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Arthur K. Bierman papers

 Collection
Identifier: larc-ms-0108

Scope and Contents of Collection

The Arthur K. Bierman Papers consist of the papers of San Francisco State University Professor Arthur K. Bierman for the years 1957 through 1984. The collection documents Bierman's early organizing for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), his involvement in the 1968-1969 strike at San Francisco State College, his work to abolish the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC), and his other efforts to defend civil liberties.

The bulk of the collection documents the organizing of San Francisco State College Federation of Teachers, Local 1352, and Bierman's organizing activity on the AFT State College Council. Additional materials in the collection pertain to the United Professors of California (UPC), the newly formed organization that was founded in 1970 as the result of an alliance between the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the Association of California State College Professors (ACSCP) and of which Bierman served as one of the first presidents.

Series 1, Civil Liberties Campaigns, documents Bierman's campaigns against the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), and is comprised of the records of an organization called San Franciscans for Academic Freedom in Education (SAFE), including correspondence, fund raising actions, bank statements, mailing lists, and a survey made of subpoenaed teachers. Also included in this series are correspondence, drafts of articles and reports, and other materials related to Bierman's activities with anti-HUAC groups, as well as printed materials from these groups. There are two additional folders on films: HUAC's "Operation Abolition," and a proposed video series for PBS titled "The Vocal Generation" (not produced). Additional materials in this series pertain to other civil liberties campaigns from the early 1960s, in which Bierman participated concurrently with his anti-HUAC activities.

Series 2, American Federation of Teachers, includes Bierman's papers on union organizing on California State University campuses. The papers document issues of collective bargaining and organizing, studies on teachers' salaries, and academic freedom. The focus of the series is on the organizing of Local 1352, the San Francisco State College Chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, of which Bierman was college council member. Additional material reflects organizing activity throughout the state college system. It includes a draft constitution, correspondence, circular letters, and membership and faculty lists. There is also printed material and publications generated by the California Federation of Teachers and two files of newspaper clippings.

Series 3, United Professors of California (UPC), pertains to the newly formed organization that was founded in 1970 as the result of an alliance between the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the Association of California State College Professors (ACSCP) and of which Bierman served as one of the first presidents. The series presents a number of UPC union activities from 1970 to 1984. Both basic academic concerns for this period and a wider union-oriented perspective emerge from these files. Grievance cases related to promotion and retention, matters of tenure, of academic freedom, of legal counsel services and of affirmative action and discrimination reveal the newly discovered support for a more labor-oriented approach within the academic community. Additional materials include correspondence on the San Francisco State College strike, documents on the Constitutional convention, on the California State University budget, on political activity, and on the organizing of San Francisco State College Federation of Teachers, Local 1352.

Series 4, Newspaper Clippings, contains articles from local newspapers on the 1968-1969 San Francisco State College strike of which Bierman was one of the faculty leaders.

Dates

  • 1957-1984

Availability

Collection is open for research.

Restrictions

Some materials are in the public domain; transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Biographical Notes of Arthur K. Bierman

Arthur K. Bierman was professor in the philosophy department at San Francisco State College, where he also became a leader in the faculty strike of 1969. He was a political activist on a variety of levels and author of numerous books on philosophy.

In 1959, 140 California teachers were subpoenaed by House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC). Though this hearing was later postponed and ultimately canceled, Bierman was instrumental in forming a group called San Franciscans for Academic Freedom and Education (SAFE) to protect the civil rights of the subpoenaed teachers. The following year, in May 1960, HUAC again focused on California and held hearings at San Francisco City Hall which provoked mass opposition from students, teachers and other groups who demonstrated at City Hall. The Committee limited attendance at the hearings by issuing passes; on the second day, the demonstrators were attacked with water hoses and the resulting riot was a dramatic beginning of the 1960s, a forerunner of the student "Free Speech" movement and the anti-Vietnam War protests which followed. Bierman collected material reflecting the acceleration of opposition to HUAC following the 1960 City Hall riots with the goal of abolishing HUAC. His participation is recorded as a member of many different groups, and his name appears on public petitions. There are also papers from other campaigns for civil liberties from the early 1960s: Californians Against State Executions (1960-1961); an ad opposing Richard Nixon's campaign for California governor (1962); support to Pacifica Foundation (KPFA), an investigative target of the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee (1963), and support to victims given harsh sentences in the San Francisco sit-in trials (1964).

Bierman's papers on union organizing on California State University campuses include the major issues of collective bargaining for teachers, the organizing of state college professors, studies on teachers' salaries, and academic freedom. The focus of the collection is the organizing of San Francisco State College Federation of Teachers, Local 1352. There is additional material from the AFT State College Council which reflects organizing activity throughout the state college system during that time.

Extent

4.45 Cubic Feet (12 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Arthur K. Bierman Papers consist of the papers of San Francisco State University Professor Arthur K. Bierman for the years 1957 through 1984. The collection documents Bierman's early organizing for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), his involvement in the 1968-1969 strike at San Francisco State College, his work to abolish the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC), and his other efforts to defend civil liberties.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into four series: Series 1: Civil Liberties Campaigns; Series 2: American Federation of Teachers (AFT); Series 3: United Professors of California (UPC); and Series 4: Newspaper Clippings.

Location

Vault 08:08:F-G

Acquisition

Arthur K. Bierman donated this collection to the Labor Archives and Research Center in 1986 (accesion number 1986/002) and 1991 (accession number 1991/026); additions to the collection were made in 2022, following Bierman's death.

Related Collections

The Archive also has an oral history interview with Arthur K. Bierman on the San Francisco State College Faculty Strike conducted by Peter Carroll, 1992.

Separated Materials

The following title was transferred to the book collection of the Labor Archives and Research Center: President's Commission On Campus Unrest. The Report of the President's Commission on Campus Unrest. Washington: GPO, 1970.

Processing Information

Processed by Labor Archives and Research Center staff; reprocessed by Luca Facchin in 2023 to incorporate larc.ms.0036 and a donation of newspaper clippings.

Title
Finding Aid to the Arthur K. Bierman Papers
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid created by Luca Facchin.
Date
2023
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
This finding aid is written in English.

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