Jonathan Rosenblum papers, 1993-2006

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Rosenblum, Jonathan, 1961-
Title
Jonathan Rosenblum papers
Dates
1993-2006 (inclusive)
Quantity
1 cubic foot (1 box)
Collection Number
5719 (Accession No. 5719-001)
Summary
Records related to community and labor organization, primarily in Washington state
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Open to all users.

Request at UW

Languages
English
Sponsor
Processing paid for by the Labor Archives Fund, Labor Archives of Washington

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Jonathan Rosenblum is a political planner and labor organizer for local and regional campaigns.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Records related to:

  • Rosenblum's involvement as founding organizer with Washington State Jobs With Justice (WSJWJ) including founding and organizational documents, 1993-1997. Including media clips, governing documents, and meeting notes. WSJSJ employed direct action civil disobedience tactics, working closely with the King County Labor Council to build labor unity and militancy and were part of the local labor movements’ resurgence in the 1990s that culminated in the World Trade Organization protests in 1999.
  • Rosenblum's role as an organizer for the Union Cities Campaign, King County Labor Council, AFL-CIO, 1996-1997. Union Cities was a program launched by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney after he was elected, aimed at rebuilding labor strength and the labor movement’s ability to mobilize and organize through local labor councils. Documents here are both local and national Union Cities materials that describe the first year of the program.
  • The formation of WashTech, 1997. In September 1997, three Microsoft "perma-temps" walked into the King County Labor Council and said they wanted to organize a union, inspiring what would become WashTech, now affiliated with the Communications Workers of America. Rosenblum staffed the initial effort to organize high tech workers; no existing union would commit to figuring out how to organize high tech "perma-temps." WashTech began within the King County Central Labor Council. These documents include materials from the organization's initial meetings and strategic discussions about forming a union within a largely unorganized industry.
  • Rosenblum's directorship of Seattle Union Now, AFL-CIO, 1997-2001. Part of a nationwide AFL-CIO organizing campaign in selected cities, Seattle was one of the first four national sites chosen, Seattle Union Now (SUN), was a joint project of the AFL-CIO, the King County Labor Council, and local and international unions. SUN worked with local affiliates to organize workers on a large scale, building local union capacity, and training a new generation of member-activists and organizers. During the project's three and a half year span, SUN helped unions to organize workers in a wide range of industries (including UW graduate students). The documents include founding materials, meeting notes, and reports.
  • The World Trade Organization protests, November 1999. As director of SUN, Rosenblum was closely involved in labor’s preparations for the WTO protests during the week of action. The records document his role in helping to create a coalition between SUN and Direct Action Network, environmentalists, international activists and students. Also recorded in the records is community’s collective response to the the Seattle mayor’s attempt to suspend free speech rights in downtown Seattle; the mass sit-in outside the King County Jail at the end of the week; and the drawn-out legal aftermath stemming from the police reaction and the mass arrests of activists. Some of the records include affidavits from legal proceedings following the WTO protests.
  • The Florida Recount, November 2000. Rosenblum was one of many AFL-CIO staff people sent to Florida immediately after the November 2000 election to assist with ballot recount efforts. Rosenblum performed ballot recovery and did outreach to synagogues in Palm Beach and Broward counties, serving as a ballot observer in Broward County. The documents include his notes from community outreach work, original materials from the Broward recount canvass, and an email diary he sent home to friends during his 3 weeks in Florida.
  • The WTO Anniversary Protest, November 2000. Rosenblum played a prominent role in the November 30, 2000 WTO anniversary protest as the King County Central Labor Council’s liaison with the city; working to ensure a peaceful demonstration without the level of confrontation of the previous year. The mood of the protest shifted when somone threw a bottle at a police officer. In retaliation, more than 140 protestors were arrested. Mayor Paul Schell intervened once the arrests happened and tried to release Rosenblum and two other labor leaders without charges while charging all of the other protesters. This became a controversy among newspaper editorialists and subsequently turned into a political problem for Mayor Schell. The records document the negotiations of Rosenblum and the rest of the labor contingent inside the jail with the jail director to win release of children who had been arrested in the street sweep. The documents include Rosenblum's statements and affidavits.
  • Rosenblum's "Pro-Israel" rally arrest and of the subsequent fallout in the Jewish community, 2002. On April 30, 2002 Rosenblum and Rabbi Drorah Setel were arrested at a "pro-Israel" rally in the public plaza outside the federal building in downtown Seattle for holding up signs that called for equal human rights for Israelis and Palestinians. The rally, organized by major Jewish organizations to promote Israel and the rights of Jews, asked police to arrest the counterprotesters. Once inside the jail, Rosenblum and Setel insisted on getting charged so that they could defend free speech rights, while outside the leader of the local Anti-Defamation League--one of the rally organizers--demanded that the police to release them without charge. Rosenblum and Setel were released and the charges were dropped, but the event created a firestorm in the Seattle Jewish community on the meaning of free speech. The the ensuing controversy, the editor of the local Jewish newspaper was fired and a local Jewish labor leader was criticized by more conservative elements of the community for siding with the two arrested activists. This series includes news clippings, affidavits.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

The creators' literary rights have been transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Arranged by subject.

Acquisition Information

Donor: Jonathan Rosenblum, March 21, 2012

Processing Note

Processed by Elizabeth Russell; processing completed in 2012.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

 

Series I: King County Labor Council, 1994-2001Return to Top

Series I includes promotional material for the Union Cities Campaign,correspondence, notes, and an organizing plan as well as material related to the National Labor Council Conference of 1996.

Container(s) Description Dates
Union Cities Campaign
Box/Folder
1/1
Union Cities Campaignp planning materials
1994-2001
1/2
Union Cities Campaign promotional material
1994-2001
National Labor Council Conference
1996
Box/Folder
1/3
Information given to National Labor Council Conference attendees
1996
1/4
Preliminary Report of the Working Sessions
1996

Series II: WashTech, 1997Return to Top

Container(s): Box-folder 1/5

Series II includes articles, correspondence, notes, and letters of comment to the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries on the proposed amendment WAC 296-128-535.

Series III: Washington State Jobs with Justice (WSJWJ), 1994-1998Return to Top

Series III includes general information about WSJWJ, agendas, minutes, and notes from officer meetings and steering committee meetings, and press clippings related to the organization.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/6
WSJWJ General Information
1995-1997
WSJWJ Officers
1994-1997
Box/Folder
1/7
Officer Meeting Minutes and Notes
1994-1995
1/8
Officer Meeting Minutes and Notes, Part I
1996-1997
1/9
Officer Meeting Minutes and Notes, Part II
1996-1997
WSJWJ Steering Committee
1993-1998
Box/Folder
1/10
Steering Committee Meeting Agenda, Minutes, and Notes
1994-1995
1/11
Steering Committee Meeting Agenda, Minutes, and Notes
1995-1997
1/12
Steering Committee Meeting Agenda, Minutes, and Notes
1996-1998
1/13
Steering Committee Meeting Agenda, Minutes, and Notes
1995-1997
Box/Folder
1/14
WSJWJ Press Clippings
1993-1995

Series IV: World Trade Organization (WTO) Protests, 1999 and WTO Anniversary Protests, 2000, 1999-2006Return to Top

Series IV contains legal correspondence and written depositions, correspondence, press clippings, and other material related to WTO protests in Seattle, police reaction and arrests of protesters, and subsequent controversy.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/15
AFL-CIO Planning for WTO Protests
1999
1/16
ACLU Report on WTO Protests
2000
Lawsuits Concerning WTO Protests and WTO Anniversary Protests
2000-2006
Box/Folder
1/17
Lawsuits on WTO Protests
2000-2006
1/18
Lawsuits on WTO Anniversary Protests
2000-2004
Press Clippings
1999-2001
Box/Folder
1/19
Press Clippings on WTO Protests
1999
1/20
Press Clippings on WTO Protests
1999
1/21
Press Clippings on WTO Anniversary Protests
2000-2001

Series V: Seattle Union Now, 1997-2001Return to Top

Series V contains documents concerning organization and operations of Seattle Union Now and bi-weekly reports of staff.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/22
Founding Documents
1997-2001
1/23
Staff Bi-Weekly Reports
Also includes publication: Organizing Success in Seattle.
2000-2001

Series VI: Florida Recount, 2000Return to Top

Series VI contains notes, documentation, ephemera, and photographs related to the Florida vote recount during the 2000 presidential election.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/24
Recount Planning and Operations Information
Includes staff notes, copy of Supreme Court of Florida decision, recount instructions, and press clippings.
2000
1/25
Recount Ephemera
Includes AFL-CIO stickers and Democratic Party and GOP observer badges.
2000
1/26
Recount Photographs
Includes photographic prints and negatives of a rally at the West Palm Beach Emergency Operation Center for the recount on November 26, 2000.
2000

Series VII: "Pro-Israel" Rally Arrests, 2002Return to Top

Series VII includes arrest documents, correspondence and press clippings related to the arrest of protesters, including Jonathan Rosenblum, at the "Pro-Israel" Rally on April 30, 2002.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/27
Documents and Correspondence Concerning Arrests
2002
1/28
Press Clippings
2002

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Personal Names

  • Rosenblum, Jonathan, 1961---Archives

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names
    • Labor Archives of Washington (University of Washington) (creator)

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)