Guide to the Gaston LeBlanc Papers, 1937-1970 AIS.1973.21
Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Gaston LeBlanc Papers
Creator
LeBlanc, Gaston
Collection Number
AIS.1973.21
Extent
67.5 Linear Feet(56 boxes)
Date
1937-1970
Abstract
Gaston LeBlanc was a union organizer and president of the United Stone & Allied Products Workers of America. This collection includes biographical information about LeBlanc, as well as records of the US&APWA and other labor unions.
Language
English
.
Author
Gary M. Link and Zachary Brodt.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System Archives & Special Collections Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Shirley LeBlanc in July 1973.
Biography
Gaston LeBlanc was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, in 1911. He began his career as a union organizer in 1940, working for the Industrial Trade Union operating in Rhode Island. Then, in 1944, he began to work for the Textile Workers Union. In 1946 he joined the organizational staff of the United Stone & Allied Products Workers of America (US&APWA), headquartered in Barre, Vermont. LeBlanc then moved in 1950 to Clearfield, Pennsylvania, the US&APWA's regional headquarters for locals at the Harbison-Walter Refractories Company. Five years later he moved to Pittsburgh where he was elected president of the US&APWA, and was responsible for guiding the union through its 1970 merger with the United Steel Workers of America.
Copyright
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
Previous Citation
Gaston LeBlanc Papers, 1937-1970, AIS.1973.21, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Preferred Citation
Gaston LeBlanc Papers, 1937-1970, AIS.1973.21, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Processing Information
This collection was processed to the box level by Gary Link in 1990.
Scope and Content Notes
This collection includes two short biographies of Gaston LeBlanc written by his son, Paul LeBlanc. The first is personal and reflective. The second is a factual account of Gaston LeBlanc's background, family and work, including information on the United Stone & Allied Products Workers of America (US&APWA), and several friends/co workers whose names appear on documents and whole file folders in the collection. A few records in the collection go back as far as 1937, but the bulk of the collection is from 1946 to 1970, the years LeBlanc worked for the AS&APWA. Records from and about this union include constitutions; contracts; draft contracts; contract negotiations; wage schedules; meeting minutes; correspondence; and the union's newspaper, The Beacon. Newspapers, pamphlets, contracts, correspondence, and reports from other unions also appear throughout the collection. Reports and pamphlets from the US government and companies that the US&APWA dealt with are also included. There are a few photographs in the collection. Those photographs which appear to be of family and friends are unlabeled and undated. A few that show US&APWA conventions have names written on the back.
Subjects
Corporate Names
Harbison-Walker Refractories Company
United Stone and Allied Products Workers of America
Personal Names
LeBlanc, Gaston
Genres
Correspondence
Clippings (Information artifacts)
Other Subjects
Political action committees -- Pennsylvania
Unemployment insurance -- Pennsylvania
Social action
Urban renewal -- Pennsylvania
Politics
Labor unions -- United States -- Officials and employees
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