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Creator
International Typographical Union. No. 6 (New York, N.Y.)
Call number
MssCol 2228
Physical description
24.5 linear feet (16boxes, 143 volumes)
Language
English
Preferred Citation

New York Typographical Union No. 6 Records, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library.

Repository
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.
Portions of this collection have been digitized and are available online.

The New York Typographical Union No. 6, representing printers in New York City, was founded in 1850. It was preceded by the New York Typographical Society, which was founded in 1809. Horace Greeley was the union's first president. The parent organization of the New York Typographical Union No. 6 is the Interational Typographical Union, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The collection contains official union records including charters, constitutions, minutes, membership lists, and dues records, plus scrapbooks and printed matter.

Biographical/historical information

The New York Typographical Union No. 6 was founded in 1850 for and by printers in New York City. The long history of trade unionism for printers can be traced to the printers trade unions of the eighteenth century. Union No. 6 traces its immediate origins to the New York Typographical Society that was formed in 1809. Horace Greeley was the union's first president. The parent organization of the New York Typographical Union No. 6 is the Interational Typographical Union, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The New York Typographical Union No. 6 shared the same basic objectives as many other unions. The leadership aimed to secure good working conditions, fair wages, compensation for injuries and disabilities on the job, job protection, and training in new technologies and techniques for its members. Union No. 6 has participated in various strikes over issues such as low wages and the maltreatment of union workers.

Union No. 6 developed a well organized administration around committees, including a Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Regular Committee, Discipline Committee, and Membership Committee. The Board held regular meetings regarding issues of concern to the workers. Union No. 6 kept the membership abreast of current issues through the monthly bulletins.

As Union No. 6 moved into the late twentieth century, there was a growing concern among its membership over the new typesetting technology being implemented by newspapers, such as the New York Post and Daily News. In the twenty-first century, Union No. 6's role has diminished; however, it continues to play a smaller but important role in today's emerging printing technologies.

Scope and arrangement

The New York Typographical Union No. 6 records contain the union's constitution; membership rolls; minutes of the executive, regular, membership, and discipline committees; dues ledgers; scrapbooks; and printed material, including publications issued by Union No. 6 and its parent, the International Typographical Union.

The New York Typographical Union No. 6. records are arranged in nine series:

  • Series I. Constitution and bylaws, Membership List, Charters
    1859-1966
    1 volume 2 boxes

    This series includes one volume containing the constitution of the Union as revised and adopted in 1859 followed by a list of members names from 1859-1966. The series also contains published versions of the constitution and bylaws, and charters of incorporation for Union No. 6 and the Women's Typographical Union No. 1.

  • Series II. Executive Committee Minutes
    1870 - 1980
    38 volumes

    These minutes were originally recorded in longhand script until the changeover to the typewriter in 1911. Beginning in 1916, the pages were mounted and bound in volumes. In the early, formative years of the Union, the Board met at least twice a month. Meetings were less frequent in later years. Relevant printed matter accompanies the minutes. This series also includes printed versions of the 1969 and 1970 minutes.

  • Series III. Regular Committee Minutes
    1870 - 1988
    38 volumes

    These minutes were originally recorded in longhand script until the change over to the typewriter in 1911. The minutes include Membership Committee reports, reports on election laws, printed matter, and applications for various benefits.

  • Series IV. Discipline Committee Minutes
    1949 - 1977
    1 volume

    The Discipline Committee Minutes, 1949-1977, contain information on the status and resolutions of grievances filed by the members.

  • Series V. Membership Committee
    1914 - 1970
    9 volumes 4 boxes

    The minutes, 1914-1970, are arranged somewhat unevenly -chronologically and alphabetically- and sometimes overlap with information in the Regular Committee minutes. Topics covered by the minutes include union members' test results, work histories, and status within the organization. This series also includes membership lists. (See also Series I. and published versions of these lists in NYPL's Science, Industry, and Business Library.) Additional material includes test results, miscellaneous notes and correspondence regarding membership matters, and two certificates of membership to the New York Typographical Society.

  • Series VI. Dues ledgers
    1860 - 1945
    43 volumes

    The Dues and Yearly Ledgers (the name changed in 1904) provide a monthly record of the dues paid by each member. Member names are listed alphabetically within each year.

  • Series VII. Scrapbooks
    1931 - 1979
    12 volumes

    The scrapbooks contain printed matter and ephemera regarding Typographical Union No. 6 and information of interest to its membership including the business of its brotherhood unions.

  • Series VIII. Chronological File of Informational Printed Matter
    1961-1988
    10 boxes

    This series consists of material distributed for the information of union members, and includes fliers, brochures, letters, and ballots concerning elections, meetings, as well as general union business.

  • Series IX. Photographs, Printed Souvenirs, Miscellany
    1 box

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift of the New York Typographical Union No. 6, 1982, 1986, 1996.

Processing information

Compiled by Valerie Wingfield; revised by William Stingone; machine readable finding aid created by William Stingone.

Related Material

New York Typographical Society Records, 1816-1885. Manuscripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library..

Using the collection

Location

Manuscripts and Archives Division
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788
Brooke Russell Astor Reading Room, Third Floor, Room 328

Alternative form available

Executive Committee minutes, 1870-1884, 1893-1899 and Regular Committee minutes, 1870-1917 are available on microfilm.