Ask an Archivist

Advanced Search

Labor History - 105: UE Strikes RCA

July 29, 1974

Labor History - 105: UE Strikes RCA

Order Reproduction
Title
Labor History - 105: UE Strikes RCA
Creator
Wright, Fred, 1907-1984
Contributor
Lerner, James, 1911-2003 (contributor)
University of Pittsburgh (depositor)
Contributor
Lerner, James, 1911-2003
Date
July 29, 1974
Identifier
ue13.3.1.105
Description
This cartoon depicts how the small electrical union, the UE, wanted recognition of their new union from the large corporation RCA. Caption 1: Before the CIO was organized as a labor federation, the new industrial unions had already been through several history-making battles. There was the victorious sitdown of Rubber Workers at Akron, the Auto Workers sitdown at Flint, and the greet UE strike against RCA at Camden, N. J. The RCA strike was the biggest labor battle in the summer of 1936 which saw working people the country over fighting to organize. Caption 2: Union forces in the electrical industry were small in 1936. But there were big national corporations like RCA, General Electric and Westinghouse. UE had been organized in March of that year. Small federal local unions, affiliated with the AFL and independent unions had come together with much more courage than funds to take on the electrical industry giants, its low wages, its lack of paid holidays, regular vacations and contractual job protections. Caption 3: A delegation of Camden, N. J. RCA workers came to the Rockefeller Center, N. Y. offices of Pres. Sarnoff of the company. They wanted recognition of their new union. But Sarnoff told them: "I won't negotiate under this kind of pressure. I won't negotiate with a gun at my head." Sarnoff claimed that John L. Lewis had promised him there would be no strike. UE News, Vol. XXXVI, Issue No. 15
Type
still image
Genre
comics (documents)
comic strips
layouts (printed matter)
Subject
Strikes, Union Organization
Source
Labor History Series (Series 13.3.1), Fred Wright Publication Plates (Subgroup 13.3), Fred Wright Papers (UE.13)
Collection
Fred Wright Cartoons
Contributor
University of Pittsburgh
Rights Information
In Copyright. This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/