Public Employees

AFSCME Education and Leadership Training Department Records

mcourtney — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 15:11:27 -0400

The 1960s began a period of significant growth for AFSCME, which meant an increased need for knowledgeable members and staff. AFSCME began an education program around 1962, and by 1966 the International Union had established the Education and Leadership Training Department, later known simply as the Education Department.

Part one of this collection contains materials produced during the union's efforts to organize local organizations into AFSCME, including member education on matters of negotiating and enforcing a contract. Records were created between 1970 and 1973, and illustrate the functions of the Education and Leadership Training Department as an entity that worked closely with the Organizing Department and the Office of the President. Much of the material in part one of this collection makes the case for organizations to affiliate with AFSCME, both through policy and legislation as well as training for individual workers on matters of organizing, contract negotiations, and contract enforcement. A majority of the material in part one was produced in relation to the organizing work of Al Bilik, who served as AFSCME Assistant to the President.

Part two relates to the operation of the education department as well as specific programs, such as the AFSCME Staff Intern Program, which recruited members of AFSCME locals for staff training. Participants attended classes in Washington, DC, and then worked in the field. Some successful participants were offered staff positions at headquarters, councils, or locals at the conclusion of the internship. Materials include field education staff reports, correspondence, staff and member training materials, and meeting notes.

AFSCME Office of the President: Gerald W. McEntee Records

jruss — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:07:42 -0400

Gerald W. McEntee became president of AFSCME in 1981. Some of the issues reflected in Part I of this collection include the anti-apartheid movement; health care reform, especially under the Clinton White House; affirmative action; AIDS; presidential politics and union campaign support; international labor relations; and legislative affairs. The records also include information on state locals and councils, AFSCME's relationship to other labor unions and organizations, and AFSCME's judicial panel cases.

Part II of the AFSCME Office of the President: Gerald McEntee Records consists of documents created mostly between 1996 and 2003, while the bulk of Part I was created between 1981 and 1995. As a result, Part II contains evidence of AFSCME’s reactions to changes in the labor movement in a post-NAFTA economy. These changes are evident in the internal functions of AFSCME’s Executive Office, affiliates, and in the union’s work within the AFL-CIO and allied organizations.

AFSCME Public Policy Analysis Department Records

jruss — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:17:10 -0400

Part 1 of the AFSCME Public Policy Analysis Department Records focuses on Deinstitutionalization, particularly at Wayne County General Hospital (WCGH). The hospital complex was located in western Wayne County, Michigan, approximately 16 miles west of downtown Detroit. Deinstitutionalization represented a major change in philosophy for mental health treatment delivery and was the term given to the process whereby mentally ill patients were moved out of large public hospitals and into smaller community-based treatment facilities. Typically, large public (state) hospitals were then closed. The process began in 1955 with the introduction of new psychiatric medications by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) into state hospitals. These new medicines offered the possibility of less-restrictive care for the mentally ill outside of the inpatient hospital setting. The deinstitutionalization trend accelerated after the passage of the Community Mental Health Centers Act in 1963 and then continued throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Part 2 of the AFSCME Public Policy Analysis Department Records consists of material related to AFSCME’s national effort to affect public policy in federal, state, and local governments during the 1970s. The department conducted research on issues with the potential to impact AFSCME members, especially matters of Social Security, cost of living, pensions, healthcare, deinstitutionalization, public health care, and unemployment. From this research, the Public Policy Analysis Department created reports and studies meant to influence the policy created by government agencies. The bulk of Part II of this collection represents AFSCME’s work in the debate on deinstitutionalization and health care reform efforts between 1973 and 1978.

Part 3 of the AFSCME Public Policy Analysis Department Records contains correspondence, memos, reports, data, news articles, studies, speeches, and testimonies. Large portions of the records pertain to mental health and deinstitutionalization. Other topics covered include taxes, Reagan-era budget cuts and other economic issues.

AFSCME Publications

mcourtney — Mon, 28 Apr 2014 11:10:47 -0400

AFSCME Publications is a collection comprised of serials created and collected by AFSCME International, District Councils, and Locals. The collection also contains material produced as part of AFSCME’s biannual international conventions and articles published about AFSCME from an academic standpoint. The publications in this collection arrived at the Reuther Library over time and came from multiple sources.

The collection features AFSCME’s official publication, which was first known as The Journal of State and Local Government Employees (1937-1947), then Public Employee (1947-2007), and later, AFSCME WORKS (2007-2017). Much of the collection is made up of newsletters produced at the Council or Local level between 1968 and 1974, illustrating the issues relevant to different types of AFSCME workers during a formative time for the Union.

Note that this collection was updated in September 2019 with the final issues of AFSCME Works and issues of Council 5's Stepping Up.

AFT Office of the President Records

dgolodner — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:06:07 -0400

Minutes, correspondence, reports, publications covering the president's office of Carl Megel and predominantly Charlie Cogen and David Selden. Important subjects are teacher strikes, contract negotiations, school desegregation, Oceanhill-Brownsville, education legislation, job stress, teacher centers.

The records are divided into two parts.

AFT Organizing Department Records

scaloia — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 16:37:56 -0500

The Organizing Department facilitates the growth of local affiliates of the American Federation of Teachers. Under the tenures of David Selden and Albert Shanker, both of whom had extensive organizing experience prior to their respective presidencies, organizing efforts ramped up significantly in the 1960s and 1970s. The AFT was the fastest growing union in the mid-1970s when organizing became a distinct department. The department provides services and resources to state and local affiliates across the country. Field representatives and other department staff members assist locals in organizing campaigns and collective bargaining elections. Individuals who have served as head of organizing in the past include Jim Mundy, John Schmid, Phil Kugler, and Lou Nayman.

The AFT Organizing Department Records include correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, contracts and bargaining agreements, grievance files, surveys, newsletters and brochures, personnel files, material related to workshops and conferences, and organizing campaign files. Organizing efforts revolve around primary and secondary school teachers and paraprofessionals, bus drivers, college and university employees, and nurses and other health care professionals.

Adair Damman Papers

aorchard — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 14:49:58 -0500

Adair Damman’s affiliation with SEIU began in 1981, and Damman worked at SEIU for a number of years, most notably as an organizer. Presently. Damman works as the Legislative Director of Local 925 in Seattle, Washington.

These records primarily document Damman’s earlier work during the 1980s and 1990s. Much of the material focuses on Local 1864 in Nevada, Local 707 and the Mendocino County Employees Association in California, Local 880 in Boston, and organizing Local 6. Predominate topics are organizing and campaigns, but training and leadership are also heavily featured. Material types include correspondence, clippings, campaign materials, training materials, and audiovisual materials such as stickers, buttons, photographs, and tapes.

SEIU Local 31-M Records

aorchard — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 14:03:27 -0400

Local 31-M’s earliest manifestation, Local 191, began in 1938 with the organization of the Michigan Unemployment Compensation Commission (MUCC), the precursor to Michigan Employment Security Commission (MESC). MUCC was the first civil service agency within Michigan to become unionized. Initially an independent local, Local 191 eventually affiliated with the State, County and Municipal Workers of America. After facing several years of difficulty, Local 191 disbanded.

Despite the dissolution of Local 191, in 1941 MUCC was again unionized, this time by AFSCME affiliate Local 31. However, in 1960, Local 31’s lack of representation within its national affiliate led to its separation from AFSCME and subsequent affiliation with SEIU. SEIU Local 31-M was officially chartered on September 8, 1960 as a public sector labor union, representing Michigan employees, particularly those in the Michigan Employment Security Commission (MESC). Local 31-M was a member of Council 35, the coalition of all SEIU locals within Michigan, as well as a member of the Central States Conference. Local 31-M continued in this fashion until its merger with Local 517-M in the 2002.

The Local 31-M Records document former (from 1984-2001) President Victoria (Vicki) Cook’s (Vicki Cook Bumbaugh) and the Local’s involvement in politics at the local, state, and national levels, member affairs, and interaction with management and Michigan state offices and departments, primarily from the mid-1970s through the Local’s amalgamation into Local 517-M in 2002. The materials include correspondence, minutes, legal documents, requests for proposals, clippings, notes, and photographic materials.

SEIU Local 517M Records

aorchard — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 15:24:25 -0500

Two SEIU Michigan locals, Local 517M and Local 591, created the materials found within this collection. Local 591 represented multiple school districts within the state of Michigan and in January 2005, Local 591 merged into Local 517M. Local 517M primarily represented public employees working for the state of Michigan and previously merged with Local 31M in 2002. Local 517M is still active today, and as such, this collection will likely continue to grow.

Materials in this collection include publications, constitutions and bylaws, agreements and contracts, and audiovisual materials including photographs, videocassettes, and DVDs.

SEIU Local 535 Records

aorchard — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:20:21 -0400

The formation of SEIU Local 535 began when members of the Social Workers Action Committee of #434, SEIU united with the Social Workers Standards Committee in Los Angeles, California. In 1964, these Los Angeles County social workers led a successful strike against the county, the result of which was SEIU chartering Local 535 as the social workers union. As more California public employees continued to strike and join Local 535, the union grew. Eventually Local 535 helped pass the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act, the first Californian legislation on public sector collective bargaining. In 1970, Local 535 ventured into private sector organizing, representing members at non-profit organizations, with a continued focus on hospital employees, particularly nurses. In addition to representing public and hospital employees, Local 535 also represented jewelry workers after the 1981 merger of the International Jewelry Workers Union into SEIU. In the mid-2000s, Local 535 dissolved and its members amalgamated into other SEIU locals including 521, 620, 721, 1000, and 1021.

The records generated by Local 535 that comprise this collection primarily include State Executive Board minutes, Executive Director reports, committee and caucus documents, publications and newsletters, and photographs.

SEIU Photographs

gstrassel — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 09:05:09 -0400

A collection of photographic prints spanning the union's long history, the SEIU Photograph Collection is the culmination of decades of photographic work produced or compiled by SEIU's international headquarters staff. The images document a wide range of individuals, organizations, events, and topics related to SEIU. The majority of these materials come from their Communications Department, who utilized the images in various types of print materials. Amateur photography by SEIU members of specific events for personal use makes up another significant portion of the collection. The dominant file type is the photographic print, though negatives, photo CD's, publications, and other formats comprise the rest of the collection.

SEIU Publications

aorchard — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 11:34:53 -0400

SEIU Publications is primarily comprised of serials created by the International, Locals, Joint Councils, and Conferences. Included in the collection are International convention proceedings dating back to the official inception of SEIU, constitutions and bylaws, and serials published at the International level. However, the bulk of the materials are serials created by SEIU Locals, Joint Councils, and Conferences, documenting member concerns and plights, as well as important events and issues of the various coverage eras.

SEIU Publications is an artificial collection, its contents pulled from other SEIU collections (processed prior to 2012) to create a single grouping of all SEIU publications. SEIU collections processed after 2012 will retain their publications, with the exception of full runs.

AFSCME Coloring Pages

scaloia — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 15:22:14 -0400

Decompress and have some fun with these coloring pages!

Click the links at the bottom of the page to download and print PDF images that you can color.

34352-1978Convention: Interior view of the Las Vegas Convention Center, featuring the “AFSCME in the Public Service” theme, at the AFSCME International Convention, Las Vegas, Nevada, June 1978. See the original image here.

38272-Wurf: AFSCME International President Jerry Wurf in Michigan during AFSCME Local 1390, Ingham County, strike. See the original image here.

AFL1958-Zander: AFSCME President Arnold S. Zander reports to the 1958 AFL-CIO Convention in Washington, D.C. See the original image here.

SEIU African-American Leaders in Labor

gstrassel — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 16:39:07 -0400

The SEIU African-American Leaders in Labor document is a collection of short biographies of past African-American members of the Service Employees International Union. Former SEIU International Executive Vice President Patricia Ford created the resource in 2015 to address the lack of recorded history of African Americans in the labor movement. Each page is a different biography and photo of African Americans who served as officers, local leaders, and rank and file members within SEIU. To be included in the resource, the individual must not be currently affiliated with SEIU (unless they hold “retired” status). Entries were self-written or authored by associates of the subjects. This is the second edition of The SEIU African-American Leaders in Labor.

SEIU: Local 535 Alameda Strike Scrapbook

aorchard — Thu, 02 May 2013 16:30:26 -0400

The SEIU: Local 535 Alameda County Strike Scrapbook recounts the strike launched by Alameda county employees against the county in 1976. The scrapbook is primarily composed of newspaper clippings, but also contains a poem and photograph.

(29552) Massachusettes State Employee Association Elections (Alliance)

aorchard — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 13:58:13 -0500

Members of the Massachusetts State Employee Association Elections (alliance) count ratification ballots.

(29588) Local 400, Strike, San Franciso, California, 1974

aorchard — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:21:19 -0500

Members of San Francisco Local 400 strike in front of city hall in March, 1974.

(29590) Local 111-A Sanitation Workers, Strike

aorchard — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:21:19 -0500

Caption: "Over 7,000 sanitation men picketed City Hall since October 1, in a demand for a 40hr - 5 day week. A previous "job action" in July 1951 resulted in the city giving the sanitation men a $250 bonus with retroactive pay. Six hundred police with special reserves were on hand to keep order of the militant 111-A organization. Local 111-As demand is being processed by the City officials."

(30197) Ophelia McFadden, Jim Hightower, Public Employee Convention and Lobby Day, 1991

aorchard — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 13:45:12 -0400

Ophelia McFadden with Jim Hightower at Public Employee Convention and Lobby Day, 1991.

(30198) Ophelia McFadden Speaking, Public Employee Convention and Lobby Day, 1991

aorchard — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 13:44:27 -0400

Ophelia McFadden speaks at Public Employee Convention and Lobby Day in 1991.

(30439) SEIU Locals 250, 535, and 616, Alameda County Strike

aorchard — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:27:07 -0400

Members of SEIU Locals 250, 535, and 616 strike against Alameda County.

(30440) SEIU Locals 535 and 390, Social Workers Protest for a Contract

aorchard — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:27:07 -0400

Social Workers of SEIU Locals 535 and 390 protest to obtain a better contract.

(30443) SEIU Locals 535 and 250 Protest, Alameda County, California

aorchard — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:27:07 -0400

Members of SEIU Locals 535, and 250 protest in front of the Alameda County Administration building.

(32012) AFSCME District Council 61, Shoe Auction, 1985

mcourtney — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 16:01:31 -0400

Iowa District Council 61 Director Don McKee auctions off the shoes of an AFSCME lobbyist who walked the halls of the State Capitol so much he wore holes through the soles. They brought $200 into AFSCME’s PEOPLE program in 1985.

(32013) Labor and Civil Rights Illustration, The Public Employee, 1968.

mcourtney — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 15:30:11 -0400

This cartoon celebrating the partnership between organized labor and civil rights groups in Local 1733’s sanitation worker strike was originally published in Public Employee in April, 1968.

(32014) Grand Rapids, Michigan strikers and police

mcourtney — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 16:07:49 -0400

Police surrounded these striking Grand Rapids, Michigan workers from Local 1061 with a rope and tightened it until the workers tripped.

(32801) Meeting, AFSCME workers, District Council 61, Iowa

mcourtney — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 13:45:36 -0500

A meeting takes place in an AFSCME shop in Iowa District Council 61.

(32802) Two men talk in an AFSCME shop

mcourtney — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 13:49:44 -0500

Two men joke with each other in an AFSCME shop in Iowa's District Council 61.

(32803) AFSCME District Council 37 members attend class

mcourtney — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 14:14:25 -0500

Members of AFSCME District Council 37 participate in a course related to furthering their careers.

(32825) AFSCME delegates use computers, 1996

mcourtney — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 10:41:04 -0500

Delegates to AFSCME's 1996 convention experiment with computer software in the convention booth area.

(23832) AFSCME Public Employee Ball, Kentucky, 1988

mcourtney — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 11:13:07 -0400

AFSCME Kentucky Public Employees Ball, February 1988.

(32833) AFSCME Public Employees Ball

mcourtney — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 12:24:53 -0400

A group of people poses for a photograph at the AFSCME Kentucky Public Employees Ball, February 1988.

(32834) AFSCME Public Employees Ball, Kentucky, 1988

mcourtney — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 12:27:01 -0400

AFSCME Kentucky Public Employees Ball, February 1988.

(32835) AFSCME Council 61 sign shop employees, 1998

mcourtney — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 12:37:49 -0400

AFSCME members at an Iowa sign shop pose with some of their work. March 1998.

(32836) AFSCME Council 61 sign shop employees, 1998

mcourtney — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 12:41:15 -0400

AFSCME members at an Iowa sign shop pose with some of their work. March 1998.

(46726) Detroit City Hall, Public Servants Week

scaloia — Wed, 04 May 2022 15:11:03 -0400

Front of Detroit City Hall building, with multiple people walking across the street and on the side walk in front of it, and parts of surrounding buildings also in frame. Caption on the reverse of this photograph reads: "Full view of Detroit City Hall with Public Servants Week sign." Public Servants Week was started and promoted by AFSCME in 1948 and celebrated annually until 1964.

(46727) Public Employees Week, West Virginia, 1962

scaloia — Wed, 04 May 2022 15:14:46 -0400

A person sits at a desk writing on a paper while seven other people stand behind watching. The caption on the reverse of this photograph reads: "Governor W. W. "Wally" Barron signs the proclamation designating P. E. Week in West Virginia as AFSCME members look on."

(46728) Public Employees Week, Detroit, AFSCME Council 77, 1962

scaloia — Wed, 04 May 2022 15:20:19 -0400

Two individuals hold a paper between them, which a display behind them which reads "PE Public Employees Week." They are surrounded by several other individuals.
The caption on the reverse of the image reads "Councilman Ed Connor, acting Mayor of Detroit, presents a proclamation on Public Employees Week to Robert N. Pruitt, executive vice-president and director of AFSCME Council 77, in front of an exhibit at the City-County building. Also shown (at Connor's right) is Mary Hostetler and (at Pruitt's left) William Charron and Walter Jones, business agents of the council, and Sam Gentile, city official."

(Podcast) Reevaluating Comparable Worth: AFSCME's Pay Equity Campaigns of Yesteryear and Today

teller — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 13:54:52 -0400

In celebration of Equal Pay Day on April 2, 2019, podcast host and American Federation of Teachers archivist Dan Golodner recounts a time 100 years ago when male teachers tried, and failed, to prevent female teachers from seeking pay equity with their male peers. AFSCME archivist Stefanie Caloia discusses AFSCME's groundbreaking equal pay campaigns for public employees in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in Local 101 in San Jose, California and Council 28 in Washington state. read more »

Podcast: Julia Gunn on Civil Rights Anti-Unionism: Charlotte and the Remaking of Anti-Labor Politics in the Modern South

teller — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 16:15:15 -0400

Dr. Julia Gunn explains how progressive civil rights politics enabled Charlotte, North Carolina, to become the nation’s second-largest largest financial capital while obscuring its intransigence towards working-class protest, including public sector sanitation workers, bus drivers, firefighters, and domestic workers. read more »

[Podcast] Talking Archives with AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Elissa McBride

teller — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 08:02:22 -0400

In celebration of the Reuther Library’s 50th anniversary, AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Elissa McBride reflects on the role the union’s history and archives play in current and future labor actions and organizing campaigns. read more »