As we observe Labor Day, we are reminded of the prominence that labor unions once had here in Albion, the industrial town. The Molder Statue Park (formerly the Cannon Park a century ago) gives tribute to Albion’s industrial workers.

In 1942 during World War II, the Albion Central Labor Union published a yearbook giving the histories of the various Albion unions that were part of the American Federation of Labor. The yearbook is 9 x 12 inch in size with an orange cover, and 28-pages long. It includes the individual histories of the unions at the Albion Malleable Iron Company, Union Steel Products, Lonergan Manufacturing Company, and the Gale Manufacturing Company. They all were on War production, and this yearbook gave support of its union members as part of the War effort.

As with the Union movement that swept the nation in the 1930s, it too was a struggle to organize unions in Albion. In Dr. James Curtis’ (100 years old this year) book “Memoirs of a Black Psychiatrist,” page 9, he mentions his older brother John by stating, “He led several attempts to organize a labor union in the [Albion] Malleable [Iron Company]. After failing to heed warnings from management to cease this outrage, he was fired and blacklisted, never to be rehired, and shortly thereafter relocated permanently to Detroit.” Although a union Charter was granted in September, 1937 for Local 413 of the International Molders’ and Foundry Workers’ Union of North America, it wasn’t until early 1941 that a Union shop contract was signed with the Malleable.

Albion’s unions banded together under the Albion Central Labor Union umbrella. In the yearbook, its secretary Joseph Hummel (1890-1963) states (page 1): The Albion Central Labor Union is the Central Body, representative of the various crafts affiliated with the American Federation of Labor, chartered in Albion. From a humble beginning, meeting on the lawns and in the homes of various members, it now is located in its own meeting hall, located at 109 ½ W. Porter St., third floor, Moose Building. It represents 2,500 members of organized labor, all residents of Albion and surrounding territory.”

Addressing the War, Hummel remarks: “We take pride in our achievement and challenge any group of men or women to match or excel our efforts in behalf of our beloved country in this War Emergency…The War today is Labor’s war. Labor will see it through to a successful conclusion and the Albion Central Labor Union will have an integral part in this movement by contributing its full share.”

We’ll try to feature the early histories of these Albion factory unions from this yearbook from time to time in this column in the future. From our Historical Notebook this week we present the cover of the Central Labor Union A. F. of L. local 1942-43 Yearbook for Albion-Marshall. How many of our readers have ever belonged to an Albion factory union?