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Jeffrey Johnson papers, 1912-2018

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Johnson, Jeff, 1951-
Title
Jeffrey Johnson papers
Dates
1912-2018 (inclusive)
1986-2018 (bulk)
Quantity
32.52 cubic feet (30 boxes)
Collection Number
6390 (Accession No. 6390-001)
Summary
Papers of a labor activist and president of the Washington State Labor Council
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

Access to portions of the collection is restricted. No user access copy is available for floppy discs and CDs. Users may be able to obtain a reproduction of the media for a fee. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Request at UW

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Jeff Johnson was born in Long Island, New York, in 1951. Johnson earned his B.A. in political science from Georgetown University and his M.A. and A.B.D. in political economy from the New School for Social Research. At Georgetown University he became involved in Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam War movements. Johnson began his union career in New York, N.Y. as a member of Local 2190 of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in 1979. He worked as a teacher of labor economics and labor studies for members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 3. Johnson also taught classes for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU), Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU). Johnson taught classes for the National Congress of Neighborhood Women and worked as faculty at the Harry Van Arsdale Center for Labor Studies at State University of New York (SUNY) and the The National Labor College.

In 1986, Johnson drove across the country with his wife and began working for the Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) as the Research Director. He also served as the shop steward for the WSLC’s unionized employees in the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), Local 8 from 1988-1993. Early in his career, Johnson was introduced to Tomas Villanueva, the president of the newly formed United Farm Workers (UFW) in Washington. At the time, farmworkers were not protected by minimum wage, pesticide control, or child labor laws, and they were ineligible for unemployment insurance or workers' compensation. Johnson and Villanueva worked together over a five year period to establish child labor and health and safety protections specifically for farmworkers, and they also ran minimum wage and workers' compensation initiatives. In addition, they launched a lawsuit to include farmworkers in unemployment insurance programs. In 1992, Johnson and Villanueva worked with Chicano activist and lawyer Guadalupe Gamboa and his uncle, a professor at the University of Washington, to write a collective bargaining bill for farmworkers in Washington, modeled after the California Labor Relations Act.

In 1993, Johnson became the WSLC’s Lead Lobbyist following changes in WSLC leadership due to the election of Mike Lowry as Washington governor. In 1998, he spearheaded another minimum wage initiative, creating a broad coalition of community organizations to back the campaign. Johnson was also involved in the WSLC's work around immigration reform and efforts to connect with the Latino community, including by affiliating with CASA Latina. Johnson assumed the role of Special Assistant to the President in 2008, while remaining the lead lobbyist.

In 2010, Johnson was elected president of the WSLC and served two terms before retiring in 2018. During his time as president, Johnson was involved in much of the community outreach and coalition building from before. The WSLC, under his leadership, supported the first campaigns to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, first in SeaTac then in Seattle. He also promoted efforts to address issues of racism in labor and worked with state legislators on climate justice initiatives.

Johnson is still active in Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA), the Board of Labor Network for Sustainability, and other local causes.

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Content Description

This collection contains Jeff Johnson’s professional files from his 32 year career at the Washington State Labor Council (WSLC). There is a large amount of news articles, research materials, and legislation related to labor issues spearheaded by Johnson including workers’ compensation, unemployment benefits, minimum wage, worker privacy, job training, child labor, healthcare, farmworker issues, and “green” jobs. There are also files relating to coalitions with other organizations, including CASA Latina and Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA), as well as lobbying groups and Political Action Committees (PAC’s) that the WSLC was involved in. In addition, this collection contains files from Johnson’s involvement in the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), Local 8. This collection would be of particular interest to researchers interested in contemporary labor issues, labor legislation, lobbying, farmworker organizing, labor and climate, and the activities of the WSLC.

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Other Descriptive Information

Forms part of the Labor Archives of Washington.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Creator's copyrights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged in 6 series.

  • SERIES I, LABOR ISSUES AND LEGISLATION, 1912-2017
    • Subseries A: Legislation - General, 1975-2015, Bulk 1992-2015
    • Subseries B: Child Labor, 1985-1997, Bulk 1990-1997
    • Subseries C: Healthcare, 1995-2017
    • Subseries D: Lobbying, 1994-2005, Bulk 1998-2005
    • Subseries E: Minimum Wage, 1979-2014, Bulk 1987-2005
    • Subseries F: Tax Reform, 1994-2016, Bulk 1994-2006
    • Subseries G: Trade, 1986-2014. Bulk 1995-2005
    • Subseries H: Workers’ Compensation, 1912-2017, Bulk 1995-2011
    • Subseries I: Unemployment, 1983-2011, Bulk 1993-2011
    • Subseries J: Subject Files: Labor Issues, 1972-2009, Bulk 1987-2006
  • SERIES II, PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA, 1932-2013
    • Subseries A: Washington State Labor Council Publications, 1992-2008, Bulk 1992-2005
    • Subseries B: Publications by Other Entities, 1932-2013, Bulk 1971-2013
  • SERIES III, LABOR SUMMER SCHOOL, 1981-1997
  • SERIES IV, REPORTS OF THE SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT, 1941-2012
  • SERIES V, OFFICE AND PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION ORGANIZING COMMITTEE FILES, 1977-2014
  • SERIES VI, JOHNSON'S PRESIDENTIAL FILES, 1947-2018
    • Subseries A: Correspondence, 2011-2017
    • Subseries B: Subject Files: Committees, Boards, and Issues, 1994-2017, Bulk 2011-2016
    • Subseries C: Climate Issues, 2010-2017, Bulk 2011-2012
    • Subseries D: WSLC Conventions, Resolutions, Meetings, 2003-2018, Bulk 2011-2018
    • Subseries E: Subject Files: Labor Issues, 1947-2017, Bulk 2010-2017

Acquisition Information

Donated by Jeff Johnson, 2022.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

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Subject Terms

  • Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names

    • Labor Archives of Washington (University of Washington) (host institution)


2023 (Last modified: 4/26/2023)

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