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Peter Radcliff American Federation of Teachers Local 1352 collection

 Collection
Identifier: larc-ms-0037

Scope and Contents

The personal papers of Peter Radcliff have been arranged in chronological order. Types of material within the collection include personal correspondence, AFT College Council publications, AFT local publications, San Francisco and San Jose State Strike material circa 1968-1969 and documents from the UPC local at San Francisco State. UPC material includes memos, publications, election information and executive committee minutes and agendas.

The earliest articles contained in the collection are 1959 AFT testimony on the need for collective bargaining and information from the same time period on the Academic Senate - the then major organ of communication between faculty, Chancellor and Trustees. Other early material traces the start up of the AFT Collective Bargaining Drive at San Francisco State campus. The most current documents concern the UPC in 1984 after the loss of the election to determine the choice of bargaining agent to represent CSU campuses. The bulk of the collection covers the years 1965 to 1984.

Researchers may find this collection of particular interest because it chronicles an individual's participation in the labor movement over the course of a twenty year period and as such may provide some understanding as to the attraction of collective bargaining and organized labor for formerly 'labor resistant' "white collar" groups such as academics. The material on the San Francisco and San Jose Strikes is also likely to be of interest to any researcher of the labor movement of the 1960's and 1970's. Further material on the State strikes may be found in the Labor Archives collections for Tim Sampson, Arthur K. Bierman and the UPC. The J. Paul Leonard Library also maintains a collection on the strike, including issues of the student published Gater and Open Process from that time period.

Arrangement of the collection has been chronological with the exception of a series of publications and information about UPC rivals which has been put at the end of this collection. Other groupings within the chronological format include a section on the AFT Collective Bargaining Drive of 1966, The San Francisco and San Jose Strike series, and information on the UPC which is arranged in folders for the years 1970-1984. Two relocation forms have been placed in box no.2 describing items removed to other locations within the Archives. AFT "E Pluribus Union" buttons are now housed in the LARC button collection. Oversize materials, which include issues of the San Francisco State College Strike Daily (1968), hand lettered strike signs and various UPC posters have been placed in the LARC oversize collection. Duplicate materials within the collection have not been preserved.

Dates

  • 1959 - 1984
  • Majority of material found within 1965 - 1970

History of the American Federation of Teachers Local 1352

This collection was initially donated to serve as an adjunct to a larger collection at the Labor Archives - that of the United Professors of California (UPC). Much of the early material in this collection deals with the UPC predecessor, the AFT College Council and its activities on CSU campuses during the years 1959-1970. San Francisco State campus became the first AFT local in the State College system in 1959. The material donated by Peter Radcliff reflects in particular the course of labor organization at the San Francisco campus. Early records within this collection include documents concerning the AFT Collective Bargaining Drive begun in the mid 60s and substantial material on the AFT Teachers Strike at San Francisco State in 1968-1969. In 1970 the AFT College Council merged with another labor organization, the Association of California State College Professors (ACSCP) to form the United Professors of California (UPC). Peter Radcliff, President of the former AFT local in 1967-1968 remained active in the new organization and provides in this collection auxiliary information on the UPC San Francisco State local from 1970-1984 as well as some information on UPC statewide activities for the same time period.

The largest section within the collection are the 22 folders on the San Francisco and San Jose State strikes of 1968-1969. The San Francisco State Strike, which began as a minority student protest, quickly expanded to include non-student groups such as the AFT local. Issues such as threatened civil rights and academic freedom insured the eventual inclusion of teachers in the campuswide strike. The San Francisco AFT local carried on a two month strike which was to be the longest teacher's strike in the history of California to that date. The San Francisco State Strike received considerable national coverage and engendered a storm of debate concerning the role of colleges and the rights of students and instructors. The collection provides excellent primary material on Black Student Union and Third World Liberation Front Activity, AFT and other labor involvement in the strike, outside newspaper coverage and public response to the events at San Francisco State. Other sources of information on the San Francisco State Strike will be mentioned in the Scope and Content section.

Extent

3.75 Cubic Feet ( (3 cartons))

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Contents of the collection are primarily records, publications and documents reflecting the course of labor organization amongst academic staff of the California State University (CSU) system in the years 1959-1984.

Location

Vault:03:07:C-D

Aquisition

This collection was donated in October of 1985 by Peter E. Radcliff, an instructor of Philosophy at San Francisco State University from 1963 on and former AFT/UPC member.

Processing Information

Processed with Guide

Status
Under Revision
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Labor Archives and Research Center Repository

Contact:
San Francisco State University
J. Paul Leonard Library, Room 460
1630 Holloway Ave
San Francisco 94132-1722 USA
(415) 405-5571