Arrangement
The collection is organized into six series: (1) Administrative Files, (2) Contracts and Agreements, (3) Grievances and Arbitrations, (4) Publications, Job Guides, and Forms, (5) Finances, and (6) Ephemera. Under Series 1, Administration Files, there are several subseries: (A) Constitution and By-laws, (B) Minutes and Meetings, ( C ) Membership, and (D) Correspondence. Material is generally organized chronologically. Grievances and Arbitration are arranged by grievance number and date within grievance. Employee notices are arranged by type and chronologically within type.
Administrative/Biographical History
Local 704 of the United Rubber Workers started around 1963 in the Richardson Company only a few years after the plant opened. The plant created "high-pressured laminated plastic sheets, rods, tubes and fabricated parts and did custom molding." These products were used in a variety of electronic and mechanical devices. Local 704 was a part of District 4 of the International United Rubber Workers, and was an active organization that negotiated several contracts, conducted strikes, and arbitrated numerous grievances representing their fellow workers. Between 1971 and 1973, the Richardson Company was acquired by the Spaulding Company and the DeKalb plant was renamed to Spaulding Fibre Company, and later Spaulding Composites. In 1993, the Spaulding Company filed for bankruptcy and Local 704 represented the workers’ interest within the bankruptcy proceedings. Local 704 eventually came under the United Steelworkers of America in 1995 when the national United Rubber, Cork, Linoleum, and Plastic Workers of America decided to merge with the larger union. It was at some after coming under the United Steelworkers of America that Local 704 disbanded.
