Montana Historical Society
Library & Archives
MC 321
Montana Typographical
Conference
Montana Typographical Conference
records
1937-1984
2.0 linear feet
The Montana Typographical Conference was the state-wide
organization for the International Typographical Union. There were local unions in many
cities around the state. Records include interoffice correspondence (1958-1980),
correspondence with the local unions (1953-1984), correspondence with the international
union (1959-1984), and general correspondence (1955-1984) with the Montana State AFL-CIO and
others. In addition there are financial records, local union contracts, convention minutes
(1953-1984), organizational records, reports, subject files, and miscellany. There is a
small subgroup for records of the International Typographical Union.
15:8-3
English
The National Typographical Union was established in 1852 as the major union in the printing
trade. In 1874 it became the International Typographical Union with several Canadian locals.
The first Montana local union was formed in Helena in 1867. Gradually additional local
unions were established in cities across the state. Initially, the Helena local functioned
as the de facto state organization. The Montana Typographical Conference was formed in 1929
to coordinate the work of the local unions. The objectives of the conference included
organizing the printing trade around the state, promoting the training of printers, urging
buyers of printed material to patronize union shops, encouraging cooperation among locals,
and assisting them in contract negotiations. During the Depression and war years the
conference was largely inactive. After World War II, the conference became a leading factor
in the printers' union statewide. It became actively involved in apprenticeship programs, in
training in new printing technologies, in relations with the Montana State AFL-CIO, and
contract discussions. Although membership in the local unions was declining rapidly due to
new technology, the conference remained vigorous into the early 1980s. The Montana
Typographical Conference folded about 1984. After briefly considering a merger with the
International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the International Typographical Union was absorbed
into the Communications Workers of America in 1987.
Content Description:
Records include interoffice correspondence (1958-1980) among the officers and board members
of the Conference; correspondence with the local unions (1953-1984), correspondence with the
international union (1959-1984), and general correspondence (1955-1984) with the Montana
State AFL-CIO and others. Among the major correspondents are Stanley E. Thurston, Breen J.
Hamry, Konrad E. Braaten, Fred W. Richards, Ben T. Melugin, Harry L. Billings, Sam Butler,
Edwin R. Wakefield, Bernard Kempa, Frank E. Winkler, and Donald R. Schmit. In addition,
there are financial records, consisting of financial reports (1956-1984) of the
secretary-treasurer, local union dues payments (1960-1977), and other items. There are
scattered contracts of local unions including Billings, Great Falls, Bozeman, and Miles
City. There are convention minutes (1953-1984), including resolutions passed and convention
programs. Organizational records include constitutions and bylaws for the conference and for
the Billings and Butte local unions; delegate reports, and lists of local unions. There are
annual reports (1952-1956), reports of the secretary-treasurer (1966-1968), a report of the
president (1973?), and reports from local unions. Subject files include legislation, the
Montana Farmer-Labor Institute, the Montana Mechanical Clinic, the Montana United Labor
Council, and the Rocky Mountain Labor School. In addition there are miscellaneous other
materials including a history of the Montana Typographical Conference by Harry L. Billings,
writing contest entries, and brochures from a variety of organizations on a variety of
issues. There is a small subgroup of records of the International Typographical Union.
Included are convention proceedings (1956, 1961); printed material; and a subject file on a
proposed merger of ITU with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in 1984-1985.
Arranged by series.
Collection open for research.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical
Society Library & Archives. The Library & Archives does not necessarily hold
copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require
additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an
archivist.
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers.
Montana Historical Society Library & Archives. Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society
Library & Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics,
persons, or places should search under these terms.
Montana Typographical
Conference
Newspaper publishing
Printing
Trade-unions--Newspaper employees
Labor unions--Newspaper employees
Montana
Labor History
Publishers and
Publishing
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
Interoffice Correspondence
1 / 1
Montana Typographical Conference (correspondents
include Carl A. Steck, George Broeker, Tom Hawkins, Breen J. Hamry, Stanley E.
Thurston, Konrad E. Braaten)
1958-1959
1 / 2
Montana Typographical Conference (correspondents
include Tom Hawkins, Breen J. Hamry, Stanley E. Thurston, Konrad E. Braaten, Ben T.
Melugin, Fred W. Richards)
1960
1 / 3
Montana Typographical Conference (correspondents
include Ben T. Melugin, Fred W. Richards, Harry L. Billings, Wally Fournier, Sam
Butler, Robert G. Thomas, Leonard L. Barclay, Edwin R. Wakefield)
1961-1962
1 / 4
Montana Typographical Conference (correspondents
include Leonard L. Barclay, Edwin R. Wakefield, Stanley E. Thurston, Harry L.
Billings, Breen J. Hamry, Robert G. Thomas, Alfred N. Johnson, Bernard J. Kempa)
1963-1964
1 / 5
Montana Typographical Conference (correspondents
include Stanley E. Thurston, Breen J. Hamry, Bernard J. Kempa, Woodrow J. Wilson,
Frank E. Winkler, John Polston)
1965-1966
1 / 7
Montana Typographical Conference (correspondents
include Woodrow J. Wilson, Arvid Lundin, Ralph Ammondson, Donald R. Schmit, Peter J.
McKeon)
1969-1970
1 / 8
Montana Typographical Conference (correspondents
include Bernard Kempa, Eugene Fischer, Peter J. McKeon, John Eckenweiler, Dan Berg,
Floyd A. Severson)
1971-1980
1 / 9-13
Montana local typographical unions (includes Anaconda
#255, Billings #398, Bozeman #656, Butte #126, Great Falls #256, Havre #764, Helena
#95, Kalispell #723, Lewistown #550, Livingston #489, Miles City #631, Missoula #277)
1953-1973
2 / 1-3
Montana local typographical unions (includes Anaconda
#255, Billings #398, Bozeman #656, Butte #126, Great Falls #256, Havre #764, Helena
#95, Kalispell #723, Lewistown #550, Livingston #489, Miles City #631, Missoula #277)
1974-1984
2 / 4-5
International Typographical Union
1959-1984
General Correspondence
2 / 6-15
Montana State AFL-CIO (re organizing, training
programs, "right-to-work" legislation, sales tax, legislation, politics, etc.)
1959-1984
3 / 1-5
Chronological (correspondents include Montana state
agencies, printing companies, politicians, etc.)
1955-1984
Financial Records
3 / 6
Anaconda Company strike fund
1968
3 / 7
Audit Committee reports
1964-1965, undated
3 / 8
Bank records
1965-1966
3 / 9
Financial reports of Secretary-Treasurer [some years
missing]
1956-1984
3 / 10
Journal and check register
1959-1981
3 / 11
Local union dues payments
1960-1977
3 / 12
Miscellaneous (includes bills, receipts, etc.)
1960-1966
Legal Documents
3 / 13
Contracts: Billings Typographical Union #398 and
Billings Gazette; Great Falls Typographical Union #256 and Great Falls Tribune;
Bozeman Typographical Union #656 and Artcraft Printers; Miles City Typographical Union
#631 and Star Printing Company; blank sample contract
1964-1983
Minutes
3 / 14-21
Convention minutes, resolutions, programs
1953-1984, undated
Organizational Records
4 / 1
Constitutions and bylaws
1937, 1955-1982
4 / 2
Constitutions and bylaws: Billings Typographical
Union #398; Butte Typographical Union #126
1952, 1966
4 / 3
Delegate credentials
1959-1969, undated
4 / 4
Delegate reports (gives data on local unions)
1961
4 / 5
Local unions contract data
circa 1960-1969
4 / 6
Local union lists
undated
Reports
4 / 7
Annual reports
1952-1956
4 / 8
Delegates' reports on Montana Typographical
Conference conventions, seminars, etc.
1954-1963
4 / 9
Reports from local unions (also includes winning
entries in contest "My future in printing under ITU training")
1969
4 / 10
Report of president
circa 1973
4 / 11
Reports of secretary-treasurer
1966-1968, undated
Subject Files
4 / 12
Legislation
1959-1963, undated
4 / 13
Montana Farmer-Labor Institute
1961
4 / 14
Montana Mechanical Clinic (re training for new
technologies)
1958
4 / 15
Montana United Labor Council
1962
4 / 16
Rocky Mountain Labor School
1974
Miscellany
4 / 17
Advertisements for new printing equipment
circa 1961
4 / 18
Election returns for new Constitution and for
legislative candidates
1972
4 / 19
History of Montana Typographical Conference by Harry
Billings
1963
4 / 20
"History of the Union Label" (contest entries)
circa 1964
4 / 21
Legislators' voting record on key union issues
1971
4 / 22
Political campaign materials
1971-1972
4 / 23
"Right-to-Work" materials
1958-1966
4 / 24
Sales tax materials
circa 1961
4 / 25
Union advertisement contest entries
undated
4 / 26
Miscellaneous (includes advertisements, brochures,
blank stationery, Consumer Affairs Council membership certificate, press release,
International Typographical Union progressive party materials)
undated
Transfers to other programs
4 / 27
Convention photos transferred to Photo Archives; The
Typo Bulletin transferred to Library
1957; 1959-1970
Minutes
4 / 28-29
Convention proceedings
1956, 1961
Printed Material
4 / 30
The Bulletin
1956, 1961 1971-1972
4 / 31
Contract File [newsletter]
1961-1962
4 / 32
"Facts about the International Typographical Union"
1956
5 / 1
ITU Lessons in Printing : Trade Unionism [vol. 6]
1946
5 / 2
ITU Review
1961, 1964-1968
5 / 3
Minimum Wage Scale pamphlets
1947-1952
5 / 4
Official Directory of the International Typographical
Union (lists international officers, local union jurisdictions, officers of local
unions, conferences, local printing trades councils and state conferences)
1984
5 / 5
Wage Scales, Hours, and Working Conditions pamphlets
1953-1957
Subject Files
5 / 6
Proposed merger of International Typographical Union
with International Brotherhood of Teamsters
1984-1985