The Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies

A center for education, research and preservation - Now open!

Thanks to the help of unions throughout the state and the cooperation of the University of Washington Library, the Bridges Center is proud to announce that as of October 2010 the Labor Archives of Washington State (LAWS) is a reality.

Working people and their unions built this nation, and no state has a more dynamic labor history than Washington State. LAWS ensures our labor heritage is preserved and that current and future generations understand the struggles and accomplishments of organized labor.

LAWS is already one of the largest repositories for labor materials in the country, encompassing more than 200 labor related collections, including the records of unions and of labor leaders and activists. LAWS serves as a center for historical research, which will help new generations understand the importance of the labor movement in the past and its importance to the future of our state and nation.

LAWS is part of the UW Library Special Collections, located in the Allen Library South Basement on the University of Washington Seattle campus.

Hours

Mon-Tues, 10am-4:45pm
Wed, 10am-7:45pm
Thurs-Fri, 10am-4:45pm
Sat-Sun, closed.

On the Web

http://www.lib.washington.edu/
specialcoll/laws/

Contact

Conor Casey, Labor Archivist
206-685-3976, cmcasey@uw.edu

A unit of the Special Collections Department of the University of Washington Libraries, the Labor Archives is a collaborative project of the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies and the UW Libraries.

LAWS is managed by professional labor archivist Conor Casey. Conor has years of personal, scholarly and professional experience with the labor movement and the preservation of its history. From 2001 to 2008, he worked at the Labor Archives and Research Center at San Francisco State University. He holds a Masters of Arts in US History, a Masters of Library and Information Sciences, and is accredited through the Academy of Certified Archivists.

As Labor Archivist, Conor oversees the development of LAWS, managing labor-related materials already in UW Special Collections as well as advising unions on records management and donations. In addition, he develops educational programs making Washington's labor history widely accessible to union members, schools and the general public.

Donors memorialized forever as supporters of labor heritage

Since December 2009, more than 125 individuals, unions, university departments and others have helped us raise over $150,000 for the Labor Archives of Washington State. Many have joined the Labor Archives Founder's Circle with a donation of $500 or more.

Founder's Circle names will be inscribed on a plaque and displayed with the Harry Bridges statue in the entrance to the University of Washington's Suzzalo Library. Founder's Circle donations can be made at four levels: Silver ($500+), Gold ($1,000+), Platinum ($3,000+) or Legacy ($5,000).

A Legacy donation can be a great way to memorialize a beloved friend while helping to build this important educational resource. You may also make a recurring pledge to help ensure the Labor Archives' longevity. Contact the Bridges Center by phone or donate on-line to set-up a monthly or annual donation via credit card.

Silver ($500+)

Individual
Marie & Dale Hedden, $850
John & Jean Hammerback, $650
Michael Honey & Pat Krueger, $507
David & Kay Brennan, $500
Peter & Mildred Chelemdos, $500
Steve Conway, $500
Holly & Martin Hulscher, $500
Jeanne Kohl-Welles, $500
Ronald Magden, $500
Betty J Martinsen, $500
Lanny McGrew, $500
Randall & Karen Nelson, $500
Ray Nelson, $500
Jasmin Weaver & Noah Purcell, $500
Joseph & Carolyn Wenzel, $500
Max Vekich, $500

Organization
IFPTE Local 17, $750
ILWU Local 21, $750
Teamsters Local 117, $600
ATU Local 1765, $500
ILWU Local 7, $500
ILWU Local 27, $500
ILWU Local 32, $500
Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific - Columbia River Region, $500
Pacific Coast Maritime History Committee, $500
Pacific Northwest Labor History Association, $500
Schwerin Campbell Barnard Iglitzin & Lavitt, $500
SPEEA, $500
UAW Local 4121, $500
UFCW Local 81, $500

Legacy ($5000+)

Individual
Bud Havlisch, $5000
Terry Mason, $5000

Organization
ILWU Longshore Division, $150,000
Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, $30,000
Washington State Labor Council, $30,000
WFSE Council 28, $15,000
ILWU Local 19, $5405

Platinum ($3000+)

Individual
Jon & Carina Halgren, $4011
Robert Duggan, $3000
Susan Glenn & James Gregory, $3000

Organization
ILWU Local 23, $3000
WA State Council of Fire Fighters, $3000

Gold ($1000+)

Individual
Shirley McCabe, $2050
Robert Kaplan & Margaret Levi, $1500
Ian Kennedy & Michele Drayton, $1100
Arthur Mink, $1050
Russell & Ursula Alexander, $1000
Charles Bergquist & Hwasook Nam, $1000
David & Sally Bjornson, $1000
Michael & Susan Casey, $1000
John & Judy Holmes, $1000
Ken Jacobsen, $1000
Thomas Lux, $1000
Lila Smith, $1000
Eugene Dennis Vrana, $1000

Organization
Joint Council of Teamsters No. 28, $2000
SEIU Local 925, $2000
IAM District Lodge 751, $1751
Pierce County Central Labor Council, $1598
ILWU Seattle Pension Club, $1500
MLK Jr. County Labor Council, $1500
SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, $1500
IAM District 160, $1000
ILWU Local 47, $1000
ILWU Local 25, $1000
IWLU Pacific Coast Pensioners Association, $1000
Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific, $1000
Olympia Longshore Benevolence Association, $1000
Snohomish County Central Labor Council, $1000
UW Department of History, $1000
UW Department of Political Science, $1000
UW Jackson School of International Studies, $1000
Washington Educational Association, $1000

$150,000 in matching grants for the Labor Archives of Washington State

In 2009 at their international convention held in Seattle, not only did the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) endorse the effort to create the Labor Archives of Washington State � their Longshore Division pledged to provide up to $150,000 in matching funds to the archive fund-raising drive over the next three years. For every dollar donated to the Archive from 2009 to 2011, the ILWU will match that donation up to $50,000 for each year.

From a union that understands the importance of history perhaps more than any other, this is a most generous challenge to the labor community to raise the money needed to make the Labor Archive of Washington State a reality. With the help of union locals, individual donors and others, the fundraising goals of the Labor Archive will soon be in sight. Many thanks to our friends at the ILWU for making this happen.