AFL-CIO, 1946-1965

Summary: Much of this series contains correspondence and legislation regarding local, national, and international unions. The literature in the AFL-CIO subseries focuses on the 1955 merger of the AFL and CIO. Also, this subseries contains a large amount of material from the AFL-CIO's Olde Tymers Club. This Club was formed in 1946 out of a group of New Jersey AFL trade unionists who wanted to ensure that unionists could associate with one another outside of the workplace and more formal union settings.

Much of the literature in the International Typographical Union, or ITU subseries focuses on correspondence between Herrmann and his colleagues in the Union. This subseries also contains several of Herrmann's own ITU union cards showing that he had paid his dues for the year. Too, there are several membership lists of ITU members and the dues which they did or in some cases did not pay. The ITU subseries contains the sub-subseries New Jersey Progressive Club, of which Herrmann was the president 1958-1962. Prior to this, he was the ITU delegate to the AFL-CIO. A "Progressive" Club member was one who "firmly believes in a strong, aggressive union which will effectively preserve their jobs, improve their standards of living, and enable them to retain their self-respect while so doing. Such members who subscribe to this kind of a Union are PROGRESSIVE . . . whether they know IT or NOT."

Another ITU subseries contains the sub-subseries Subject Files which is similar to the Who's Who in New Jersey sub-subseries as it focuses on local, state, and national unions which have had an effect in the union world and on the labor population.

The New Jersey State Federation of Labor subseries documents the union, which is a state branch of the AFL-CIO. This subseries contains correspondence, meeting minutes, membership dues lists, newspaper clippings, and proceedings of the various conventions held by the New Jersey State Federation of Labor. Too, this series contains a photocopy of the original New Jersey State Federation of Labor charter granted by the AFL in 1895.

Throughout the entire series there is much correspondence, newspaper clippings, notes, publications, and reports. Too, the AFL-CIO subseries contains photographs of entertainers which were solicited for various Olde Tymers Club banquets.