Work, Union and Politics, 1933-2007, Undated

Extent:
9.9 cubic ft.
Scope and content:

This series documents Helen Quirini's extensive union activities through her membership in Local 301. When Quirini joined this local it was affiliated with the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers (UE). During the late 1940s and early 1950s, the federal government kept UE leadership and its members under surveillance because of suspected Communist ties. In his aggressive investigations of accused Communists, Senator Joseph McCarthy, chairman of the Committee on Investigations of the Committee on Government Operations, subpoenaed Quirini and she was one of many members of the UE to testify in a pre-hearing before Congress in February 1954. She swore under oath that she was not and had never been a member of the Communist Party. Citing these supposed Communist connections, the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) expelled the UE in 1949 and replaced it with the International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers (IUE). During subsequent years many UE locals elected to join the IUE, including Local 301 in June 1954. This series features materials related to all of the aforementioned events, including Quirini's subpoena, anti-McCarthy literature issued by unions, Quirini's surveillance files and a significant amount of propaganda from both unions issued before Local 301's vote to join the IUE.

Quirini was very outspoken about issues affecting business and politics. During the UE/IUE switch, she was the only executive board member of Local 301 to oppose the move. A personal statement in the files explains her reasoning and disappointment with her subsequent treatment from fellow members of Local 301. Her many grievances in this series illustrate her advocacy for greater equality for women in the workplace and better working conditions for all employees. She retained many news clippings and materials discussing strikes she participated in at General Electric in the late 1960s and 1970.

Quirini served her union during both the UE and IUE periods in many capacities, the extent of which is documented in this series through correspondence, reports, financials and other Local 301 business documents, conference proceedings, contracts, election campaign materials, newspaper clippings, photographs and notes. She held elected positions in Local 301 from the 1940s through the 1970s. Quirini was first elected secretary in 1947, and later served as treasurer and a shop steward. Her committee work included service on the social action, education and human relations committees. She attended union meetings and conferences and played for Local 301 women's basketball and championship softball teams when a young woman.

In addition to her direct union involvement, Quirini engaged in several related projects. As an active and then a retired member of Local 301, she was a delegate to the Schenectady Area Central Labor Council and attended meetings. In addition to meeting minutes, reports and correspondence, there are papers documenting the education program about labor for Schenectady public schools that Quirini created as chair of the Council's education committee, in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

As a labor representative, Quirini also served on the Schenectady Private Industry Council (PIC), part of the Capital Area PIC and was active from 1981 through 1993. The related files in this series record the organization's duties under the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) of 1982. The organization tried to implement JPTA through coordination and planning with business (small, large, minority), labor, and other concerned groups and ultimately provide employment and training for displaced or underprivileged job seekers and research and job-ready employees to private industry. PIC files include the internal documents of the Capital Region and Schenectady County PIC, such as meeting minutes, proposals, memorandums and correspondence, as well as documents relating directly to the JTPA legislation.

Researchers also will find general labor literature from the AFL-CIO, UE, IUE and other organizations in the series.

Please see Series 3 for more specific information on women's rights and representation in the workplace and the union and Series 5 for materials detailing Quirini's ongoing efforts to secure better rights and cost-of-living allowances for GE retirees, including those from Local 301. Researchers also should consult the finding aid for Local 301's records, APAP-023.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically.

Contents

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