Guide to the Workers Alliance of America Records, 1931-1999 AIS.2007.03
Arrangement
Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Workers Alliance of America Records
Creator
Workers Alliance of America
Collection Number
AIS.2007.03
Extent
8.7 Linear Feet(6 boxes)
Date
1931-1999
Abstract
The Workers Alliance of America (WAA) was formed in 1935 as a merger of predominantly socialist and communist-led unemployment councils, unemployment leagues and independent state organizations throughout the country. Soon after its inception, the FBI began to collect data on the Workers Alliance and its members. After a long court battle with the FBI, Eric Davin won the release of the Workers Alliance records with minimal redactions made to the files. Included in the collection are the originally released 1993-1994 FBI files and the 1996 court ordered Workers Alliance and Lasser files which outline the FBI's investigation of the Alliance and its president, as well as miscellaneous research and documents pertaining to the Organization as well as Lasser himself.
Language
English
.
Author
Zach Brodt.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System Archives & Special Collections Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman) Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
History
The Workers Alliance of America (WAA) was formed in 1935-1936 as a merger of predominantly socialist and communist-led unemployment councils, unemployment leagues and independent state organizations throughout the United States. At the head of the Workers Alliance was David Lasser, the organization's National President and Herbert Benjamin, its Secretary-Treasurer. Lasser, a registered Socialist, had graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and served as editor of Technocracy Review and president of the American Interplanetary Society before becoming involved in labor issues and forming the Workers Unemployed League in New York in 1933. Benjamin joined the Communist Party after serving in World War I and worked as a party organizer. In 1931 he organized several Unemployed Councils which coordinated demonstrations on behalf of unemployed workers. The Workers Alliance claimed to be the spokesman for all Works Progress Administration employees and the unemployed, but by 1936 the Alliance had come to the attention of the FBI who began to monitor its actions.
Much of what is known about the Workers Alliance comes from their FBI file; however, because the FBI did not gather information on the group immediately, some early information was lost. The Workers Alliance held its Second National Convention in Washington, D.C. on April 7-10, 1936 where it incorporated the Communist-led Unemployment Councils into the organization and established its headquarters in New York. Other national conventions were held in Milwaukee (1937), Cleveland (1938), and Chicago (1940). The Workers Alliance quickly gained power and interest and, in 1938, claimed 800,000 members in 1400 local chapters. The Alliance started to fall apart in 1939 when membership began to decline with the introduction of a Works Progress Administration law prohibiting workers from membership in the Communist Party. Then, in 1940, Lasser resigned his presidency stating that the Workers Alliance was becoming too militant and dominated by the Communist Party, which claimed responsibility for the Alliance's creation and success. Benjamin also resigned at the 1940 National Convention, leaving the Alliance in the hands of inexperienced new officers. Although the Workers Alliance lost much of its prominence, the FBI investigation of the organization and its former members continued until 1961.
The Workers Alliance had several connections to the Pittsburgh area. Local chapters included: Wilkinsburg #4, McKeesport #29, Hazelwood #75, East Liberty #76, Turtle Creek #80, Pittsburgh #83, Homestead #108, and Lawrenceville #142. At the Alliance's Second National Convention, Pittsburgh sent fifty delegates, more than any other city and one less than the most represented states of New York and Pennsylvania (its only other delegate being from Bethlehem). Pittsburgh delegates included Joseph Remko, Peter Dougherty, John Hickey, and John Fagen. During the investigation, the FBI used Pittsburgh Sun Telegraph reporter Leo Sheridan as an informant to gain information about Workers Alliance president David Lasser while Lasser was in Harrisburg.
Scope and Content Notes
There are three types of files within the collection: copies of FBI documents, records relating to the court case between Eric Davin and the FBI, and records of Eric Davin's research into the Workers Alliance of America and David Lasser himself. Files related to the court case include correspondence between Davin and his attorneys at Reed Smith Shaw & McClay, which outline the legal measures taken on behalf of Davin and the defense, the FBI. Also included are random selections from the Workers Alliance FBI files which were used in an attempt to prove that excessive censorship had taken place and the defense's Vaughn Index which stated their explanation as to why each of these redactions was necessary. Court orders from the case are also present.
In 1996, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania ruled that the FBI must reexamine and un-redact parts of the documents that did not fall under security laws and present a copy of the newly revised Workers Alliance and David Lasser files to Davin. Included in the collection are the entire 1993-1994 originally released FBI files and the 1996 court ordered Workers Alliance and Lasser files which outline the FBI's investigation of the Alliance and their president. By comparing the two sets of documents, one may note the amount of information concealed within the redactions of the original release. The documents also include a history of the Workers Alliance compiled by the FBI based on information received by informants and publications such as the Saturday Evening Post and Alliance newspapers and pamphlets.
Arrangement
Series I. Original FBI Documents Released to Eric Davin, 1992-1994
Series II. Eric Davin v. United States Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1993-1998
Series III. Final Release of FBI Documents, 1996-1999
Series IV. Subject Files, 1931-1989
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Eric Davin on March 26, 2007. Additonal material acquired on October 31, 2014.
Preferred Citation
Workers Alliance of America Records, 1931-1999, AIS.2007.03, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Previous Citation
Workers Alliance of America Records, 1931-1999, AIS.2007.03, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Records of the Workers Alliance of America, 1931-1999, UE/Labor 2007:03, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Zach Brodt in April 2007. Additional material processed by Kyle Conway in March 2015.
Existence and Location of Originals
The FBI National Headquarters and New York Office retain the original files regarding the Workers Alliance of America and David Lasser. The copies in this collection were made by the FBI for Eric Davin per his request in 1988 and the 1996 court order . Miscellaneous materials originated from various sources, acquired by Davin during his research.
Related Material
Federal Bureau of Investigation Files on the UE, UE 9-5, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
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.
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