax information 1948
Box Folder
7 1 Tax information 1949
Volume
1 Oversize Volume 1: General ledger 1929-1935
Volume
2 Oversize Volume 2: Receipt ledger 1935-1937
Volume
3 Oversize Volume 3: Receipt ledger 1937-1939
Volume
4 Oversize Volume 4: Receipt ledger 1939-1941
Volume
5 Oversize Volume 5: Receipt ledger 1941-1943
Volume
6 Oversize Volume 6: Dues book 1922-1924
Volume
7 Oversize Volume 7: Dues book 1922-1925
Volume
8 Oversize Volume 8: Dues book 1935-1936
Volume
9 Oversize Volume 9: Contributions and assessments journal 1929-1936

Series III: Attendance Books 1941-1964

Box Folder
7 2 Attendance book 1941-1952
7 3 Attendance book 1953-1964

Series IV: Subject Files 1912-1978 undated

Box Folder
7 4 Allied Printing Trades Council, constitutions and minutes 1965-1977
7 5 Allied Printing Trades Council, correspondence and notices 1966-1977 undated
7 6 Allied Printing Trades Council, agreements and printed material 1939-1977 undated
7 7 Allied Printing Trades Council, printed material and miscellaneous undated
7 8 Altoona, Pennsylvania Local No. 352 1970-1972 undated
7 9 American Printing and Label Company 1974
7 10 Anniversary, fiftieth 1941
7 11 Anniversary, seventy-fifth 1966
7 12-13 Apprenticeship and Education, correspondence and forms 1947-1977 undated
7 14 Avery Label Company, minutes and correspondence 1960-1974
Box Folder
8 1 Avery Label Company, correspondence, agreements, and grievances 1972-1976 undated
8 2 Avery Label Company, notices, notes, and printed material 1968-1973 undated
8 3 Boxboard Packaging Company 1972-1973
8 4 Business Supply Corporation 1964-1975
8 5 Bylaw revisions 1960-1971
8 6 Canton Repository 1969-1970
8 7 Charleroi, Pennsylvania Local No. 671 1967-1971
8 8 Cleveland Federation of Labor 1975-1976
8 9 Columbia Match Company, correspondence, agreements, and notes 1971-1977
8 10 Columbia Match Company, notes, notices, and printed material 1972-1973 undated
8 11 Conference, Eastern Specialty 1972-1975
8 12 Conference, North American Specialty 1966-1974
8 13 Conference, North American Commercial Pressmen, minutes and correspondence 1968-1975
8 14 Conference, North American Commercial Pressmen, correspondence, notes, and printed material 1959-1973
8 15-16 Contract provisions, newspaper 1959
Box Folder
9 1-2 Contract provisions, specialty 1970
9 3 Cook United 1972
9 4 Dobeckmun Company 1950
9 5 East Liverpool, Ohio Local No. 1922 1969-1974
9 6 East Liverpool, Ohio Local No. 638 1969-1972
9 7 Al Garber Company 1969-1970
9 8 Gilmanton Salesbook Company 1964-1975
9 9 J. J. Hackett Company, correspondence 1965-1972
9 10 J. J. Hackett Company, correspondence, grievances, agreements, and notes 1965-1970
9 11 Ink Makers 1966-1977
9 12 Insurance 1965-1977
9 13 Johnstown, Pennsylvania Local No. 188 1967-1971
9 14 Kimball Systems, correspondence 1974
Box Folder
10 1 Kimball Systems, notes, notices, and printed material 1974 undated
10 2 Labor law pamphlets 1959-1974
10 3 Latrobe Bulletin 1969-1970
10 4 Local Equal Opportunity Employment 1967-1977
10 5 Lorain Journal 1964-1966
10 6 Minerva Wax Paper Company 1971-1974
10 7 New organizing 1973-1974
10 8 Newspaper Enterprise Association 1971-1973
10 9 Packaging Corporation of America 1973-1976
10 10 Penton Press 1976
10 11 Pressmen's Social Fund 1965-1967 undated
10 12 Printing Industries Association of Northern Ohio 1976-1977
10 13 Roadway Express 1967-1969
10 14 Sherwin-Williams, correspondence and agreements 1969-1977
10 15 Sherwin-Williams, notes, notices, and printed material 1941-1977
10 16 Stereotypers, Local No. 22 1965-1975
10 17 Tri-State District Joint Council 1961-1975
10 18 Union Roster 1950-1962 undated
10 19 Western Press Inc., financial report, correspondence, and agreements 1965-1975
10 20 Western Press Inc., notes, notices, and printed material 1958-1972
Box Folder
11 1 Wolf Envelope 1962-1964
11 2 World Publishing Company 1964-1971
11 3-4 Miscellaneous correspondence 1918-1978 undated
11 4 Miscellaneous applications 1929-1939
11 4 Miscellaneous notices 1912-1977
11 5 Miscellaneous lists 1913-1935 undated
11 5 Miscellaneous printed material 1955-1976 undated
11 5 Miscellaneous forms undated
11 6 Unpublished Manual of Printing Information 1937

Series V: Newsletters 1967-1977

Box Folder
12 1 Newsletter, Local No. 56 1967-1974
12 2 Newsletter, Local No. 56 1975-1978
12 2 Newsletter, Local No. 6 1976
12 3 Newsletter, Consumer's League of Ohio 1977