Gelman Library Opens International Brotherhood of Teamsters Labor History Research Center

WASHINGTON -- The George Washington University announced today that the archives of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) will be permanently housed within the University’s Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library’s Special Collections Research Center. GW President Steven Knapp and IBT President James P. Hoffa, christened the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Labor History Research Center today with a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony introducing the center’s inaugural exhibit, “Teamsters Pride is Union Pride: Identity, Community and Solidarity.”

"The George Washington University is honored to house this remarkable archive of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters," GW President Steven Knapp said. "This collection will serve as an invaluable resource for our students and faculty as well as for scholars from around the world."

In 2007, IBT contributed $2 million to the George Washington University to establish an exhibition of its archives to enhance research on 20th century U.S. relations. Due to GW’s partnership with the organization, rare historical papers, letters and photographs documenting the rise of America’s middle class are available and open to the public for the first time.

“With the establishment of this labor research center, the Teamsters Union will be able to share its history and heritage with future generations,” said IBT General President James P. Hoffa. “These archives serve as a record of the monumental struggle working families endured to secure the labor rights we all enjoy today.”

The archives include presidential papers from James R. Hoffa and James P. Hoffa, autographed political cartoons from the early 20th century and several hundred photographs and memos from the labor and civil rights movements, such as a photo of Jimmy Hoffa with Martin Luther King, Jr., and telegrams from President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The archives also contain a wire recorder, circa 1930s, believed to be one of the few remaining in the world.

The Teamsters archives, which date back to the early 1900s, are under the care of the Special Collections Research Center of Gelman Library on permanent loan. The Teamsters archive will be among the nation's preeminent collections of primary labor movement documents.

The Teamsters Union was established in 1903 and represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Gelman Library's Special Collections Research Center collects, preserves and makes accessible primary resources and rare materials to researchers within and outside of the GW community. It will begin a collection of valuable materials from all aspects of U.S. labor history that will benefit labor studies in history, law, political science, business, and other academic disciplines to support the Union collections. GW plans to collect primary documents, photographs, and recordings from other labor groups. In growing its U.S. labor special collection, the university will remain intellectually neutral, providing researchers with a wealth of information previously unavailable to the public.