Tyree Scott (1940-2003) was a labor leader and activist deeply involved in many minority workers’ and equal opportunity organizations.
Scott, an electrician grew up in Texas and served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. He moved to Seattle in 1966 and became a leader in the Central Contractors Association. In 1970, Scott was a founding member of United Construction Workers Association.. He later served as a director. The United Construction Workers Association combined community organization, peaceful demonstrations, and legal action to fight workplace discrimination.
In 1973, Michael Woo of the United Construction Workers Association worked among Asian and Alaska Native cannery workers who lived in Seattle but worked summers in the salmon processing plants in Alaska. From this work, the Alaska Cannery Workers Association was formed to combat discrimination in worker housing, facilities, pay scales and hire status. The Alaska Cannery Workers Association filed Title VII lawsuits against the world’s largest fish companies, including the New England Fish Company and Ward's Cove Packing Company.
Also in 1973, members of United Construction Workers Association, Alaska Cannery Workers Association, and the Northwest Chapter of United Farm Workers of America came together to found the Labor and Employment Law Office. Labor and Employment Law Office hired lawyers and served workers of color, helping them pursue legal recourse in issues of labor discrimination. From its inception, Tyree Scott served on the board of directors of Labor and Employment Law Office.
While Labor and Employment Law Office had always combined its legal work with participation in community organization, the focus was primarily on court action in the early years of its operation. However, in 1989, the Supreme Court’s decision in the long-contested Antonio vs. Ward’s Cove case constituted a major shift in the pursuit of discrimination cases and in Labor and Employment Law Office’s operations. In the Ward's Cove case, the Court’s decision was that the plaintiffs’ statistical demonstration of racial disparity between classes of workers did not make a prima facie case for violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. This set a new precedent for the burden of proof in Civil Rights cases and vastly increased the difficulty of workers pursuing discrimination charges under Title VII.
Tyree Scott became less involved in the activities of the United Construction Workers Association in the late seventies, and the organization faded out of existence around 1981. Tyree Scott retired from the electrician’s trade and remained active as a board member for the Labor and Employment Law Office until his death in 2003.
The collection includes photographs and slides relating to the
activities of Tyree Scott and the United Construction Workers Association
(UCWA). Included are images from Tyree Scott and Michael Woo’s trip to China in
1975, a trip to Cuba in 1975, and various demonstrations including Bakke
Decision protests in 1977. Images related to the Ward’s Cove Supreme Court case
and Frank's Landing are also included, as well as images from 1978 editions of
the publication
Entire collection can be viewed on the Libraries’ Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials Curator required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.
Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.
Donor: Tyree Scott, June 20, 2001.
Processed by Erin Briggs and Erin Berg; processing completed in June 2012.
Photographs were relocated from the Tyree Scott Papers (MSS Accession No. 5245-001) on April 23, 2002.
20 slides from Tyree Scott's service in the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam in July, 1966. Images depict time lapse explosion on barren hills in slides 1-4, men in military uniforms including Tyree Scott in slides 19 and 20, Vietnamese people traveling in vans and trucks in slides 9 and 10, and the Vietnamese countryside.
Slides are deteriorating, tinted red.
13 slides depicting male and female construction workers laying bricks, nailing wood planks, and digging dirt, as well as images of scaffolding and a narrow dirt tunnel.
12 slides depicting male and female factory workers working with large machinery and garment workers using sewing machines.
8 slides depicting female nurses, an open heart surgery procedure on a male patient, and a general examination of another male patient.
21 slides depicting waterscapes, Chinese countrysides, statues of Chairman Mao and soldiers in Zhongshan Square, an airport, and various unknown structures.
15 slides depicting Chinese people drinking tea, doing Tai Chi exercises, playing musical instruments, riding bicycles, walking in gardens, and dressed in festive costumes.
10 slides depicting Chinese children dancing, dressed in festive costumes, holding their noses, and playing basketball and badminton.
11 slides depicting young male and female construction workers of various ethnicities stacking tiles, shoveling dirt, and laying bricks outdoors.
4 slides depicting an anti-imperialist parade in Plaza de la Revolución in Havana, Cuba and an anti-imperialist meeting of young men and women with a banner advocating solidarity against imperialism.
14 slides depicting urban streets, Cuban countrysides, a beach, and a three-panel mural during and after creation.
19 slides depicting people of various ethnicities playing guitars during a pro-revolution meeting, riding and deboarding a bus, at cookouts, and playing volleyball. In many images, people are wearing shirts with a "TBV" logo, with a star in the "T".
12 slides depicting interiors and exterior views of factories and warehouses.
10 slides depicting exterior views of housing, and interior views including kitchen cupboard, hallways, hanging clothing, and art on walls.
11 slides depicting toilets, showers, sinks, laundry machines, and pipes.
9 slides depicting grassy slopes, streams, and larger bodies of water near Ward's Cove.
6 slides depicting men of various ages working and living at Ward's Cove. Most men appear to be of Asian descent.
6 black and white slides depicting Chicano, African-American, and Native American men and women at UCWA office.
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978) was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States that ruled unconstitutional the admission process of the Medical School at the University of California at Davis, which set aside 16 of the 100 seats for African American students. Many proponents of Affirmative Action opposed the ruling.
Contact sheets and negatives for 37 photographs depicting people marching, holding protest signs, and gathering on the steps of the United States Courthouse in Seattle, Washington. Includes prints for items 202/6, 202/13, 202/15, 202/19, 202/24, 202/25, 202/26, 202/27, 202/28, 202/34, 202/35 and 202/36.
Contact sheet and negatives for 14 photographs depicting people marching, holding protest signs, and gathering on the steps of the United States Courthouse in Seattle, Washington. Includes prints for items 203/0, 203/1, 203/2, 203/3 203/9 and 203/11.
4 black and white photographs depicting Tyree Scott speaking to people of various ethnicities in front of the United States Courthouse in Seattle, Washington.
21 color photographs depicting people of various ethnicities marching, holding protest signs and megaphones in Seattle, Washington. One image depicts Tyree Scott in a red shirt and tan hooded sweatshirt.
Image includes signs reading: "Down with Reagan - Chieftain of Capitalist Reaction", "Pass E.R.A.", "No Way on 3-Way", "Jobs for All", "Tax the Rich, Not the Poor".
Image includes signs reading: "Tax the Corporations", "Free Pilar!", "Jobs for All", "Alaska Cannery Workers Assoiciation".
Image depicts young people of various ethnicities marching with flags.
Digitized versions of No Separate Peace can be viewed at:
Robert "Spider" Gaines was a wide receiver on the University of Washington football team from 1975-1978.
An inteview with Gaines was included in the publication
The Central Area Motivation Program (CAMP) was founded in 1964 as part of the first generation of community-inspired organizations funded by the Economic Opportunity Act. The building is located at 722 18th Ave, Seattle WA 98122.
An article about CAMP was included in the publication
On March 11, 1978, approximately 80 people came together to commemorate International Women's Day.
The event was covered in the publication
On April 1, 1978, auto mechanics in the Seattle area led a march through the north area of downtown Seattle.
The march was covered in the publication
Man in foreground is carrying a sign that says "Concerned Citizens Support Auto Trades."
Men in foreground are carrying signs that say "On Strike / Boycott / Struck Auto Dealers."
Note on accompanying material: Brazil, 1995, [was at WTO Seattle].
Note on accompanying material: Rosa Cadeo (sp), (in flowered dress + black sweater), Dominican --- works for garment workers, (organized underground).
Note on verso: Tutu present at mtg, Chicago?
Frank's Landing is an area on the Nisqually River in southern Puget Sound. Labor activists including Tyree Scott and Roberto Maestas visited Frank's Landing to support the Indian fishing rights movement.
Note on verso: Tyee S @ Frank's Landing.
Note on verso: Juan Bocanegro (?) @ Frank's Landing.
Sylvia Kimora (second from the left) and Leslie Roberts (third from the right) were both speakers at the conference.
Word bubble stating "SEND ME YOUR MINORITIES." affixed to photograph.
Contact sheet and negatives for 20 photographs.