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Newspaper Trainman News (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1947-1968

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About Trainman News (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1947-1968

This weekly, eight-page newspaper functioned as the official publication of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (BRT) from 1947 to 1968. Founded in 1883, the BRT was a labor union and fraternal organization that advocated for members’ rights and compensation. By 1968, it had grown into the largest train workers’ union in North America. On January 1, 1969, the BRT merged with three other railway unions to form the United Transportation Union (UTU), which later combined with a sheet metal union in 2014 to form the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART).

Though initially published in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Trainman News began printing out of Cleveland, Ohio, in May 1949. With hundreds of thousands of BRT members across the United States and Canada, it was widely circulated, and each issue prominently advertised that it was “Read Every Week By Over 500,000.” As the News was the organ of the BRT, its editors felt obliged to “speak . . . the truth that represents the views of the working people.” Its coverage spanned a range of topics related to the BRT, organized labor, railroads, and transportation. Issues also carried brief stories commemorating things like long-time membership anniversaries and brothers’ deaths. Unlike other newspapers, the Trainman News carried very few if any advertisements; its content was news articles, photographs, and political cartoons. Special features included a column titled “Ladies Auxiliary Jottings.” Beginning in 1951, it appeared regularly with news and updates from the Ladies’ Auxiliary, the Brotherhood’s sister organization committed to supporting, connecting, and encouraging the BRT. Additionally, because the BRT had members in Canada as well as the United States, the Trainman News covered events from both sides of the border, and many issues featured a “News from Canada” section. While most Canadian coverage was in English, articles in French were occasionally included for Québécois readers.

Politically, the Trainman News supported the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and opposed pro-business Republicans. In 1947, the same year the News debuted, Congress passed the union-weakening Taft-Hartley Act. President Truman committed to repealing it, and the BRT in turn committed to supporting his liberal policy agenda. Despite this, their relationship with Truman was not always harmonious. In August 1950, an ongoing labor dispute between the BRT (along with two other unions) and the railroad companies threatened to paralyze the United States’ transportation network just as the country was entering the Korean War. Unable to successfully mediate, Truman avoided crisis by placing the railways under temporary Army jurisdiction. The dispute dragged on for nearly two years as the unions refused the federal government’s recommended compromises, Truman grew frustrated with the unions, and an editorial in the Trainman News on February 19, 1951, censured him for sidelining labor interests and protecting big business.

When the BRT merged into the UTU, the Trainman News ended, and its final issue was published in late December of 1968. It was succeeded by the UTU Transportation News, a publication that, along with its own successors, evolved into a newsletter by the year 2000.

Provided By: Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH

About this Newspaper

Title

  • Trainman News (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1947-1968

Names

  • Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen

Dates of Publication

  • 1947-1968

Created / Published

  • Indianapolis, Ind. : Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, 1947-

Headings

  • -  Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen--Periodicals
  • -  Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen
  • -  Railroads--United States--Newspapers
  • -  Railroads--United States--Employees--Newspapers
  • -  Cleveland (Ohio)--Newspapers
  • -  Indianapolis (Ind.)--Newspapers
  • -  Railroads--Employees
  • -  Railroads
  • -  United States
  • -  Indiana--Indianapolis
  • -  Ohio--Cleveland
  • -  United States--Ohio--Cuyahoga--Cleveland
  • -  United States--Indiana--Marion--Indianapolis

Genre

  • Periodicals
  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Vol. 1, no. 1 (Jan. 30, 1947)-
  • -  Ceased Dec. 21, 1968.
  • -  Published: Cleveland, Ohio, May 9, 1949-1968.
  • -  Previously classed as a periodical in LC.
  • -  Available on microfilm from the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
  • -  Official publication Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen.
  • -  Latest issue consulted: Vol. 7, no. 53 (Dec. 28, 1953).
  • -  UTU transportation news 0041-5618 (DLC) 78002297 (OCoLC)2268927

Medium

  • volumes

Call Number/Physical Location

  • HD6515.R45 B68

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 56022775

OCLC Number

  • 2268657

ISSN Number

  • 2771-0912

Succeeding Titles

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Trainman News Indianapolis, Ind. -1968. (Cleveland, OH), Jan. 1 1947. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/56022775/.

APA citation style:

(1947, January 1) Trainman News Indianapolis, Ind. -1968. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/56022775/.

MLA citation style:

Trainman News Indianapolis, Ind. -1968. (Cleveland, OH) 1 Jan. 1947. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, aj.sunback.homes/item/56022775/.