Take It Easy, But Take It

One year contract between Royal Typewriter Co., Inc (Hartford, Connecticut) & United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America Local 265 C.I.O. for the year 1943.

"We, the Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers, realize that the struggle to better our working and living conditions is in vain unless we are united to protect ourselves collectively against the organization of the employers. Realizing that the old craft form of trade union organization is unable to defend effectively the interests and improve the conditions of the wage earners, WE, THE ELECTRICAL, RADIO AND MACHINE WORKERS form an organization which unites all workers regardless of craft, age, sex, nationality, race, creed or political beliefs, and pursue at all times a policy of aggressive struggle to improve our conditions. We pledge ourselves to labor unitedly for the principles herein set forth, to perpetuate our union and work concertedly with other labor organizations to bring about a higher standard of living of the workers." This membership book belonged to H.D Eyman, a member of UE Local 121 who joined the union 11/9/39. 

CIO Publication No. 85 -WORKING AND FIGHTING TOGETHER regardless of race, creed, color or national origin -  produced by the CIO Committee to Abolish Racial Discrimination 1943 A hallmark of CIO organizing was tearing down racial barriers to worker solidarity and union power. The AFL's craft based unionism almost exclusively saw white workers in high paying skill jobs with poor workers of color left unorganized in the mass production industries. The C.I.O. had a huge challenge on their hands, building multi-racial international unions in Jim Crow America. I have read many accounts by organizers with the United Auto Workers regarding just how difficult it was to win white workers over to these new C.I.O. unions. These organizing drives literally transformed communities and racial equality might just be the most radical concept of all the CIO's legacy.