The 1946 union of electrical, radio and machinist workers' strike against the phelps-dodge copper company of elizabeth, new jersey

TY - JOUR

T1 - The 1946 union of electrical, radio and machinist workers' strike against the phelps-dodge copper company of elizabeth, new jersey

AU - Bruno, Robert

N1 - Funding Information: elections and immediately pressured for a new contract demanding an increase in minimum piece rates, a closed shop, a 40 hour work week, protection against lay off, and an end to discrimination against "negro and foreign born workers." The union's inclusion of an anti-discriminatory clause was consistent with the goals outlined in the preamble of its constitution: "We the electrical and machine workers (UE) form an organization which unites all workers in one industry on an industrial basis and rank and file control regardless of craft, age, sex, nationality, race, creed, or political beliefs. ''23 In April, exactly one month after the election and still without a new contract, a second strike occurred. Under supervision of the city's Industrial Commission, 1258 workers voted to walk off their jobs at the beginning of the midnight shift. As the strike recommenced the plight of the workers grew more serious and, by the end of April, 22 cases of relief had been filed at the local welfare office. However, the Elizabeth relief officers rejected the strikers' claims, supporting Phelps-Dodge's argument that the workers were voluntarily unemployed. In response to the relief board's ruling, strikers and their families took to the streets of Elizabeth with 700 coin boxes to appeal for financial support. 24 The hostile relationship between the union and the company grew more embittered as a result of a related but external incident. The local draft board refused to grant a class III-A selective service deferment to the son of a striking Phelps-Dodge worker and announced its intentions to reconsider 31 deferments granted to men who were on strike. It was the local board's regular policy to grant deferments to workers employed in defense industries. The board's threat to remove all exemptions from Phelps-Dodge workers had the effect of further inflaming their sense of injustice? s The second stoppage lasted four weeks and ended (after the intervention of a Federal mediator) with the company agreeing to negotiate a new contract. The two job actions were characterized by heavy picketing, but no acts of violence. Police Chief Frank Brennan thanked the strikers for their "wonderful cooperation," and the workers in turn praised the Chief for his professional behavior. Five years later both parties would have markedly different opinions about the behavior and cooperation of each other. As the year 1941 came to a close the UE ranked the organization of Phelps-Dodge as one of its major achievements.2'

PY - 1994/6/1

Y1 - 1994/6/1

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84954791186&partnerID=8YFLogxK

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U2 - 10.1080/00236569400890221

DO - 10.1080/00236569400890221

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84954791186

SN - 0023-656X

VL - 35

SP - 345

EP - 371

JO - Labor History

JF - Labor History

IS - 3

ER -