Reel 49

Scope and Contents For information on the organizing drive among menhaden fishermen and the resulting battles before the NLRB, see Mitchell's weekly letters to AMC Secretary-Treasurer Patrick Gorman. There are a number of affidavits of fishermen (Jan 15, 30), as well as an illustrated pamphlet by Mitchell entitled "Pogy Boat Men" (March 1). The fishermen campaign began to take on an increasingly strong civil rights dimension, which appears explicitly in Mitchell's exchange of correspondence with the Congress...

Scope and Contents Local 300 continued to win a sizable number of NLRB elections on menhaden fishing boats; the official tallies of ballots appear in the papers (May 15; June 12, 20, 27). However, the problem soon became one of signing contracts with owners once the union acquired the status of certified bargaining agent; see Mitchell's memorandum, giving a chronological account of his negotiations to sign contracts (May 27), as well as several contracts which were finally signed (May 29). There is an...

Scope and Contents Mitchell concentrated his efforts during this summer on obtaining contracts for the boats on which NLRB elections had already been won; see his exchange of correspondence with AMC President T.J. Lloyd on his use of threats of job action to force the companies to sign (Aug. 7, 11; Sept 19) and the contracts themselves (July 18; Aug 4, 14, 18; Sept 23). For further information on the menhaden organizing drive, see especially the reports of organizers Howard Harrity and Willie Berry, Mitchell's...