Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators and Paperhangers of America, Local Unions 68, 158, and 438 records, 1898-1918; 1930-1967

Finding Aid

Prepared by James K. Stimpert, July 9, 1980; Revised by Gregory Bodwell, May 27, 1997
5 record storage boxes, 4 1/3 cubic feet, Storage

This material is housed in an off-site storage facility and requires up to 5 business days for retrieval. Please call or email the department with requests for this material prior to your visit.

Scope and Content

Through the efforts of Patricia Burnett, Ohio Labor History Project, and Lawrence Kelley, Business Agent and Recording-Secretary of Local 438, Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators and Paperhangers of America (BPDPA), these records arrived on March 31, 1980, at the American History Research Center, Kent State University.

The BPDPA was organized at Baltimore, Maryland, in 1887, and incorporated in December, 1894, with its general offices located at Lafayette, Indiana. Local Union 68, at Bellaire, Ohio, was founded in the late nineteenth century and Local Union 158, at Martins Ferry, Ohio, came into existence at the turn of the twentieth century. Local Union 438, at Steubenville, Ohio, was formed in October, 1901, the records from which comprise the bulk of this collection. By 1913 the Brotherhood was affiliated with the American Federation of Labor but resisted all advances and intrusions of the rival Congress of Industrial Organizations until the AFL and the CIO merged in 1955. In 1968, Local Unions 68 and 158 merged into Local Union 438, located in Steubenville. The jurisdiction of this enlarged Local Union includes the counties of Jefferson, Harrison, Belmont, and part of Monroe in Ohio, and parts of Brooke and Hancock counties in West Virginia.

Most of the material in this collection covers the years 1898-1918 and 1930-1967, but concentrates on the late 1930's through the 1940's. There are also three bound volumes of minutes from Local Union 68 that, excluding the period from April, 1901 through April, 1905, run from 1898 through 1918. There is one volume of minutes from Local 158, covering May, 1943 through March, 1958, and several folders of minutes from Local 438, covering the years 1941 through 1948. There are also numerous ledgers and other bound volumes from both Locals 438 and 68. Materials from Locals 68 and 158 are located in the last nine folders of the collection. The remainder of the records are arranged into topical categories that include bylaws, conference proceedings, financial reports, correspondence sent and received, wage scale and work agreements, and other assorted papers bearing on Local Union 438 affairs. Subject files have been kept intact, where appropriate.

This collection, studied in conjunction with the records of BPDPA Local Union 476 in Youngstown, Ohio or those of other labor unions in the Steubenville area, would be of value to the researcher interested in the BPDPA itself, labor affairs in Steubenville, or local history. Several items of correspondence also help to document the rivalry between the AFL and CIO in Steubenville and surrounding areas.

BOX 1

  1. Ritual and Secret Work of the Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators and Paperhangers of America.
  2. Constitution, Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators and Paperhangers of America (BPDPA): 1938.
  3. Constitution, BPDPA: 1942.
  4. Constitution, BPDPA: 1947.
  5. Constitution, BPDPA: 1955.
  6. Constitution, BPDPA: 1965.
  7. Bylaws and Wage Scale Agreement, Local 438: 1938.
  8. Bylaws and Wage Scale Agreement, Local 438: 1943.
  9. Bylaws and Wage Scale Agreement, Local 438: 1944.
  10. Bylaws and Wage Scale Agreement, Local 438: 1945.
  11. Bylaws and Wage Scale Agreement, Local 438: 1949.
  12. Bylaws and Wage Scale Agreement, Local 438: 1951.
  13. Bylaws and Correspondence related to proposed changes: 1953-1954, and undated.
  14. Bylaws and Correspondence related to proposed changes: 1959-1960.
  15. Bylaws, Local 438: 1964.
  16. Wage Scale Agreements, Local 438: 1938, 1946, 1948.
  17. Wage Scale and Work Agreements, Local 438: 1953-1954.
  18. Wage Scale and Work Agreements, Local 438: 1955.
  19. Wage Scale and Work Agreements, Local 438: 1956.
  20. Wage Scale and Work Agreements, Local 438: 1958.
  21. Wage Scale and Work Agreements, Local 438: 1960.
  22. Wage Scale and Work Agreements, Local 438: 1962-1965.
  23. Wage Scale and Work Agreements, Local 438: 1966-1968.
  24. Bylaws, Local 158: 1947.
  25. Bylaws, Local 158: 1956.
  26. Bylaws, Local 249 (Dayton, Ohio): 1953.
  27. Bylaws, Local 165 (East Liverpool, Ohio): 1953.
  28. Bylaws, Local 93 (Marietta, Ohio): 1956.
  29. Union law, proposed changes: 1937-1938, 1940, 1945, 1957, and undated.
  30. Correspondence sent, general: March, 1936 - October, 1939.
  31. Correspondence sent, general: January-August, 1940; July, 1942 - January, 1944; July, 1950; September, 1963; and undated.
  32. Correspondence sent, charges and fines: September, 1936 - December, 1939.
  33. Correspondence sent, charges and fines: February, 1940; October, 1943 - March, 1944; March-August, 1957; and undated.
  34. Correspondence sent, unfair labor practices charges: March, 1937 - August, 1940.
  35. Correspondence received, general: February - March, 1930; October, 1933 - December, 1936.
  36. Correspondence received, general: January-December, 1937.
  37. Correspondence received, general: January-December, 1938.
  38. Correspondence received, general: January, 1939 - July, 1940.
  39. Correspondence received, general: April, 1943 - November, 1945.
  40. Correspondence received, general: March, 1947 - May, 1948; November, 1952; August, 1954; July, 1956.
  41. Correspondence received, general: April-July, 1957; and undated.
  42. Correspondence received, excuses from meetings: January, 1937; November, 1942 - April, 1945; and undated.
  43. Correspondence received, charges and fines: May, 1937 - February, 1940; March, 1944.
  44. Minutes, BPDPA, Local 438: January - December, 1941.
  45. Minutes, BPDPA, Local 438: January - December, 1942.
  46. Minutes, BPDPA, Local 438: January - December, 1943.
  47. Minutes, BPDPA, Local 438: January - November, 1944.
  48. Minutes, BPDPA, Local 438: January - December, 1945.
  49. Minutes, BPDPA, Local 438: January - December, 1946.
  50. Minutes, BPDPA, Local 438: January - December, 1947.
  51. Minutes, BPDPA, Local 438: January - October, 1948.
  52. Minutes of Joint Trade Board Meetings: April 3, May 1, August 7, September 18, 1961.
  53. Roll-calls: November, 1949 - July, 1950.

BOX 2

  1. Membership and Dues Ledger, Local 438: 1936-1937.
  2. Membership and Dues Ledger, Local 438: 1938-1941.
  3. Membership and Dues Ledger, Local 438: 1942-1943.
  4. Membership and Dues Ledger, Local 438: 1944-1945.
  5. Membership and Dues Ledger, Local 438: 1946-1948.
  6. Membership and Dues Ledger, Local 438: 1949-1950.
  7. Membership and Dues Ledger, Local 438: 1951-1952.
  8. Membership and Dues Ledger, Local 438: 1953-1954.
  9. Membership and Dues Ledger, Local 438: 1955-1956.
  10. Membership and Dues Ledger, Local 438: [1950?].

BOX 3

  1. Day Book Ledger, Local 438: June, 1934 - December, 1935.
  2. Day Book Ledger, Local 438: September, 1942 - September, 1945.
  3. Day Book Ledger, Local 438: May, 1947 - January, 1950.
  4. Day Book Ledger, Local 438: February, 1950 - November, 1951.
  5. Day Book Ledger, Local 438: February, 1956 - April, 1958.
  6. Day Book Ledger, Local 438: April, 1958 - September, 1960.
  7. Day Book Ledger, Local 438: October, 1960 - June, 1963.

BOX 4

  1. Treasurer's Cash Books, Local 438: 1925-1926; 1938.
  2. Treasurer's Cash Books, Local 438: 1946-1947.
  3. Treasurer's Cash Books, Local 438: 1948-1949.
  4. Treasurer's Cash Books, Local 438: 1949-1951.
  5. Treasurer's Cash Books, Local 438: 1951-1952.
  6. Treasurer's Cash Books, Local 438: 1952-1953.
  7. Treasurer's Cash Books, Local 438: 1954-1955.
  8. Treasurer's Cash Books, Local 438: 1955-1956; 1958.
  9. Treasurer's Cash Books, Local 438: 1959-1960.
  10. Treasurer's Cash Books, Local 438: 1961-1962.
  11. Treasurer's Cash Books, Local 438: 1963-1965.
  12. Treasurer's Cash Books, Local 438: 1965-1967.
  13. Treasurer's Cash Books, Local 438: 1967-1968.
  14. Treasurer's Cash Books, Local 438: 1969-1970.
  15. Treasurer's Cash Books and miscellaneous financial matters, Local 438: 1948-1960; 1957-1960.
  16. Treasurer's Cash Books and miscellaneous financial matters, Local 438: 1960-1965.
  17. Financial reports, quarterly: 1957 - 1959.
  18. Financial reports, quarterly: 1960 - 1963.
  19. Financial reports, monthly: October, 1922; March, 1932; June - December, 1934; January - December, 1935.
  20. Financial reports, monthly: January - March, May, 1936; January - December, 1942.
  21. Financial reports, monthly: January - December, 1943; January - April, August - December, 1944.
  22. Financial reports, monthly: January - August, October - December, 1945; January - December, 1946.
  23. Financial reports, monthly: January - December, 1947; January - July, September, October, December, 1948.
  24. Financial reports, monthly: January - June, August, 1949; July - December, 1950.
  25. Financial reports, monthly: January - December, 1951; January - December, 1952.
  26. Financial reports, monthly: January - November, 1953; January, March - May, 1954.
  27. Miscellaneous financial materials: 1942-1967; and undated.
  28. Trustees reports: March, 1949 - June, 1954; and undated.

BOX 5

  1. Convention and Conference materials: 1937-1939; 1944-1945.
  2. Convention and Conference materials: 1954; 1956-1957; and undated. NOTE: Includes General Convention Proceedings fo the BPDPA, Seattle, Washington: September, 1954.
  3. Ohio State Conference of Painters, Proceedings: September, 1948; August, 1951; April, 1952.
  4. Ohio State Conference of Painters, Proceedings: August, 1952; August, 1953; April, 1954.
  5. Ohio State Conference of Painters, Proceedings: August, 1954; August, 1955; August, 1956.
  6. Ohio State Conference of Painters, Proceedings: May, 1957; August, 1957; March, 1958.
  7. Political matters, Committee on Political Education: 1957; and undated.
  8. Political matters, Ohio State Federation of Labor, Legislative Bulletins: 1943-1945, 1947, 1950, 1957.
  9. Political matters, miscellaneous: 1935, 1937-1939, 1944-1947, 1961.
  10. U.S. Department of Labor, National Painting, Decorating and Paperhanging Apprenticeship Standards (Washington, D.C.: 1954).
  11. Miscellaneous items.
  12. Miscellaneous items.
  13. Xerox copy of newspaper clippings: May 3, 1957; and undated.
  14. Minutes, BPDPA, Local 68: April, 1898 - March, 1901.
  15. Minutes, BPDPA, Local 68: May, 1905 - December, 1909.
  16. Minutes, BPDPA, Local 68: January, 1910 - March, 1918.
  17. Membership and Dues Ledger, Local 68: 1922-1929.
  18. Membership and Dues Ledger, Local 68: 1956.
  19. Day Book Ledger, Local 68: 1901-1904.
  20. Membership and Mailing List, Local 68: [1903?].
  21. Membership Roll Call, Local 68: 1904-1926.
  22. Minutes, BPDPA, Local 158: May, 1943 - March, 1958