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In transportation, President Eisenhower was a key supporter of the Interstate Highway System. One of the most ambitious road building projects in history, the Interstate System was passed into law with the signing of the Highway Act of 1956. Another of Eisenhower’s pet projects was the St. Lawrence Seaway, which opened in 1959 and allowed ocean-going ships to sail from the U.S. and Canadian heartland to the Atlantic. 1952 also brought new leadership to both the AFL and the CIO. AFL Secretary-Treasurer George Meany became president of the federation following the death of William Green. And United Auto Workers President Walter Reuther took over as president of the CIO after the death of Philip Murray. Presidents Green and Murray died 11 days apart. Unlike their predecessors, Meany and Reuther believed in presenting a united front to organized labor. The Taft-Hartley Act and allegations of communist sympathies were hurting the divided labor movement, and the AFL and CIO were finding more benefits in cooperation than in fighting. In 1954 the two organizations signed a pact barring one from raiding members from the other. And the next year the AFL and the CIO joined forces completely. The IBEW announced the AFL-CIO merger by saying in a February 1955 Journal editorial, “The greatest piece of news which could be brought to our people this month is the story of the end of the civil war in the house of labor.” International President Tracy was instrumental in bringing the AFL and the CIO together. He served on the committee which investigated the feasibility of merging. In its report, the committee “proudly and unanimously submitted and recommended... organic labor unity.” It said a joining of the AFL and the CIO would “contribute to the strength and effectiveness of the trade union movement and to the economic well-being of working-men and -women throughout the land.” Shortly after his work on the Joint AFL-CIO Unity Committee was finished, President Tracy tendered his resignation from the IBEW. In his letter to the International Executive Council, Brother Tracy said, “After 43 years of labor in the cause of our Brotherhood—34 of those years as a member of the International staff—including more than 14 years as International President, I feel the time has come for me to announce my decision to seek retirement.” As his successor, the IEC chose International Secretary J. Scott Milne. The year following his selection as president, Brother Milne received a standing ovation as he was elected International President by the then-world’s-largest labor convention in history. The 25th IBEW International Convention met in Chicago in 1954 and celebrated the successes of the Brotherhood. Many speakers also noted the 75th anniversary of the invention of the light bulb. Joseph Keenan, from Local 134, Chicago, was elected International Secretary and W.A. Hogan was reelected International Treasurer. As impressive as the size of the Convention was—about 5,000 delegates attended—it was clears future Conventions would have to be smaller. Few cities at the time had adequate hotel meeting hall space to accommodate such a large group. And the expense of hosting massive Conventions every two years was taking its toll on the International. It took several years to debate; but a new plan for local union representation at International Conventions was adopted, lowering the number of delegates. And it was agreed after the 26th International Convention in Cleveland in 1958 that Conventions would take place only once every four years. The IBEW continued to grow and change through the second hall of the ‘50s. Two large, independent telephone locals joined the Brotherhood-first, the Telephone Workers of New Jersey and five mouths later the Pennsylvania Telephone Union. The group from Pennsylvania, which became Local 1944, Philadelphia, was at the time the largest single group of telephone workers to ever join the Brotherhood. The IBEW was expanding aggressively into the growing field of television broadcasting. The manufacturing sector was attracting new membership. And the I.O., a block north of the current headquarters, got a facelift with renovation work to the building’s exterior. In the space of four months in 1955, the Brotherhood lost two leaders, International President Emeritus Daniel W. Tracy and International President J. Scott Milne. “We shall miss Dan Tracy—miss his wise counsel and his friendship. We shall not soon see his like again,” read part of an editorial in the March 1955 Journal. Only four months later the Brotherhood was saddened once again. The August ‘55 Journal began its tribute to Brother Milne, “On July 25, 1955, J. Scott Milne, International President of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, was laid to rest in Washington, D.C. And grown men bowed their heads and let their seats fall, unashamed... They knew, the thousands who gathered to pay him a last tribute, what they tad lost—a great leader, a strong champion, a loyal friend.” The IEC voted to select International Vice President Gordon M. Freeman as International President. The Korean War which had ended in 1953 in an uneasy peace was giving way to another Southeast Asian conflict—in Vietnam—as the 1950s came to an end. Tensions between Cuba and the United States were at a peak, the Soviet Union test-detonated an atomic weapon, and the Cold War was entering its second decade. But in 1960 America found its champion. No foe, foreign or domestic, could stand in its way. With the election of President John F. Kennedy, the realm of possibilities for America seemed endless. His vision captured the nation. He breathed life into domestic social programs and brought hope to working people throughout North America. He promised America would bring back part of the moon, and the world believed him.
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