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Guide to the American Postal Workers Union, La Crosse (Wis.) Auxiliary Records, 1933-2009
MSS 134
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Abstract
- Records of the American Postal Workers Union (La Crosse, Wis.) Auxiliary include an interesting look into how women traditionally helped support their spouses and the well being of their families through organizing a group of their own. Local chapter activities included meetings, the election of officers, state convention attendance and planning, and lobbying efforts as well as social gatherings. The La Crosse Area Local 360 auxiliary formed in 1933 and disbanded in 1997, however the heaviest involvement occurred between 1952 and 1986. As more women joined the workforce, fewer were able to participate in the auxiliary. Also, more women postal workers were hired and their spouses had little interest in participating in an auxiliary. Because of an exceptional woman, Elsie Kotnour, the local materials contain a good representation of the state and national activities of the auxiliary. She became a state officer for many years and was active in participating in not only state conventions but national conventions as well. Mrs. Kotnour's correspondence, reports and speeches survive and are contained in the State series. The National series includes written history, constitutions and by-laws, clippings, conventions, general correspondence, and publications. The State series mirrors the same materials as the national but were created by the state level group. The Local series includes all of these types of materials but were created by the local group and also include congressional correspondence, financial information, meeting minutes, membership lists, and scrapbooks.
- Collection Title
- American Postal Workers Union, La Crosse (Wis.) Auxiliary Records
- Date of Materials
- 1933-2009
- Creator
- American Postal Workers Union. La Crosse (Wis.). Auxiliary.
- Creator
- Kotnour, Elsie, 1917-2007
- Call Number
- MSS 134
- Amount
- 3.0 cubic feet
- Physical Description
- 6 archives boxes and 1 cubic foot box
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- La Crosse Public Library Archives
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], American Postal Workers Union, La Crosse (Wis.) Auxiliary Records, MSS 134, La Crosse Public Library Archives, La Crosse, WI
Historical Note
The American Postal Workers Union Auxiliary was a national group that formed in 1917. It started as the wives and daughters of unionized American postal workers. The purpose of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), associated with the AFL-CIO, is to protect the jobs and benefits of postal workers. However, it is illegal for postal workers to strike and partake in most political activities, which led to the creation of the auxiliary.
The women that were in this auxiliary participated in political activities to work for the protection of the jobs and benefits of the postal workers. Mostly, these activities included letter writing campaigns for U.S. Senators and House Representatives, other elected officials, and the media. They opposed legislation changes that led to job losses (e.g. ZIP codes, automation, and privatization), as well as the Hatch Act, which prohibits government employees from participating in most political activities. The auxiliary supported legislation changes that led to pay raises and added work benefits. The auxiliaries also educated the public on what the postal service did for such low costs and why sending mail was the most cost-effective form of communication. They also raised money though events for outside charitable causes.
The La Crosse Area Local 360 auxiliary formed in 1933 and disbanded in 1997, however the heaviest involvement occurred between 1952 and 1986. As more women joined the workforce, fewer were able to participate in the auxiliary. Also, more women postal workers were hired and their spouses had little interest in participating in an auxiliary.
Local 360 went to numerous State and National Conventions from 1950-1996. One La Crosse woman, Elsie Kotnour, was the Wisconsin State Auxiliary President for many years, making the La Crosse local auxiliary a very involved group. She corresponded with many other state and national auxiliary and APWU members, as well as led many writing campaigns to elected officials.
Scope and Contents
The National series includes written history, constitutions and by-laws, clippings, conventions, general correspondence, and publications. The State series mirrors the same materials as the national but were created by the state level group. Noteworthy here is the correspondence, reports and speeches of Elsie Kotnour, a long time state officer from the La Crosse Chapter. The Local series includes all of these types of materials but were created by the local group and also include congressional correspondence, financial information, meeting minutes, membership lists, and scrapbooks.
Arrangement
Materials are arranged in three series to reflect the level of the creating agency within the broader auxiliary organization: National, State, and Local. In each of these three series materials are generally arranged alphabetically by topic with a few exceptions.
Administrative Information
Publication Information
La Crosse Public Library Archives 2015 August
800 Main St.La Crosse, Wisconsin, 54601
(608) 789-7136
archives@lacrosselibrary.org
Access to Materials
Materials in this collection are available for patron use.
Acquisitions Information
Donated by Nancy Kotnour, May 2011 (Accession no. 2001.044)
Processing Information
Processed by Jennifer DeRocher, intern, August 2015
Related Materials
Separated Materials
State publications, convention materials, Wisconsin travel ephemera, and some materials related to the state auxiliary group were transferred to the Wisconsin Historical Society without restrictions.
Controlled Access Headings
Personal Name(s)
- Kotnour, Nancy
Subject(s)
- Labor unions--Wisconsin--La Crosse
- Postal service--Employee--Labor unions--Wisconsin--La Crosse
- Women--Political activity--Wisconsin--La Crosse
- Women--Wisconsin--La Crosse
Collection Inventory
National |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Written Histories |
1 | 1 | ||
|
Constitutions and By-Laws 1917-1996 |
1 | 2 | ||
|
Clippings |
1 | 3 | ||
|
Conventions 1952-1977 |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
St. Paul, Minnesota 1952 |
5 | 1 | ||
|
St. Louis, Missouri 1960 |
5 | 2 | ||
|
Portland, Oregon 1962 |
5 | 3 | ||
|
Miami, Florida 1964 |
5 | 4 | ||
|
Minneapolis, Minnesota 1968 |
5 | 5 | ||
|
Los Angeles, California 1970 |
5 | 6 | ||
|
Miami, Florida 1974 |
5 | 7 | ||
|
Miami, Florida 1974 |
5 | 8 | ||
|
New Orleans, Louisiana 1977 |
5 | 9 | ||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
General Correspondence and Handouts |
1 | 4 | ||
|
Membership Lists |
1 | 5 | ||
|
Procedures |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Meeting Outlines |
1 | 6 | ||
|
Publications 1966-2004 |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
"Auxiliary News and Views" 1966-1984 |
1 | 7 | ||
|
"Auxiliary News and Views" 1985-2004 |
1 | 8 | ||
|
|
||||
State |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Constitutions and By-Laws 1974-1984 |
1 | 9 | ||
|
Clippings |
1 | 10 | ||
|
Conventions 1950-1996 |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Milwaukee, WI 1950 |
5 | 10 | ||
|
Madison, WI 1952 |
5 | 11 | ||
|
La Crosse, WI 1958 |
5 | 12 | ||
|
Lake Dalton, WI 1960 |
5 | 13 | ||
|
Prescott, WI 1962 |
5 | 14 | ||
|
Racine, WI 1964 |
5 | 15 | ||
|
Sheboygan, WI 1966 |
5 | 16 | ||
|
Madison, WI 1968 |
5 | 17 | ||
|
Wausau, WI 1970 |
5 | 18 | ||
|
Eau Claire, WI 1972 |
5 | 19 | ||
|
Green Bay, WI 1974 |
6 | 1 | ||
|
La Crosse, WI 1976 |
6 | 2 | ||
|
Madison, WI 1977 |
6 | 3 | ||
|
Milwaukee, WI 1978 |
6 | 4 | ||
|
Madison, WI 1980 |
6 | 5 | ||
|
Wausau, WI 1982 |
6 | 6 | ||
|
Oshkosh, WI 1984 |
6 | 7 | ||
|
Milwaukee, WI 1986 |
6 | 8 | ||
|
Appleton, WI 1996 |
6 | 9 | ||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Membership Lists 1965-1994 |
1 | 11 | ||
|
Officers |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Elsie Kotnour - Correspondence 1954-1971 |
1 | 12 | ||
|
Elsie Kotnour - Correspondence 1972-2005 |
2 | 1 | ||
|
Elsie Kotnour - Reports |
2 | 2 | ||
|
Elsie Kotnour - Speeches |
2 | 3 | ||
|
Doris Brand - Correspondence |
2 | 4 | ||
|
Procedures |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Meeting Outlines |
2 | 5 | ||
|
Publications 1961-2001 |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
"Badger Bullitin" 1961-1983 |
2 | 6 | ||
|
"Badger Bullitin" 1984-1988 |
2 | 7 | ||
|
"Badger Bullitin" 1989-2001 |
2 | 8 | ||
|
|
||||
Local |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Written Histories |
2 | 9 | ||
|
Constitutions and By-Laws 1958-1995 |
2 | 10 | ||
|
Articles Written for Publicity |
2 | 11 | ||
|
Clippings |
2 | 12 | ||
|
Congressional Correspondence 1957-1991 |
2 | 13 | ||
|
District Meetings 1959-1971 |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Clear Lake, WI 1959 |
2 | 14 | ||
|
La Crosse, WI 1961 |
2 | 15 | ||
|
La Crosse, WI 1971 |
2 | 16 | ||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Ephemera |
4 | 6 | ||
|
Financial 1956-1996 |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Reports 1957-1973 |
3 | 1 | ||
|
Reports 1974-1990 |
3 | 2 | ||
|
Reports 1991-1996 |
3 | 3 | ||
|
Records 1956-1960 |
3 | 4 | ||
|
Records 1967-1982 |
3 | 5 | ||
|
Tax Information |
3 | 6 | ||
|
Treasurer's Records 1957-1996 |
3 | 7 | ||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Meeting Minutes 1958-1998 |
3 | 8 | ||
|
Membership Lists 1962-1993 |
4 | 1 | ||
|
Procedures |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Installations |
4 | 2 | ||
|
Meeting Outlines |
4 | 3 | ||
|
Memorial Services |
4 | 4 | ||
|
Publications 1991-1999 |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
"The Agitator" 1991-1999 |
4 | 5 | ||
|
Scrapbooks 1933-2007 |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Scrapbook 1933-1952 |
4 | 7 | ||
| Box | ||||
|
Scrapbooks 1952-2007 |
7 | |||
|
|
||||