|
The following is a list of unions and brotherhoods playing a significant role in the railroad industry of the United States of America. Many of these entities changed names and merged over the years; this list is based upon the names current during the height of American railway unionism in the first decades of the 20th Century. ==Brotherhoods== ==="Big Four" brotherhoods=== Originating as fraternal benefit societies to provide life insurance, sickness benefits, and social interaction for their members, the so-called "Big Four" railroad brotherhoods gradually evolved into trade unions dealing with wages, hours, and safety standards. As the importance of the railway sector to the American economy grew during the last years of the 19th Century and first decades of the 20th Century, these emerged as among the most powerful group of unions in the United States.〔Paul Michel Taillon, ''Good, Reliable, White Men: Railroad Brotherhoods, 1877-1917.'' Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2009; pg. 3.〕 In the summer of 1916 the joint threat of the so-called "Big Four" brotherhoods to launch a national railroad strike moved President Woodrow Wilson and the United States Congress to pass the Adamson Act, granting an 8-hour working day to American railway workers.〔 * Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE) — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers was founded in 1863 as the "Brotherhood of the Footboard" to represent the prestigious and relatively well compensated locomotive engineers. The organization was not part of the American Federation of Labor and was governed by conventions of elected delegates held every three years.〔"Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers," in Solon DeLeon and Nathan Fine (eds.), ''The American Labor Year Book, 1926.'' New York: Rand School of Social Science, 1926; pg. 105.〕 The brotherhood was financially prosperous and initiated a network of labor banks based in Cleveland, Ohio to better marshal the assets of itself and its members.〔 The BLE published a monthly magazine for its members, ''Locomotive Engineers' Journal.''〔 * Order of Railway Conductors of America (ORC) — The ORC was established in 1868 in Amboy, Illinois as the "Conductors Union."〔Constance Bulkley (ed.), ("Guide to the Order Of Railway Conductors And Brakemen Records, 1868-1969," ) Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Library, 2002.〕 The ORC represented the interests of train conductors, whose job function approximated that of an ocean ship captain and were consequently the most prestigious and highly compensated railway workers of their era. The ORC was governed by conventions held every three years and was not part of the American Federation of Labor.〔"Order of Railway Conductors of America," in Solon DeLeon and Nathan Fine (eds.), ''The American Labor Year Book, 1926.'' New York: Rand School of Social Science, 1926; pg. 105.〕 In later years membership in the union was opened up to railway brakemen and the name of the union was changed to the "Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen" (ORC&B).〔 In 1969 the ORC&B merged with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen, the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, and the Switchmen's Union of North America to form the "United Transportation Union" (UTU).〔Connie Bulkley and Carol Eastman (eds.), ("Guide to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen Records, 1873-1975," ) Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Library, 2002.〕 * Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen (B of LF&E) — The "Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen" was established in 1873 to provide insurance, social benefits, and fraternal association for locomotive firemen, individuals who rode in the locomotive with the train operator and who were primarily charged with stoking the engine with coal or other combustible material to maintain the steam needed for propulsion. Over time these individuals were frequently promoted to higher paid positions as engine drivers, while still seeking to maintain membership in the old brotherhood.〔D.B. Robertson, "Celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen: A Brief Narrative Telling the Story of the Founding of the Institution and a Brief Historical Outline of Its Growth and Development...," in ''Fiftieth Anniversary B of LF&E, 1873-1923.'' (city ): Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen, 1923; pg. 15.〕 This prompted a change of name for the organization to "Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen" (B of LF&E) in 1907.〔 The B of LF was not affiliated with the American Federation of Labor.〔"Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen," in Solon DeLeon and Nathan Fine (eds.), ''The American Labor Year Book, 1926.'' New York: Rand School of Social Science, 1926; pg. 106.〕 It published a monthly magazine for its members, ''Locomotive Firemen's Magazine.'' In 1969 the B of LF&E merged with the Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen, the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, and the Switchmen's Union of North America to form the "United Transportation Union" (UTU).〔 * Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (BRT) — Founded in 1883, by the 1920s the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen emerged as one of the largest American railway brotherhoods, with a membership of approximately 180,000 in 1925.〔"Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen'' in Solon DeLeon and Nathan Fine (eds.), ''The American Labor Year Book, 1926.'' New York: Rand School of Social Science, 1926; pp. 107-108.〕 The brotherhood included among its members freight handlers as well as other classes of railroad employees and periodically had jurisdictional disputes over coverage of its members with the Order of Railway Conductors.〔 In 1969 the BRT merged with the Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Engineers, and the Switchmen's Union of North America to form the "United Transportation Union" (UTU).〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「List of American railway unions」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|