Records from the American Federation of Labor Letterbooks (also known as the Letterpress Copybooks of Samuel Gompers)
The original copybooks are at the Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, but this guide is keyed to the microfilm edition which is available at the LC, and at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Maryland, College Park, and the University of N. Carolina, Chapel Hill. Page numbers are listed first.
Reel 176
795 SG to Alice Paul, 10-30-13, re: invitation to teach at suffrage school.
Reel 177
275 SG to Mrs Bruce Babbitt, 12-16-13, women's suffrage
Reel 178
3 D.S. Beasley to SG, 11-21-13, organizing girls, Petersburg, VA.
695 SG to Johnson, 2-2-14, re:Res. 126, to prohibit white women and girls from working in Chinese owned establishments
Reel 179
663 SG to Appleton, 2-25-14, on passage of protective legislation for women in the District of Columbia [this goes out to many other European labor leaders]
Reel 180
228 SG to Golden, 3-7-14, setting up meeting with Robins re: organizing women
616 SG to Tovey, 3-17-14, organizing girls in Chicago
Reel 181
757 SG to Conboy, 4-30-14, assessment to organize women workers [this goes out to many others]
922 Josephine Casey to SG 4-30-14, on female organizers
Reel 184
623 SG to Forbes, 7-27-14, organizing women
653 Conway to SG, 7-24-14, re: Commission on Working Women
Reel 187
632 SG to Bronson, 11-4-14, women's suffrage
Reel 189
816 SG to Robins, 1-22-15, If AFL continues to fund NWTUL organizer, they want some say and reports [Reel 190, Robins to SG, 2-1-15, notes typo; See also, reel 127, 1425: WTUL accounts for Jan. 1914]
Reel 192
956 SG to CL Baine, 4-9-15 re: Mary Anderson
Reel 193
672 SG's statement on Women's suffrage, [see also, SG to Creel, 4-29-15, 671]
Reel 196
691 SG to Robins, 7-28-15, apppoints Mary Anderson general organizerReel 198
322 SG to Mary Anderson, 9-15-15, re: organizing.
426 SG to Van Winkle, 9-18-15, article re women suffrage enclosed.
Reel 201
504 SG to Hunt and Joyce, 12-31-15, female organizer
Reel 202
219 SG to Bryant, 1-15-16, re: female munitions workers (more, 1-29-16, 785)
763 SG to Levy, 1-29-16, organizing female cigarmakers [see also reel 36, AFL Records, ca. frame 1658]
Reel 210
476 Lewis to SG, 7-13-16, Carpenters protesting dual union of female Boxmakers (however members are not eligible to join Carpenters)
Reel 213
756 Henry F. Hollis to SG, 10-3-16, wants AFL women to stump for Democratic National Committee (SG action, 755)
Reel 214
956 SG to Larger, 11-7-16, 8 hrs for women, WTUL campaign
Reel 222
121 SG to Lewis, 5-25-17, women workersReel 223
457 Barfield to SG, 6-21-17, equal pay for women (related information follows; Scharranberg's letter, 456)
Reel 224
220 Donnelly to SG, 7-9-17, re: women in industry--opposed: Women’s patriotism should not be exploited to remove them from the home and furnish cheap labor.
580 Anne H. Shaw to SG, 7-25-15, re: Women's registration for war work.
756 SG to Bowen, 8-1-17, Rubber workers in Australia, trying to substitute women for men [goes out to others]
Reel 225
591 SG to Maloney, 8-23-17, women want two women on the Council of National Defense Labor Adjustment committee [a few women referred to are identified in letters that follow].
Reel 226
512, Glenning to SG,[ nd] re: organizing female housekeepers at arsenal [cover letter, 9-19-17, says he just received it] "We know you are a busy man at Washington, but we are also human beings and cannot stand to be trampled on no longer."
907 Merk to SG, 9-30-17, girl telephone operators on strike (more, reel 227, 7; 11; 404; more AFL Records, reel 89, 9)
Reel 227
54 SG to Scully, 10-5-17, brief note to female organizer on successful strike
504 Finnegan to SG, 10-14-17, Union Machinists being replaced by women who earn half as much (passes it on to WB Wilson, 710; more 711)
Reel 228
87 SG to Valentine, 11-3-17, Women complain re:male organizer, all relevant letters follow.
Reel 229
443 Minutes of conference, 12-18-17, re: women in industry, unemployment
Reel 230
171 SG to Forbes, 1-8-18, female volunteer organizers appointed
537 SG to Rankin, 1-18-18, re: Agnes Nestor’s appointment to W.B. Wilson’s advisory commission [very brief]
646 Scully to SG, 1-19-18, employer engaged in war work is replacing $15 men with $8 boys and cutting girls’ wages – those who complain are threatened with arrest for treason. [reel 231 more, 40]
Reel 231
378 Harris to SG, 2-4-18, women replacing men workers
432 SG to Malone, 2-7-18, re: women appointments to DOL councils [her telegram, reel 92, 113, 1-29-18]
Reel 233
96 SG to Ayers, 3-16-18, urging his Federal Labor Union to accept as members girls who worked during strike.
434 SG to Larger, 3-29-18, WTUL and 8 hr law
Reel 234
707 Hutcheson to SG, 4-25-18, no women in UBCJA [for original letter see AFL Records, Reel 35, fr. 2542]
Reel 235
300 SG to Leighty, 5-21-18, AFL has seven women organizers– doing everything they can to organize women.
999 SG to Keating, 6-12-18, supporting pay increase for women engravers [more, 1018]
Reel 236
20 SG to Catt. 6-15-18, woman’s suffrage resolution passed; sent to President Wilson ( telegram, p. 19)
499 SG to Marsh, 7-6-18, [Emmeline] Pankhurst came to his office; recommends her to Speakers Bureau.
503 CT Wicks to SG, 7-1-18, he’s trying to organize car works; some interesting comments on women and boys
553 Anderson and Van Kleeck, 7-5-18, women’s training and wages [SG’s letter, 552; more, reel 96, 540, 548 ]
Reel 241
855 Laura Cannon to SG, 5-9-19, female organizer at GE factory has organized telephone operators and lamp workers, but has not gotten paid. [sends it on to Noonan, 5-12-19, 854; Cannon’s letter to Ft Wayne Federation of Labor follows, 857, with details]
434, SG to Lord, 6-11-19, Sara Conboy to christen good ship AFEL; foremost constructive woman in the movement he says
Reel 243
133 Spills to SG, 7-13-19, re: RR Store room clerks, Meridian, Miss., who are white and demand to be treated “as clerks and white.” The writer, District organizer for AFL, is female. [131, sent on to Brotherhood of Railway Carmen]
623, Mickell to SG, 8-5-19, Charlotte SC organizer getting up a women’s union but members want a male president
Reel 256
474 Newman to SG, 8-12-20 open shop in Philadelphia, nb, Newman becomes a vip in ILGWU education dept. [471 SG to Newman, 8-16-20; more, 686; reel 257, 621, 779]
Reel 257
167 SG to Green, 9-1-20, getting women to back labor in coming election
759 Sire to SG, 9-16-20, working with Democratic National Committee to get women’s vote [more 945, 946]
Reel 259
350, SG to Hamilton, 11-16-20, re: women: The state steps in to protect women in their economic life because of the inability of women to fight their own battles
Reel 267
196, SG to Warren, 7-13-21, AFL stenographers can have their outing at the beach, but their manner in presenting the question was “untoward.”
Reel 269
124 Circular, 8-20-21, re:Women workers resolution; replies, AFL Records, reel 31, ca . fr. 1167]
Reel 276
333 SG to Pidgeon, 2-6-22, why he opposed Women’s Rights bill.
580 SG to McCabe, 2-9-22, Domestic Workers unions
Reel 277
132 SG to Stevens, 2-27-22, Housewives union
282 SG to Hanly, 3-1-22, on organizing women; same goals different problems--which is why he
opposes Equal Rights Amendment442 SG to Valentine, 3-1-22, re: female organizer and IBEW member.
Reel 278
592 Stillman to SG, 3-21-22, Female candidate for governor of S. Dakota who comes out of the Teachers Union
Reel 279
315 SG to Messer, 4-11-22, Minimum wages for women
Reel 287
45 SG to Conboy et al, 1-2-23, Women’s Bureau, Women’s Industrial Conference; notes that it will be held in New National Museum.
Reel 288
475 SG to Jane Grant, Lucy Stone Society, 2-8-23, only way for women to get what they want is for those who want it, to take it.
481, SG to Mary J. Macaulay – she’s an international officer of Commercial Telegraphers
Reel 289
830 SG to O’Donnell, 4-5-23, does not favor separate working women’s voters league
841 SG to Ryder 4-5-23, Equal Right Amendment and minimum wage law for women
Reel 290
311 SG to Smith, 4-25-23, time to try and organize Washington, D.C., women workers! [sent to others 310-22]
476 Circular, 4-30-23, re: Supreme Court decision meeting, 4-24-23. and campaign to organize women workers in Washington, D.C.
924 SG to McCarthy, 5-17-23, Tobacco strippers still have not joined CMIU
1011 SG to Stevens, 5-4-23, information re: U.S. Supreme Court decision on minimum wage for women ; more Reel 294, 987]
Reel 291
557 Swain et al, 6-6-23, reply to SG to Duncan, 5-14-23; mentions women Barbers [more, 555, 566, 657-663]
Reel 295
897 SG to Conboy, 12-5-23, Coolidge will meet a committee of working women to protest Equal Rights Amendment [sent to others, 898-99; Reel 296, 60 meeting set for 12-12-23]
967 SG to International Union Presidents, 12-4-23, questionnaire on women workers
Reel 296
365 SG to Bramley, 12-17-23, How does the British TUC organize women? Gertrude Drake’s report
Reel 297
33 Circular, 2-28-24, re: Women in Industry conference; questionnaire and other information follows, including female membership in national unions; also how they organize in England and Germany
429 R. L. Guard to Schaeffer, 3-8-24, SG is in N.Y. for conference on organizing women workers
574 SG to Trotter, 3-18-14, a breakdown of women workers based on Mary Anderson’s study of the census
656 Draft conclusions of conference to organize women enclosed in SG to Conboy et al, 3-14-24, p. 655 [nb, another copy, Reel 298, p. 20, is sent out with call for meeting, 3-29-24]
660 SG to Baine, 3-14-24, more on women’s conference
669 SG to Kahn, 3-20-24, his view of girls
861 SG to Quesse, 3-27-24, he is going to Chicago to push women’s organizing campaign.[SG to Christman, 857 ; also goes to others, 856; 857-866.
878 SG to Perkins, 3-27-24, more on above; notes that an understanding with WTUL will have to be reached for plan to work; also sent to Woll, 876.
Reel 298
95 SG to Rickert, 4-2-24, why he should go to the women’s organizing conference
Reel 299
63 Circular to International Union presidents, 6-28-24, re: Women in industry; notes few replies to last circular
288 SG to International Union presidents, 7-19-24, more on women workers organizing campaign
Reel 300
237 SG to Shanessy, 9-14-24, congratulations on finally taking in women barbers!
328 SG to Mary Anderson, 9-16-24, organizing women
384 SG to Perkins, 9-27-24, what happened to the women’s organizing campaign