The fonds consists of records related to the Service, Office, and Retail Workers Union of Canada’s (SORWUC’s) local chapters 2 and 4 administrative activities, organizing endeavours and legal proceedings. Although the records are primarily related to the United Bank Works (UBW), local 2, and Bank and Finance Workers Union, local 4, many records are related to SORWUC’s national activities as a trade union. These activities include organization and certification of new bargaining units, filing unfair labour practices on behalf of union members, pamphleting and raising funds for the union as a whole, organizing strikes, and fighting court battles for the right to organize in new sectors, such as the banks. Additionally, SORWUC kept various reference materials on topics related to feminism and the rights of laborers. The fonds reflect these different organizational activities in three series: Legal, Organizing, and Administration.
The Legal series consists of records related to the union’s legal activities. These records include Unfair Labour Practice (ULP) charges filed against banks and heard by the Canadian Labour Relations Board (CLRB), applications for certification in the CLRB, notes, correspondence, news clippings, and legal briefs.
The Organizing series consists of material relating to the organizing activities of SORWUC, including correspondence, research, membership forms, sign-up sheets and information relating to bank branches seeking certification. Also included are contract proposals, organizing committee papers by branch, and minutes of negotiation meetings, press clippings and press releases.
The Administration series relates to the various administrative activities of SORWUC locals 2 and 4; including financial activities, research for court cases, as well as related issues to the union such as unemployment and racism; public relations documents including press releases; and minutes of meetings.
