https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/0583849c-f65a-4efe-a809-77b2af4d8e57 Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCddem5RlB3bQe99wyY49g0g/join Want to learn more about Periscope Film and get access to exclusive swag? Join us on Patreon. Visit https://www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Visit our website www.PeriscopeFilm.com Presented by the AFL-CIO, this film is part of the “Americans at Work” film series. This episode focuses on air conditioning, which began appearing more regularly in American homes in the post-WWII era. This film shadows union workers at a York International Corp. (now part of Johnson Controls) factory, assembling and testing units for home use. "Americans at Work" dates to 1959-1960. In 1958, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer, William F. Schnitzler, announced the production of 52 films to run weekly for one year. The popularity of the series persuaded the AFL-CIO to extend the project by an additional 52 films. The AFL-CIO Public Relations Department coordinated the production and distribution of the series. Production was contracted to Norwood Studios, Inc. of Washington, DC, which was founded and managed by Phillip M. Martin. Film opens; 1949-1957 Nash Ambassador, other 50s-era vehicles drive along icy and snowy rural road (0:09). Cars drive along snow-blanketed main street in town (0:18). Man sifts through flowering buds in tree under blaring sun (0:26). Opening credits play over footage of woman at work in air-conditioning factory (0:35). Examples of places where York International Corp air-conditioning found: Office building, supermarket (0:55). Couple enjoy meal and drink service in dining car of passenger train (1:04). 1955 Oldsmobile Holiday 88, other vehicles at busy intersection in city (1:10). GM TDH-4509 public transport bus with “air-conditioned” written on side (1:12). Close-up 50s-era air conditioning model for home (1:18). Women on assembly line assemble compressors, combine pistons and pins (1:26). Women use Ingersoll Rand Universal Impact Tool Model “A” to combine parts of compressor (where refrigerant chemical, probably Freon, passes through) (1:51). Other women work on expansion valve; how refrigerant works in air-conditioner explained (2:05). Workers combine completed valves to create larger units that then continue to pass along assembly line (2:31). Man brazes muffler to ensure unit operates quietly (3:13). Man places compressor into automated machine that melds components together (3:40). Leak test: Another worker observes compressors as they pass through pool of water, ensure no holes (4:19). Miles of aluminum and copper tubing, blade of automated DeWalt pipe cutter cuts tubing to size for unit (4:30). Woman hand shapes some tubes into curved patterns, lead refrigerant from compressor to cooking coils in unit (5:10). Placing tubes by hand into coils, staggers placement before other men finish constructing unit (5:35). Workers apply finishing touches to assembled and painted compressors (6:38). Man places completed compressor into condenser unit behind fan (6:57). Woman operates punch press to add grills to unit (7:37). Safety provisions: Women wear hair nets, all workers wear safety glasses (8:01). Refrigerant added to system, worker watches dashboard with various lights to ensure filling complete (8:29). Women place final aesthetic pieces to front grate of AC unit, emphasis on “aesthetic value” as it will be featured inside window of home (8:52). Wiring and connections finalized (9:23). Quality control: Worker tests units’ response to different temperature ranges (9:38). Unit undergoes a second noise test (9:58). Close-up GR type 760-A sound analyzer (10:19). Discussion of history of term “air conditioning” (10:24). Final test: Worker places unit in isolated chamber and analyzes cooling cycle of unit (10:38). Worker uses electromagnet to lift completed units into shipping boxes branded with York International Corp logo (11:25). 1950s Ford pick-up truck with plow attachment clears snow on rural road (12:03). Montage clips of factory workers (12:18). Mural at AFL-CIO headquarters with classic characteristics of mid-20th-century American labor art; the end (13:36). Motion picture films don't last forever; many have already been lost or destroyed. For almost two decades, we've worked to collect, scan and preserve the world as it was captured on 35mm, 16mm and 8mm movies -- including home movies, industrial films, and other non-fiction. If you have endangered films you'd like to have scanned, or wish to donate celluloid to Periscope Film so that we can share them with the world, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us via the weblink below. This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYxWGyABsRM Mirrored from Periscope Film (https://www.youtube.com/@PeriscopeFilm) Sat, 13 Jun 2026 13:25:34 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://peertube.dngr.us https://peertube.dngr.us/lazy-static/avatars/41a6fee9-7f57-42d0-a5fc-5db4f1af2e31.png https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/0583849c-f65a-4efe-a809-77b2af4d8e57 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://peertube.dngr.us/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.