Forms part of the Oregon Labor Oral History Program.
Due to miscommunication by the interviewer, a portion of the interview from February 25, 2014 (session 18) was recorded in error. Tape 23, side 1, is restricted, and the incomplete transcript and
Gift of the Pacific Northwest Labor History Association, 1993-2014 (Lib. Acc. 28380).
Paul Francis Stuckenschneider was born in West Point, Nebraska, in 1934. He moved with his family to a farm in Missouri, and in 1941, they moved to to St. Louis. When Stuckenschneider was 17, he began working as a sheet metal cutter at Hussmann Corporation in St. Louis. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, then returned to the factory and became involved in Sheet Metal Workers International Local 93. From 1956 to 1962, he was a shop steward, then business representative for the local from 1962 to 1967. He then worked as a mediator for the Federal Mediation Service (FMS) for three years. From 1970 to 1978, he worked for the Sheet Metal Workers International Association, first as assistant director of organization and then as research director. He was then rehired as a mediator for the Federal Mediation Service, assigned to Portland, Oregon. He returned to D.C. in 1990, and became assistant director of the FMS. In 1994, he accepted a demotion to commissioner in order to return to Portland. In 1996, he became president of the mediators union, and served until he retired in 2004. After his retirement, he continued to work as a self-employed mediator for labor disputes.
Stuckenschneider married Gail M. Huber in 1956, and they later had seven children. They divorced in 1994.
Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; information provided by Stuckenschneider in his interview; Stuckenschneider's curriculum vitae (as provided to the Oregon Historical Society Research Library); Paul F. Stuckenschneider interview conducted by Deborah Fant, 2013-01-17 (part of Washington State Workers: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2012-2013 (AFC 2012/032), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress),
An incomplete transcript (361 pages) is available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Oral history interview with Paul Stuckenschneider, by James R. Kelsheimer-Sevich, SR 11302, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
An additional interview with Stuckenschneider, conducted in 2013, is part of the collection Washington State Works: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2012-2013 (AFC 2012/032: 00465) held by the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. It is available online at
This oral history interview with Paul Stuckenschneider was conducted by James R. Kelsheimer-Sevich in nineteen sessions, from July 9, 2012, to March 6, 2014, in Portland, Oregon, and in La Center, Washington. The interview was conducted for the Oregon Labor Oral History Program, which collects oral histories of individuals who have advocated for working people of Oregon, including public figures, union members, and workers. Accompanying the audio recording of the interview is a printout of a color photograph of Stuckenschneider and a woman identified only as his wife.
In sessions 1 through 5, Stuckenschneider describes how he became involved with the Sheet Metal Workers International Association, beginning when he worked as a sheet metal cutter at a Hussmann Corporation factory in St. Louis, Missouri, as a teenager. He shares his experiences as a shop steward and later as a business rep for Local 93 of the sheet metal workers' union in St. Louis, including filing grievances, negotiating contracts, and participating in strikes. He speaks particularly about a national strike against General Electric in 1968 and 1969, and about mediating a strike at GE's Hot Point Plant in Cicero, Illinois. He also discusses his work as assistant director of organizing, and later as research director, for the Sheet Metal Workers International Association in Washington, D.C., from 1970 to 1978.
In sessions 6 through 19, Stuckenschneider discusses his work for the Federal Mediation Service. He describes the events that led him to accept a job as a mediator in Portland, Oregon, in 1978. He describes his experiences during the 1980s, talks about his family life during this time period, then speaks about his work as assistant director of the Federal Mediation Service in Washington, D.C. from 1990 to 1994. He speaks extensively about the role of federal mediators in contract negotiations, and describes mediating negotiations to end strikes. He shares his reasons for accepting a demotion and returning to Portland in 1994, and talks about his work as a mediator between Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757 and Portland Mayor Bud Clark.
Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA,
Tape 1. In the first interview session, conducted on July 9, 2012, Stuckenschneider discusses his family background and early life in on a farm in Missouri, and later in St. Louis. He describes the houses his family lived in, shares his reasons for dropping out of high school, and describes jobs he worked as a minor. He then speaks about his job as a sheet metal cutter at Hussmann Corporation in St. Louis, about his involvement in Sheet Metal Workers International Association Local 93, and about his experience in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.
Tape 2. In the second interview session, conducted on July 17, 2012, Stuckenschneider discusses his return to work at Hussman after the Korean War, and about his continued involvement with Sheet Metal Workers International Association Local 93. He talks about serving as a shop steward and later as a business agent for the local, including filing grievances, negotiating contracts, and participating in strikes. He also describes a pension plan he helped to negotiate for Local 93 members. He discusses his marriage to Gail M. Huber, and talks about how his union work affected his family. He shares his thoughts about capitalism.
Tape 3, Side 1, to partway through Tape 4, Side 1. In the third interview session, conducted on July 31, 2012, Stuckenschneider speaks further about his work as business agent for Local 93. He discusses speaking to workers about contracts negotiated by the union. He speaks extensively about a national strike against General Electric in 1968 and 1969, and his experiences as a mediator during a strike at the GE's Hot Point Plant in Cicero, Illinois.
Partway through Tape 4, Side 1, through Tape 5, Side 1. In the fourth interview session, conducted on August 7, 2012, Stuckenschneider continues to discuss a national strike against General Electric in 1968 and 1969. He talks about how striking workers support themselves, discusses how unions expanded over the 20th century, and describes the meaning of "union security" provisions in contracts.
Tape 6. In the fifth interview session, conducted on August 22, 2012, Stuckenschneider discusses his work as assistant director of organizing, and later as research director, for the Sheet Metal Workers International Association in Washington, D.C., from 1970 to 1978. He shares his experiences living in Washington, talks about how the international union benefits its affiliated locals, and discusses how increased global trade has affected union organizing. He describes his job duties.
Tape 7. In the sixth interview session, conducted on October 17, 2012, Stuckenschneider continues to discuss his work as assistant director of organizing, and later as research director, for the Sheet Metal Workers International Association. He talks about taking courses through the Harvard Trade Union Program. He describes the events that led him to take a job as a mediator for the Federal Mediation Service in Portland, Oregon, in 1978. He also talks about training programs for union officers, and about the organizational structure of international unions.
Tape 8, Side 1, through Tape 9, Side 2. In the seventh interview session, conducted on November 7, 2012, Stuckenschneider discusses the public's perception of unions, and speaks about the process of negotiating contracts. He discusses reasons behind the decline in unions' power. He then speaks about working as a federal mediator in Portland, Oregon, from 1978 to 1990. He describes his experiences during the 1980s, including strikes he was involved with and employers asking for concessions during negotiations. He talks about his family life during this time period, then speaks about his work as a mediator in Wahington, D.C., from 1990 to 1994, and how it led to end of his marriage.
Tape 10, Side 1, through Tape 11, Side 1. In the eighth interview session, conducted on September 16, 2013, Stuckenschneider discusses an unsuccessful effort to organize a union for federal mediators in 1983, and how the mediators successfully organized in 1996. He speaks about serving as president of the mediators union from 1996 to 2004. He speaks extensively about the role of federal mediators in contract negotiations.
Tape 11, Side 1, was recorded at an inconsistent speed. The digitized version of the recording, available in OHS Digital Collections, has been edited to improve audio quality.
Tape 12, Side 1, to partway through Tape 13, Side 1. In the ninth interview session, conducted on September 19, 2013, Stuckenschneider discusses a Louisiana-Pacific sawmill strike in 1982 and 1983, and talks about his experience mediating a contract negotiation to end it. He also speaks about how negotiating practices changed during the 1980s.
Partway through Tape 13, Side 1, to the end of Tape 14, Side 2. In the tenth interview session, conducted on September 23, 2013, Stuckenschneider discusses his experience as assistant director for the Federal Mediation Service in Washington, D.C. He talks about mediating strikes at Greyhound Bus and at several newspapers, including the Pittsburgh Press. He describes the role of a mediator, talks about mediators he worked with, and discusses the practice of scabbing.
Tape 15, Side 1, through Tape 16, Side 1. In the eleventh interview session, conducted on September 25, 2013, Stuckenschneider continues to discuss his experience as assistant director for the Federal Mediation Service, and shares his reasons for accepting a demotion and returning to Portland in 1994. He speaks further about the role of mediators and about his experiences mediating negotiations. He also reflects on his work as business agent for Sheet Metal Workers International Association Local 93 during the 1960s.
Tape 17. In the twelfth interview session, conducted on September 30, 2013, Stuckenschneider discusses his involvement in Henry "Scoop" Jackson's presidential campaign during the 1976 Democratic primaries. He speaks about unions' involvement in politics, and about the weakening of labor laws in recent decades.
Tape 18. In the thirteenth interview session, conducted on October 4, 2013, Stuckenschneider revisits the topic of an attempt to organize federal mediators into a union during the 1960s. He then continues to discuss his work as a federal mediator in Portland, Oregon. He talks about directors he worked under, and about the role of mediators.
Tape 19. In the fourteenth interview session, conducted on October 7, 2013, Stuckenschneider looks at newspaper articles from the 1980s in which he is mentioned, and talks about them. He also speaks further about how union negotiations changed during that time period. He describes the possible risks and benefits of striking, and shares his experiences mediating negotiations to end strikes. He also talks about the role of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in enforcing labor laws.
Tape 19, Side 1, has speed issues near the end of the recording.
Tape 20, Side 1, to partway through Tape 21, Side 1. In the fifteenth interview session, conducted on October 10, 2013, Stuckenschneider continues to discuss the NLRB, and talks about grievances he filed. He describes how Republicans have weakened the NLRB, particularly during President Barack Obama's administration. He also talks about his experience of being arrested as a result of his union activities.
Partway through Tape 21, Side 1, to the end of Tape 21, Side 2. In the sixteenth interview session, conducted on October 16, 2013, Stuckenschneider discusses his work as a mediator between Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757 and Portland Mayor Bud Clark.
Tape 22, Side 1. In the seventeenth interview session, conducted on an unspecified date, Stuckenschneider looks at photographs and discusses them.
The audio quality for this session is poor and worsens over the course of the recording. A digitized version of the recording, available online in OHS Digital Collections, has been edited to improve audio quality.
Tape 23, Side 1. In the eighteenth interview session, conducted on February 25, 2014, Stuckenschneider discusses his work as a federal mediator in Portland, Oregon, from his return to the city in 1994 through his retirement in 2004. He discusses how rising health care costs affected union negotiations beginning in the 1990s, and talks about the need for creativity during negotiations.
Due to miscommunication by the interviewer, a portion of this session was recorded in error. Tape 23 is restricted, and the relevant portions of the incomplete transcript and a
Tape 24, Side 1, through Tape 25, Side 1. In the nineteenth and final interview session, conducted on March 16, 2014, Stuckenschneider summarizes his life and career, revisiting topics covered in the previous interview sessions. He closes the interview by talking about public perception of unions and workers' rights, and by sharing his thoughts about the popular definition of the middle class.