Finding aid for the Consumers League of Ohio Records, Series II

History of the Consumers League of Ohio

The late nineteenth century saw a social justice movement which resulted in the formation of many consumer leagues. One such league was the Consumers League of Ohio, founded only one year after the National Consumers League in April 1900. Bell Sherwin (daughter of one of the men who founded the Sherwin-Williams company) helped set the Ohio league in motion and served as the first president of the organization. The Consumers League of Ohio was initially managed from the Goodrich House social settlement and dedicated its efforts to the improvement of working conditions for women and children employed in factories and retail establishments. The articles of incorporation of the Consumer's League stated:

"The object and purpose of the Consumer's League of Ohio is to further the welfare of those who make and distribute commodities, by investigation, legislation, and appeal to public sentiment."

The Consumers League of Ohio was founded in 1900, in Cleveland, Ohio, by a small group of women active in a local literary society, the Book and Thimble Club. The League affiliated with the National Consumers League (NCL) which had been founded in 1899 by Florence Kelley. Its purpose was "to further the welfare of those who make or distribute the things bought" and to this end all Leagues created "white lists" of stores which consumers might patronize, secure in knowledge that the workers who produced their wares were adults, employed at a fair wage and working in favorable conditions. League members also purchased only that clothing which bore an NCL "white label" indicating that these items were produced in factories investigated and approved by the league.

During its early years the CLO pursued a similar policy in Cleveland, investigating bake shops and dairies and producing "white lists" which were widely publicized. The League also used publicity to encourage downtown department stores to close early on Christmas Eve and on Saturdays during the summer in order that "shopgirls" might enjoy shorter working hours.

As early as 1909 the league turned from voluntary action by consumers to a policy of endorsing and campaigning to secure labor legislation mandating better working conditions and wages. At first the League worked to secure legislation locally but the organization soon began cooperating with campaigns by the Ohio State Federation of Labor to secure state legislation. Independent action taken by the Ohio Consumers League in support of labor legislation evolved from the League's experience in World War I, when the League took an active role in the homefront mobilization. In 1917 the Consumers League of Ohio served as the Committee on Women and Children in Industry for the state of Ohio and the U.S. Council of National Defense. Myrta Jones, president of the Ohio Consumers League from 1908-1923, chaired Ohio's Committee on Women and Children in Industry, and, under her direction, the League developed a program of improved legislation regulating the working conditions for women. When the sudden end of the war resulted in the Committee's dissolution, the League built upon its wartime experiences and its contacts with state agencies and private organizations as a basis for continued efforts at reform in the post war years.

The League conducted vigorous campaigns in the 1920s for a minimum wage law for women, more stringent control of child labor, and ratification of the federal child labor amendment. The tenor of the times was no longer receptive to reform and the League did not secure a single piece of legislation despite unprecedented efforts. These were bitter defeats for members of the League as they had been leaders in the suffrage movement and expected that the "woman's vote" would lead to a new era of social legislation.

Despite these disappointments, the CLO grew stronger in these years even as consumers leagues in other states declined or disbanded. Several factors account for this. Myrta Jones, the leading figure in the League's early years, developed a strong cadre of competent women. Also, men, who joined the CLO for the first time in 1921, came to play an increasingly important role in the League's activities. Most importantly, in 1925 a worthy successor to Myrta Jones was found in Elizabeth Magee who would serve as executive secretary to the League from 1925 until 1965. A graduate of Oberlin College (B.A. in 1911) and of Columbia University (M.A. in economics and labor problems in 1925), she attracted academics, religious leaders, and intellectuals to the CLO while developing an increasingly close relationship with the labor movement and leaders in state and federal government.

The study of unemployment she initiated in 1928 led to the League's most significant contribution to American industrial reform--the Ohio Plan of unemployment compensation. A decade earlier, reformers at the University of Wisconsin championed a form of unemployment insurance designed to encourage employers to provide steady employment. The League's proposal, which was rooted in European precedents, assumed that employers had little control over employment; the Ohio Plan, therefore, stressed larger benefits and more secure funding of the program rather than prevention of unemployment. Controversy arose when it became clear that unemployment insurance would be mandated by the federal Social Security Act. Proponents of the competing plans each hoped to see their form of insurance drafted into law. Even as these points were argued in the pages of the New Republic and the Nation, the catastrophic effects of the Depression tipped the scales toward the Ohio Plan, and despite provisions in the Social Security Act of 1935 permitting either plan, most large industrial states opted for a version of the Ohio Plan.

Other successes for the League in these years include passage of a minimum wage law for women in 1933, ratification by Ohio of the federal child labor amendment in the same year and a successful campaign in 1937 for a shorter work week for women. In the case of these reforms the League was a bridge between Progressive reform and the New Deal. In the case of unemployment insurance, the League formed a bridge between European reforms of the Progressive years and American reform.

When the nation once again became involved in a world war, the CLO acted to maintain effective enforcement of existing laws as unprecedented numbers of women entered the workforce. As in 1917-1918, the CLO was especially concerned with the prevention of child labor, regulation and limitation of the hours and nature of work by women, and with provisions for day care for the children of working mothers.

In the postwar period a major thrust of the CLO concerned groups untouched by the reforms of the 1930s. The CLO worked to improve the status of Ohio's migrant workers and focused on health care, education, housing and day care for the migrants. As a result, special schools and camps for migrant workers were established and conditions for these workers have improved. The CLO also worked closely with the NAACP and state legislators to secure an Ohio fair employment practices law. Attempts to secure higher wages for women working in industries not covered by federal law, e.g. the hotel, restaurant, dry cleaning, and laundry industries, were less successful. The wage rates secured were often lower than hoped for and were invariably undermined by the moderate inflation of these years.

Following the war, the CLO continued its interest in social welfare issues and supported a broad range of programs designed to supplement or expand the Social Security Act of 1935. The most significant of these programs were disability insurance, national health insurance, and supplementary unemployment insurance benefits. More recently, the CLO developed a renewed interest in consumer legislation and supported efforts to revise Ohio's garnishment laws and its public utility rate structure.

While these campaigns attest to the legislative achievements of the League, it should be noted that a major contribution of the Consumers League is the role it played in providing a means for women to associate in order to influence society. Through the League, women who had been excluded from political activity were able to make their view known. Thus, some of the most talented women of three generations were attracted to the League. As Belle Sherwin of the Cleveland League of Women Voters wrote:

"perhaps it interests us more today to note that it was the Consumer's League which first gave numbers of women in Cleveland a practical knowledge of laws and law-making--the laboratory of political education which is the present concern of women as new voters. For many women I am sure that the Consumer's League served as the vestibule to political responsibility and action." (The First Quarter Century of the Consumers League of Ohio, 1900-1925, p. 10).

In light of this, it may seem surprising to note the League's long-standing opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). While instances of conflict arose in Cleveland and Cincinnati as early as 1915 when professional women objected to their inclusion in protective legislation, the national controversy dates from the introduction of the ERA by the National Women's Party (NWP) in 1923. Florence Kelley, executive secretary of the National Consumers League and a founding member of the NWP, leeft that organization because of her opposition to ERA. The Ohio League became active in the controversy in later years when the amendment began to attract a following beyond the small membership of the NWP. During the 1930s the NWP and some professional women opposed the League on wage and hours legislation for women. Like many other women's organizations, the League has since moderated its views but an understanding of its original position is necessary to understand the opposition of so many feminists to ERA until recently.

Beyond the major issues already cited, it should be noted that the League has participated in a wider variety of activities than those briefly discussed here, ranging from surveys of various local industries to support for anti-fascist organizations in the 1930s. Among the League's more interesting activities are those involving toxic chemicals and workers, sponsorship of women in workers education programs at women's colleges, sexual discrimination in the workforce, day care centers, maternity leave, and prevention of venereal disease.

In 1966 Elizabeth Magee resigned as executive secretary. Her successor, Dorothy Austin became the backbone of the organization and the Consumers League of Ohio continued to thrive under her efforts. At this time the organization was relatively large and included not only an Executive Secretary and a President (Edwin Teple until June of 1971 and Clinton Warne 1971-ca. 2005) but also included a first Vice President, a second Vice President, several honorary Vice Presidents, and an Advisory Board with many members from Cleveland, and a few from Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, and Huron. Howard Metzenbaum, who later became a democratic senator for the state of Ohio, served on the Cleveland Advisory Board for many years.

The Consumers League of Ohio sent out monthly bulletins, which contained information on many of the goals and purposes of the league. All members of the Consumers League of Ohio would receive a monthly bulletin informing them of issues such as consumers rights, health, finances and current goals of the league. Sometimes, a relevant article or a newspaper clipping would be included in the bulletin. The Consumers League would use the bulletin as a way of supplying legal information to the consumer. If the league was for or against a certain bill, that bill would be listed in the bulletin as would the league's reasons for either supporting it or not supporting it.

In order to determine what the goals of the league should be and what issues they should support, the executive board would meet monthly at various locations throughout the years including; The Goodrich House and various members' residence (early 1900s), the Y.W.C.A (1920s), the women's city club (1909-1960s), the Press Club at Hotel Hollenden (1960s), various restaurants, and the Mid-day Club (1950s-1960s). At the meetings, the officers of the board would bring up what issues needed to be addressed and these would then become the goals of the league.

Many of the original goals of the Consumers League of Ohio were unrelenting throughout the organizations history. However, as times began to change, Austin helped bring current issues into the new goals of the league. The rights of workers remained an important issue to the league. However, in the 1960s and 1970s a main goal the league sought was extension of fair labor laws to migratory workers. In conjunction with other groups such as the AFL-CIO, the Consumers League of Ohio helped bring about many changes for migratory workers. The league wrote letters to senators and congressmen on the poor working and living conditions of migrant workers. They helped fund daycare programs and bring about changes in education for the children of migrant farm workers.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Austin also led efforts to protect consumer interests. The league focused on an "automobile project" in which they produced a pamphlet called "A Guide to New and Used Cars: Rights and Remedies." The league took complaints of automobile owners and directed them as to where they might find help. In regards to consumer interests the league also took on financial issues of the consumer. They instructed consumers on how credit could work in their favor and handed out information on credit including a "Borrowers Handbook" (produced by the Consumer's League of New Jersey). The league argued that Ohio's easy credit encouraged garnishment and loss of jobs followed with claims of bankruptcy that inevitably hurt the economy. In response to this belief, the Consumers League of Ohio supported bills HB 737 and HB 614 both of which would make "business men less eager to extend credit to poor risks if they could no longer collect from each pay." The Consumers League of Ohio also held annual meetings, conferences and "mini-conferences" on financial issues pertaining to the consumer's interests. One such mini-conference held at the end of January, 1968, invited young couples to a "mini-conference on credit." Topics at this conference included; shopping for credit, credit and the law, and credit and the economy. Other consumer interests which the league helped work towards included truth in supermarket pricing packaging and wholesome meats and food products.

The Consumers League of Ohio was also very focused on environmental issues of the day. They were proponents of conservation of the land as well as of use of energy and other natural resources. An important environmental issue that the league confronted was the issue of pesticides. Austin collected various articles on the issue and even wrote one of the authors a letter questioning his findings. The league handed out and collected numerous brochures on the subject informing people of the dangers of pesticides. Austin wrote a myriad of letters to various congress members and lobbied for stricter pesticide monitoring legislation.

The Consumers League of Ohio was created by women and many of the leagues goals focused on women's issues. In the early years, the league helped produce booklets on women's work issues including; "A History of Labor Legislation for Women in Three States" and "What Girls Live on - and How." Using information in booklets such as these, the league was able to champion better working hours and state minimum wage legislation for women. In the later years, the League focused on issues such as equal pay for equal work, and lobbying against bills such as the 1969 Ohio Female Employment Bill, SB 267, which would have worsened the working conditions and eliminated unemployment compensation for women.

Another important success of the Consumers League of Ohio was to inform citizens of their voting rights, candidates' information and how to contact them. They taught people how to lobby and how to prepare testimony for various conferences or issues. In conjunction with many other organizations including the National Consumer's League and the Consumers League of New Jersey, The Consumers League of Ohio was able to aid in the passage of much legislation and accomplished many of its goals while keeping the consumers' interest in mind.

Dorothy Austin remained the secretary of the Consumer's League of Ohio until 1999 when she resigned. As of 2005, Clinton Warne who had been president of the Consumers League of Ohio since 1971remained the head of the organization. The league still had funds in its treasury and still held meetings at the Shaker Heights Community Center on the second Friday of each month. However, the membership of the league has dropped drastically and only a few board members still exist. The decline in the consumer interest movement forced the league to severely curtail its activities.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the Consumers League of Ohio

Scope and Content

The Consumers League of Ohio Records, Series II, 1900-1995 and undated (bulk dates 1965-1979), consist of administrative documents, board lists, bulletins, correspondence, meeting minutes, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and publications.

This collection is of value to researchers studying consumer organizations and issues in the United States in general and more specifically in the state of Ohio as well as the Cleveland, Ohio area. The main focus of this collection is the Consumers League of Ohio, predominantly during the 1960s and 1970s. The administrative functions of the Consumers League of Ohio are well represented in Series I by bulletins, correspondence, and meeting minutes. Researchers interested in the issues that consumer groups, especially the Consumers League of Ohio, focused on during the 1960s-1970s will find files in Series II: Subject Files useful. The subject files series includes news clippings, pamphlets and miscellaneous publications that serve as a research library for each subject and contain information which was relevant to the activities and goals of the Consumers League of Ohio. The subject areas which the group focused on are noted as the sub-series titles in Series II and include agribusiness, consumer interests, environmental issues, food issues, illegal immigration, legislation, lobbying, migrant farm workers, nuclear regulatory commission, organizations and newsletters, pesticides, and a miscellaneous category referred to as "other".

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

The researcher should also consult MS 3546 Consumers League of Ohio Records; MS 5129 Consumers League of Ohio Records, Series III; MS 3563 Elizabeth S. Magee Papers; MS 4467 Consumers League of Ohio Oral History Interviews; and PG 221 Consumers League of Ohio Photographs

Indexing Terms

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

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4933 Consumers League of Ohio Records, Series II, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gifts of the Consumers League of Ohio in 1984 and Dorothy Austin in 1999.

Processing Information

Processed by Rachel Lawniczak in 2005.

Detailed Description of The Collection