Progress Slate (1 results)

New York: Allied Printing [ca. 1970s]. Broadside. 17 x 11 inches. Printer's bug, lower right. Illustrated from photographs. Fold lines; light wear; very good. An unrecorded broadside and a unique moment in labor advocacy for African Americans during a transformative era for New York City's public sector unions. Circa the early 1970s, this large election broadside promotes New York City's Unity & Progress Slate of Hospital Local 420, DC 37, AFSCME (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees), AFL-CIO. Led by James Butler, the slate called for increased union participation, worker organization, and scholarship funds. Butler, along with Bertram Bolt, Harry Bridges, and Florence Haywoodall African-American leadersrepresented a predominantly African-American healthcare workforce. Butler was a key organizer: ""In 1972 James Butler was elected president of Local 420, and immediately took on the battle for better pay, benefits and educational opportunities, and against privatization and hospital closings. Butler led the Local through the trying times of citywide fiscal crisis in the mid-1970s and on to a period of greatly increased membership (reaching an estimated total of 14,000 in the early 1990s) and influence. He raised the public profile of the Local through rallies, marches, involvement in community affairs and a firm commitment to national, and even international, campaigns for civil rights and human rights." (Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives)" As seen here, the Unity & Progress Slate promised significant contributions to enhance economic and educational opportunities for its members. Its platform centered on member engagement, better communication, improved workplace conditions, and union growth. Key proposals included scholarships, wage increases, and practical benefits such as uniform allowances and shift differentials. A focus on technician licensing and professional development further demonstrated the union's commitment to advancing workers' careers. Even a local 420 softball team was to be formed. The broadside's call to "organize the unorganized" and make "every worker a union member" reflects a strong push for inclusivity and equity, reinforcing the union's mission to expand and strengthen its membership.