American Federation of Grain Millers Local #23 records, 1933-1952

Overview of the Collection

Title
American Federation of Grain Millers Local #23 records
Dates
1933-1952 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.4 linear feet of shelf space
Collection Number
MC 401
Summary
This collection consists of records for the American Federation of Grain Millers Local No. 23 in Bozeman, MT (1933-1952). The following series are included: correspondence, financial, membership, minutes, and miscellany dealing with the union activity of the local internally, as part of the Gallatin County Trades and Labor Assembly, within the context of labor relations with Montana Flour Mills Company, and interaction with the Montana Federation of Labor.
Repository
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Workers of at the Montana Flour Mills Company in Bozeman, MT established the Flour, Feed, and Cereal Workers Federal Labor Union No. 18848 sometime in 1933. A federal labor union was a local union with no affiliated national or international union that received a charter directly through the American Federation of Labor. This was typically a transitional phase prior to the establishment of a national or international union. It became part of the American Federation of Grain Millers (AFGM) sometime after 1941 as Local No. 23 of the American Federation of Grain Miller. The Local was part of the Gallatin County Trades and Labor Assembly, which had a union hall in Bozeman. C.R. McClave and Austin Warr of Lewistown, MT established the Montana Flour Mills Company in 1911 with grain elevators and mills in Bozeman, Missoula, Great Falls, Harlowton, and Moore, MT as well as operations in Ohio and Minnesota. The company operated until 1969 when it sold to Con Agra-Agri Basics. Local No. 23 appears in the Bozeman Polk City Directory until 1970 at that point it is uncertain if it remained active after the buyout by Con Agra-Agri or if the locals in Montana consolidated into one.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection consists of the records of the American Federation of Grain Millers Local No. 23, Bozeman (Mont.). The local union was established through direct affiliation with the national AFL-CIO as the Flour, Feed, and Cereal Workers Federal Labor Union No. 18848 sometime in 1933. The Federal Labor Union designation was reserved for those locals that had no international to affiliate with at the time of their formation and was a transitional phase for local unions to organize under. It became Local 23 of the American Federation of Grain Millers sometime after 1941. The local was comprised of employees of the Montana Flour Mills Company, which was established in 1911 by C.R. McClave and Austin Warr of Lewistown, MT. The local union was affiliated with the Gallatin County Trades and Labor Assembly. The collection consists of the following series: correspondence, financial, membership, minutes, and miscellany dealing with the union activity of the local internally, as part of the Gallatin County Trades and Labor Assembly, within the context of labor relations with Montana Flour Mills Company, and interaction with the Montana AFL-CIO.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

The Montana Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Center and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Center before any reproduction use. The Montana Historical Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation

Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Files are arranged by series.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information available upon request.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Correspondence, GeneralReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1 /1
Montana Flour Mills Company, R.W. Allinson, Lewis Penwell, Catherine Nutterville, Arnold Miller, H.M. Everz
1939, 1940
1 /2
William Green, James L. Houghteling, James D. Graham, F.H. Mensing, R.W. Allinson, George Meany, William Green
1941
1 /3
American Federation of Grain Millers International (S.P. Ming), Montana Flour Mills Company (Charles R. McClave)
1950, 1951
1 /4
James S. Umber, Charles G. McClave, R.W. Allinson, Thomas P. Graham, Jr., Harry Weiss, H.A. Schneider, Ralph Snyder Local 109, Ralph Sanders, W.V. Gannon
1952

Financial RecordsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/ 5
Treasurer's Cashbook
1937-1941
1 /6
Miscellany: Cancelled checks (sample), Gallatin Labor Temple Financial Report, Receipts
1941, 1942, 1948, 1950, 1951

Membership RecordsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1 /7
Membership application: Marvin E. McLean Flour, Feed and Cereal Workers Union No. 18848; Lyle E. Kelli American Federation of Grain Millers Local #23
1939, 1951
1 /8
Attendance record
1933-1941
1 /9
Membership list
n.d.
1 /10
Membership seniority list
1935, 1941
Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/ 11
Minutes
1938-1941
1 /12
Minutes
September 21, 1941; February 12, 1952; April 17, 1952; September 16, 1952; April 15, n.d.
1 /13
Minutes
1949-1952

MiscellanyReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/ 14
Resolution template; Subscriber's receipt National and American Miller: A Business and Technical Milling Journal; Gallatin County Trades and Labor Assembly template; Regulations and Rules of the Unemployment Compensation Commission of Montana 1952; American Federation of Grain Millers Local Union No. 23 Bozeman, Montana envelopes, and stationary; envelopes
n.d., 1952

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Labor unions, Gallatin County, Montana

Geographical Names

  • Bozeman, Montana