Title
Metal Manufacturers' Association of Philadelphia (Pa.) Records

Dates
1902-1966      

Collection ID
URB 44

Creator
Metal Manufacturers' Association of Philadelphia (Pa.)

Quantity
2 linear feet (5 boxes)

Repository
Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries

Language
Materials in English.       

Detailed Collection Information

Historical Note

The Metal Manufacturers' Association of Philadelphia began with a circular letter issued on December 4, 1903 by 22 manufacturers concerned with the “various problems which have recently arisen affecting the relations between employer and employee in all branches of trade.” The intent was to promote an anti-union open shop. For the next thirty-five years, the Metal Manufacturers' Association attracted a large proportion of the local companies in the trade for the purpose of keeping its members' plants free of trade unionism.

The employers pooled their resources in 1904 to prevent making concessions to the iron molders’ union after a request for an increase in wages, and then established a labor bureau which kept members of the Association supplied with non-union workers in times of difficulty. Later, the Metal Manufacturers even developed their own apprenticeship program to remove trade training from the control of the unions. By 1916, when the Association defeated a strike of the International Association of Machinists, the employers had proved largely successful in their open-shop goal.

For the next two decades, the members of the Association, led by Secretary Earl Sparks, were involved in legislative lobbying, vocational education, and insurance for Association members. With Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal administration, however, conditions changed. With government support, industrial unions organized most of the metal manufacturing companies and forced the Association to accept collective bargaining. Just prior to World War II, the Metal Manufacturers replaced their old anti-union employment bureau with a collective bargaining committee. Although the Association did not cease opposing unions, it channeled much of its activity in new directions. Responding to new conditions and new leadership in the organization, the Metal Manufacturers became the Manufacturers' Association of Greater Philadelphia in 1960, and later the Manufacturers' Association of the Delaware Valley.

Description of Collection

The Metal Manufacturers' Association of Philadelphia Records include secretary’s reports and meeting minutes, as well as contracts, correspondence, and wage surveys.

Organization and Arrangement

The collection is arranged into 3 series as follows:

Series 1: Administration, 1903-1956
Series 2: Subject File, 1902-1959
Series 3: Finances, 1905-1966

Series 1. Administration: The Administration series consists primarily of the reports of the President and the Secretary and the minutes of Association meetings. Both the reports and minutes are chronologically arranged.

Series 2. Subject File: The Subject File is alphabetically-arranged, and contains negotiation documents, vocational and apprenticeship program records, wage surveys, and membership materials concerning the various activities of the Association.

Series 3. Finances: Composed mainly of treasurer's reports, auditor's reports and a ledger book, the financial series documents the financial status and expenditures of the Association.

Patron Information

Research Access

Collection is open for research.

Collections Stored Off-Site

This collection may be housed off-site at the Library Depository, and require up to two business days to retrieve. Please review the finding aid and be prepared to identify specific materials to be retrieved. Contact the Special Collections Research Center in advance of your visit, so that materials may be relocated to the reading room for research.

Publication and Copyright Information

The Metal Manufacturers' Association of Philadelphia (Pa.) Records are the physical property of the Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. Intellectual property rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for determining the identity of rights holders and obtaining their permission for publication and for other purposes where stated.

Preferred Citation

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Metal Manufacturers' Association of Philadelphia (Pa.) Records, Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Acquired in approximately 1981.

Processing Information

Finding aid revised according to contemporary archival standards in May 2015.

Index Terms

The following headings have been used to index the description of this collection in Temple University’s electronic catalog:

Corporate Names:
Metal Manufacturers' Association of Philadelphia (Pa.)

Subjects:
Collective bargaining -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Labor movement -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Labor unions -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Metalworking industries -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

Places:
Philadelphia (Pa.)

Material Types:
Administrative records
Articles of incorporation
Correspondence
Ephemera
Financial records
Ledgers (account books)
Manuscripts
Minutes
Publications
Reports