Labor Archives of Washington, UW Special Collections

in September 1958, Wilkes Barre, PA workers from the International Ladies Garment Workers Union picketed Budget Dress. Pictured are unionized workers with mannequins and holding placards announcing that Budget Dress is on strike, urging women not to buy non-union dresses.

Honored to once again celebrate the life of true labor icons Ralph and Edith Chaplin at this long running event by Pierce County Central Labor Council and ILWU Local #23 members. We were led in singing Chaplin’s labor anthem “Solidarity Forever” by brother Vance Lelli, and heard inspiring words of the importance of labor history to a currently resurgent labor movement in this country, as well as details about recent labor campaigns in our region. Labor Archives of Washington, UW Special Collections was proud to once again be a part of these events, as well as to table at the Tacoma’s Labor Day picnic. LAW staff also appreciate being invited to table at the Snohomish & Island County Labor Council’s picnic!

Throughout California’s agricultural valleys, farm workers had endured a century of difficult living and working conditions. Despite being vital to the state’s largest industry, they were consistently exploited and oppressed. Numerous attempts to unionize and improve their situation had failed, due to fears of repercussions.

However, by the early 1960s, a shift began to occur. The union started in 1965 when Filipino and Mexican migrant farm workers joined together to strike against the Delano-area grape growers, in order to pressure large agribusinesses to sign contracts guaranteeing better wages and working conditions.

In August of 1972, the United Farm Workers (UFW) became the first recognized farm workers union accepted into the —including over 50,000 farm workers became covered by union contracts.

Today, the struggle continues with extreme summer weather in all major agricultural areas, the is currently fighting for increased regulations, and for OSHA to enact federal heat protections.

Labor Archives of Washington, UW Special Collections staff at the Washington State Labor Council Convention, tabling for the 13th year in a row! Thank you Washington State Labor Council for the opportunity to speak at a plenary and share our work, resources, and services again!

This , we're highlighting pro-LGBTQ+ labor organizations from the 1970s for ! Radical Women is a socialist feminist organization affiliated with the Freedom Socialist Party. In addition to anti-war activism and organizing women workers, Radical Women has also played a role in the LGBTQ+ rights movement. In the 1980s, Merle Woo, a Chinese American le***an feminist college lecturer and member of Radical Women, won a discrimination lawsuit against UC Berkeley after she was fired. Another pro-LGBTQ+ organization was the Katipunan ng mga Demokratikong Pilipino, or Union of Democratic Filipinos (KDP). The KDP was formed in response to martial law under Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos and embraced the dual goals of fighting for socialism in both the US and the Philippines. The KDP was the only Asian American organization in the 1970s to allow LGBTQ+ people to join and hold leadership positions.
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University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, SOC11849.
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, UW39736.

Did you know that less than 20% of biographies on Wikipedia are about women? The Labor Archives has been working to expand knowledge of labor history by creating new articles on Wikipedia, and this week, we are highlighting a new article about Ottilie Markholt. Over the course of her life, Markholt authored multiple books about maritime labor history in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska and designed labor studies curricula for community college students. In addition to her writing, Markholt was also involved in many unions and activist groups over the course of her life. She was a lifelong member of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU). She was also a leader in the Tacoma-Olympia branch of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in the 1970's and 1980's. To read more about Markholt's extraordinary life, check out her new Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottilie_Markholt
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Pictured: Ottilie Markholt with Peter B. Gill. Photo by Ralph Chaplin.
Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, Ottilie Markholt papers, 4191-003.

This , we're highlighting LGBTQ+ labor activists for ! Stephen Blair was born in 1917 and grew up in the Midwest. He moved to San Francisco in 1936 where he met Frank McCormick, who became his partner for over 40 years. McCormick was an officer for the National Union of Marine Cooks and Stewards, a progressive union with full integration for Black and gay members. Blair became involved in the union and worked various roles on ships. Blair and McCormick moved to Seattle in the 1960's, and they later became known as elders within Seattle's LGBTQ+ community. To learn more about Blair's life and activism, check out the finding aid to his papers: https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv58838
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Stephen R. Blair papers, Accession no. 5172-001, Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections.

The Labor Archives has been working to expand knowledge of labor history by creating new articles on Wikipedia, and this week, we are highlighting a new article about the 1936 Pacific Coast Maritime Strike. This strike broke out due to unsettled tensions that remained after the 1934 West Coast Waterfront Strike. Longshore workers and sailors, led by Harry Bridges and Harry Lundeberg in the short-lived Maritime Federation of the Pacific, went on strike for 99 days and brought the entire Pacific Coast shipping industry to a standstill. The strike was a victory for the workers and resulted in higher wages, improved working conditions, and union control over hiring halls. The strike also became a catalyst for the formation of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. To read more about the strike, check out the new Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1936_Pacific_Coast_maritime_workers%27_strike
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University of Washington Libraries Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries
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"Hands off Bridges-- Longshoremen March in Labor Day Parade Seattle 1936 or 1937." Jean Gundlach Photo Collection, Waterfront Workers History Project, https://depts.washington.edu/labpics/zenPhoto/The-ILWU-and-Longshore-Workers/Jean-Gundlach-Photo-Collection/HandsOffBridges.jpg.

This , we're highlighting LGBTQ+ workers from our COVID-19 Oral History Project for ! In 2020, Arielle Labra was working at PCC and was designated an essential worker when the pandemic began. They later quit their job as a grocery worker and began working as a caterer and in packaging support at UW bookstore. Labra is also an artist. In their interview, Labra discusses their experience working in different environments, how the pandemic affected their housing and social life, and their experiences with racism in the workplace. To see the full oral history interview, go to: https://archive.org/details/LabraArielle_C19
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Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, "Arielle Labra - Seattle COVID-19 Oral History Project - Oral History Video," Working in the Time of COVID-19 Oral History Collection, Retrieved from Internet Archive.

This , we're highlighting LGBTQ+ workers from our COVID-19 Oral History Project for ! In 2020, Alex Mason was working as a steamfitter apprentice in Plumbers & Pipefitters United Association Local 32 and was part of a rank and file group of q***r and trans trades workers. Mason was designated as an essential worker and had to continue working through the quarantine without hazard pay. In his interview, Mason discusses how the pandemic affected his job, labor organizing work, and social life. To see his full oral history interview, go to: https://archive.org/details/MasonAlex_C19
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Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries University of Washington Libraries
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Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, "Alex Mason - Working in the Time of COVID-19 Oral History Project - Oral History Video," Working in the Time of COVID-19 Oral History Collection, Retrieved from Internet Archive.

This , we're highlighting Asian American and Pacific Islander longshore workers and pensioners for ! Clayton Dela Cruz grew up in Waimea, Kauai, Hawaii in a working class family. His father was a Filipino immigrant and his mother was of Japanese descent. He began working on a sugar plantation in 1966 as a knapsack sprayer and later became a carpenter in Local 142. He was active in the union and was elected business agent and division director. To see Clayton Dela Cruz's full oral history interview, go to: https://specialcollections.ds.lib.uw.edu/PacificCoastPensionersAssociation/
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University of Washington Libraries

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Oral history interviews of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Pacific Coast Pensioners Association Oral History Project, Accession no. 6194-006, Labor Archives of Washington, UW Libraries Special Collections.

Alaskero New was the newspaper for the rank and file membership of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 37 representing the predominately Filipino Alaska cannery workers. This issue from 1980 features a photograph and article about Gene Viernes on the front page, listing his many accomplishments and activism, including organizing a hunger strike in 1973 protesting the poor working conditions faced by Filipino cannery workers at the Red Salmon cannery.

Cindy Domingo papers acc5651-001. University of Washington Libraries Labor Archives of Washington, UW Special Collections

Labor Archives of Washington Collection highlight:

This photograph features cannery worker foremen sitting alongside Karl G. Yoneda (bottom right). Yoneda was a Japanese American activist, longshore worker, labor organizer, author, and teacher. He was also a delegate to the Alaska Cannery Workers Union, likely why he was visiting this cannery at the time of the photograph.

Cannery Workers and Farm Laborers Union, Local 7 photographs. PH1044 University of Washington Libraries Labor Archives of Washington, UW Special Collections

Learn about author and poet Carlos Bulosan and the Filipinx American, labor, and progressive communities of which he was a part. The Labor Archives’ and the UW Libraries most popular online exhibit, this recently updated resource is now ADA-accessible and multilingual.
tinyurl.com/LAW-Bulosan

The Labor Archives has been working to expand knowledge of labor history by creating new articles on Wikipedia, and this week, we are highlighting a new article about Archie Brown, a longshore worker and Depression-era activist in the Communist Party. Brown moved to San Francisco from the Midwest via train hopping at age 13 and joined the Communist Party after organizing a newspaper sellers’ strike in 1929. He became a longshore worker after the 1934 West Coast Waterfront Strike, and in 1938, he traveled to Spain to fight for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. He also fought in World War II. In the early 1960s, Brown was the plaintiff in a US Supreme Court Case that overturned a ban on communists holding union leadership positions. To read more about Brown’s life, check out his new Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archie_Brown_(union_leader)
To learn more about United States v. Brown, check out the new Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Brown
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Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries University of Washington Libraries
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“Brown, Archie.” Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives, https://alba-valb.org/volunteers/archie-brown/.

Happy everyone! Also known as , people gather every year on May 1st to recognize the struggles of working people both past and present. This photograph features Industrial Workers of the World members at a 1939 May Day picnic in Oakland, California. *** ***
Industrial Workers of the World photograph collection, PH Coll 922, UW Libraries Special Collections

Filipino cannery workers at harbor, Alitak, Kodiak Island, 1937.

Chris D. Mensalvas Photograph Collection PH 657. University of Washington Libraries Labor Archives of Washington, UW Special Collections

The Labor Archives of Washington has been working to expand knowledge of labor history by creating new articles on Wikipedia, and this week, we are highlighting a new article about the 1916 West Coast Waterfront Strike. The strike broke out on June 1, 1916, when longshore workers in all West Coast ports walked out to demand higher wages and a closed shop. On July 17, San Francisco longshore workers accepted a deal independently and returned to work. The loss of coastwide unity caused the strike to crumble, though locals in the Pacific Northwest continued striking until October 4. The strike failed to win a closed shop, and waterfront employers engaged in aggressive campaigns over the next decade to try to eliminate the union. Despite the defeat, longshore workers learned lessons and continued organizing to try to improve their working conditions, and there were strikes in Seattle, Portland, and San Pedro in the years following World War I. To read more about the strike, check out the new Wikipedia page:

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University of Washington Libraries Labor Archives of Washington, UW Special Collections

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Pictured: '"Kid Glove Boys" loading the steamer Alaska at Pier 2 after the longshoremen quit.'
"Clerks load vessel when longshoremen quit." Seattle Star, June 26, 1916, pg. 9.

This , we’re highlighting Cindy Domingo! Cindy Domingo became active in the Union of Democratic Filipinos (KDP) in the 1970s and helped organize solidarity actions against the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines at UW. In 1981, her brother Silme Domingo, a KDP activist and reform leader in the Alaska Cannery Workers Union (ILWU, Local 37), was assassinated with his friend and fellow organizer Gene Viernes. For the next ten years, Cindy Domingo chaired the Committee for Justice for Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes. The campaign resulted in the conviction of former Local 37 president Tony Baruso for organizing the assassination and proved that the Marcos regime had organized the murders with US knowledge. In the 1980s, the KDP disbanded after Marcos was overthrown, and Domingo became a member of the Washington State Rainbow Coalition. She has also been involved with the Church Council of Greater Seattle, the Northwest Labor Employment and Law Office (LELO), the International Examiner newspaper, the Center for Social Justice, and the US Women & Cuba Collaboration. To view the finding aid to the Cindy Domingo Papers, visit https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv09942
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Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project Records, Accession no. 5571-001, Labor Archives of Washington, UW Libraries Special Collections.

This (belated) , we're highlighting Rosalinda Guillén for ! The child of farmworkers, Rosalinda Guillén grew up in Coahuila, Mexico, and moved to Skagit County at age ten. Guillén first became involved in politics as an organizer for the Rainbow Coalition and Jesse Jackson's 1988 presidential campaign. Her experience with the Rainbow Coalition led to her being recruited by the United Farm Workers of Washington (then independent from the national UFW) to assist in a farmworker organizing drive at the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in the Yakima Valley. Guillen became a leading organizer in the campaign, which resulted in the first binding labor contract between farmworkers and an agricultural employer outside of California. Guillén went on to become a staffer for the national UFW and founded the nonprofit Community to Community Development focused on farmworker rights and food sovereignty. Visit the link in bio for further reading about Rosalinda Guillén!
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University of Washington Libraries


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Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project Records, Accession no. 5571-001, Labor Archives of Washington, UW Libraries Special Collections.

This , we're highlighting women longshore workers and pensioners for ! Christine Gordon was hired as longshore worker in 1984 along with a group of other women as part of an effort to reduce the gender imbalance in the union. Prior to becoming a longshore worker, Gordon was a union truck driver. She was a single mothers who was drawn to trades jobs because of the higher pay and benefits. Despite being promised jobs as clerks in ILWU Local 63 when they were hired, they were instead forced to accept jobs as longshore workers in ILWU Local 13. Along with six other women, Gordon launched a lawsuit against the ILWU and the women were hired as clerks as part of the settlement. To experience Gordon's full oral history interview (which includes video, audio, transcription, and a caption track) visit the Labor Archives’ new PCPA Oral History Project portal!: tinyurl.com/PCPA-Oral-History
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Oral history interviews of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Pacific Coast Pensioners Association Oral History Project, Accession no. 6194-007, Labor Archives of Washington, UW Libraries Special Collections.

This , we’re highlighting women longshore workers and pensioners for ! Helena Jones (1960-2019) was hired as a longshore worker in 1984 along with a group of other women as part of an effort to reduce the gender imbalance in the union. Prior to becoming longshore workers, Jones was a union ironworker. Jones was a single mother who was drawn to trades jobs because of the higher pay and benefits. Despite being promised jobs as clerks in ILWU Local 63 when they were hired, the women workers were instead forced to accept jobs as longshore workers in ILWU Local 13. Along with six other women, Jones launched a lawsuit against the ILWU. They were hired as clerks as part of the settlement. To experience Jones’ full oral history interview (which include video, audio, transcription, and a caption track) visit the Labor Archives’ new PCPA Oral History Project portal!: tinyurl.com/PCPA-Oral-History
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University of Washington Libraries

This , we're highlighting Black longshore workers and pensioners for ! Norman McLeod grew up in rural Oklahoma and moved to California with his uncle as a teenager. He began working as a longshore worker as a young adult. McLeod enrolled in the ILWU-PMA Alcohol and Drug Recovery Program and became a mentor to others after completing the program. To experience Norman McLeod's full oral history interview (which includes video, audio, transcription, and a caption track) visit the Labor Archives’ new PCPA Oral History Project portal!: https://specialcollections.ds.lib.uw.edu/PacificCoastPensionersAssociation/
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Labor Archives of Washington, UW Special Collections University of Washington Libraries

This , we’re highlighting Black longshore workers and pensioners for ! Joe Clay grew up in rural Texas and moved to California at age 18. He worked for United Airlines cleaning airplanes before becoming a longshore worker. Clay was elected to ILWU Local 10’s grievance committee and was later elected chief dispatcher. Towards the end of his career, he became a clerk and transitioned to Local 34. He retired in 1999. To experience Joe Clay’s full oral history interview (which includes video, audio, transcription, and a caption track) visit the Labor Archives’ new PCPA Oral History Project portal!: https://specialcollections.ds.lib.uw.edu/PacificCoastPensionersAssociation/
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University of Washington Libraries
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Oral history interviews of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Pacific Coast Pensioners Association Oral History Project, Accession no. 6194-002, Labor Archives of Washington, UW Libraries Special Collections.

This , we’re highlighting Black longshore workers and pensioners for ! Sadie Williams grew up in Houston, Texas, where her father owned a restaurant that catered to longshore workers, and moved to San Francisco as a young adult. Her husband, Cleophas Williams, became the first Black president of International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 10. Both Sadie and Cleophas were deeply involved with the ILWU and their church. To experience Sadie Williams’ full oral history interview, (which includes video, audio, transcription, and a caption track) visit the Labor Archives’ new PCPA Oral History Project portal! https://specialcollections.ds.lib.uw.edu/PacificCoastPensionersAssociation/

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University of Washington Libraries

Excited to be a panelist at the "Contaminating Archives" conference today, where I'll discuss "Empowering Preservation and Outreach." My presentation delves into 14 years of collaborative efforts, highlighting complementary and community-informed activities such as collecting, outreach, description, and digitization. The focus is on actively preserving, documenting, and engaging in outreach to spotlight the Filipinx American labor and related history found within this collection cluster—an ongoing initiative led by the Labor Archives of Washington.
University of Washington Libraries Labor Archives of Washington, UW Special Collections

Explore the EDI-centered community archives framework of the , in this edited volume by Hannah Leah Crummé. “Building Representative Community Archives: Inclusive Strategies in Practice” (Chicago: ALA Neal-Schuman, 2024), where a dedicated chapter elucidates the Labor Archives’ model of holistic archival administration.
For a comprehensive understanding of the inclusive strategies implemented in the book and the LAW’s equity-driven approach, particularly in the curation and administration of representative community archives, see: “‘Corrective Collecting’: A Practical Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion-Centered Model for the Ethical Curation and Administration of Representative Community Archives.” You can access the chapter and further details here. Dive into the rich insights offered by these resources to enhance your knowledge of EDI practices in archival management.
https://www.alastore.ala.org/brca
University of Washington Libraries

Missed the in-person event? Fear not!
We were honored to participate in and co-sponsor "History Café: Building More Inclusive Community Collections". As part of the panel, Head of the Labor Archives Conor Casey discussed the 13-year journey of the Labor Archives of Washington to build and promote more representative and inclusive regional labor history.

Primary documents and artifacts are the building blocks for constructing historical narratives. However, the collections that house them have gaps mirroring the biases of society and curatorial practices. Whose stories are deemed significant and why? How can these omissions be addressed? Join curators, collections managers, and researchers for a discussion on building equitable history from the stacks.

Co-Sponsors: Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI), the Heritage Society of Washington State, Wing Luke Museum, Labor Archives of Washington, UW Special Collections, HistoryLink.org

The list of esteemed speakers includes:
Stephanie Johnson-Toliver, President at Black Heritage Society of Washington State
Brittney Frantece, 2022 Curator's Fellow, Museum of History and Industry [.to.hell.brb]
Steffi Morrison, Collections Manager at Wing Luke Museum
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Conor Casey, Head, Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections
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of Washington Libraries
https://www.youtube.com/live/78tOxpYJi-4?si=4F_U8r7doS0lSoz

History Café: Building More Inclusive Community Collections Primary documents and artifacts are the building blocks for constructing historical narratives. However, the collections that house them have gaps mirroring ...

SM2023 ArchivesSpace Assessment Module