Aaron M. Frank address to Meier and Frank employees

Collection

Identifier: SR294

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This speech was delivered by Aaron M. Frank on March 24, 1949, at the Meier & Frank Department Store in Portland, Oregon. In this speech, Frank urges the assembled store employees to resist union organizing efforts. He enumerates the benefits provided to employees by Meier & Frank, gives examples of management and employee loyalty, lists his responsibilities as director, and makes a plea for an employee vote of confidence. The employees ultimately voted against unionization.

Dates

1949 March 24

Creator

Frank, Aaron M. (Aaron Meier), 1891-1968 (Speaker, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.

Biographical note

Aaron Meier Frank was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1891. He graduated from the University of Oregon law school in 1913 and was admitted to the Oregon State Bar that same year. A member of Portland’s prominent Meier and Frank families, Frank soon became involved in the family store, Meier & Frank. In 1916, he and Ruth R. Rosenfeld were married; they later had two children. Frank became assistant manager of the Meier & Frank Department Store in 1922. In 1930, after Meier & Frank President Julius Meier was elected Oregon governor, Frank became the company’s vice president and general manager. After Julius Meier’s death in 1938, Frank became president of the store, a position he held until his retirement in 1964. He died in 1968.

Extent

.1 Cubic Feet (1 audiotape reel (28 min., 20 sec.) + transcript (11 pages)) : 7 in.; 7.5 ips

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Speech delivered by Aaron M. Frank on March 24, 1949, to the employees of the Meier & Frank Department Store in Portland, Oregon. In the speech, Frank, the president of the store, urges employees to resist efforts to organize a union.