Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America, AFL-CIO Local 566

Founded in 1896, under instruction of the American Federation of Labor as an organization for the butcher workmen of America with its headquarters in Chicago, Ill. During post World War II, under the leadership of Secretary-Treasurer Patrick Gorman, the union grew steadily. In 1951 the union merged with the United Leather Workers International Union, in 1955 with the Stockyard Association of America and the International Fur and Leather Workers Union of the United States and Canada, and in 1960 with the National Agricultural Workers Union. In 1979 it merged with The Retail Clerks International Association and formed the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.

In the Peoria local, George F. Blumenshine served as Secretary Treasurer during 1940’s, 1950’s and early 1960’s.

Includes auditor’s reports, correspondence, employee separation reports, grievances, IRS reports, job descriptions, minutes of meetings, and monthly and quarterly reports. Correspondence from Patrick Gorman, correspondence to and from George Blumenshine covers union issues, contract issues, strikes, changes in policy, problems with plants, and grievance issues. Job descriptions give step by step directions of how each job is to be performed and the amount of time allotted to perform each step. Grievances are sometimes hand written descriptions by the person reporting the grievance. The records are divided into two files, the administrative file and the job description file.