Montana Historical Society
Library & Archives
RS 126_RS 498
Montana. Department of Labor
and Industry. Human Rights Division
Montana Department of Labor and Industry, Human Rights
Division records
1974-1987
2.75 linear ft
This collection is a sub-subgroup
(Bureau) of the Montana Department of Labor and Industry records, RS 498. The Human
Rights Bureau (formerly Human Rights Division) operates within Employment Standards Division
of DLI. Please see the primary finding aid for more Montana Department of
Labor and Industry records. These records of the Human Rights Bureau consist of
interoffice and general correspondence, minor financial, hearing, and legal files, minutes
of the Human Rights Commission, minutes of the Executive Committee [RESTRICTED], minutes of
the Interdepartmental Coordination Committee for Women, organizational materials, reports,
subject files and legal research files on various discrimination issues, miscellany, and
clippings.
28:4-4
English
The Montana Human Rights Division (now Human Rights Bureau) of the Montana Department
of Labor and Industry is the administrative arm of the Montana Human Rights Commission. The
Commission was created in 1974 as part of legislation designed to "prevent discrimination in
employment, public accommodations, education, and real property transactions." The five
Commission members were appointed by the governor. Complaints of discrimination were made to
the Department of Labor and Industry which then notified the Commission. The Commission was
scheduled to meet at least four times each year to hear complaints filed and take the
required action. If the Commission upheld a complaint, it could order the person accused of
discriminatory conduct to refrain from such conduct. If this failed, the Department of Labor
and Industry could then petition the district court to enforce the Commission's order by
injunction. The Division staff conducted investigations of individual cases brought before
the Commission, and did legal research into types of discrimination, current case law, and
policies in other jurisdictions.
As of 2024, the Human Rights Division is now the Human Rights Bureau and operates within
the Employment Standards Division of DLI. The Human Rights Commission continues to provide
an independent opinion on the work of the Human Rights Bureau.
Records consist of interoffice and general correspondence (1974-1987); minor financial,
hearing, and legal files; minutes of the Commission (1974-1986); minutes of the Executive
Committee (RESTRICTED); minutes of the Interdepartmental Coordinating Committee for Women
(1977); organizational materials, including organizational charts, work plans, bylaws, etc.;
reports (1977-1980); subject files and legal research files (1974-1986) on various
discrimination issues; miscellany; and clippings.
The collection is arranged by series.
Collection open for research.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical
Society. The Library & Archives does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in
the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from
the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.
In 2024, the various collections of the Montana Department of Labor and Industry were
integrated under one collection identifier, RS 498, in order to help facilitate access,
reduce redundancy in the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives catalog, and to
follow best archival practices.
Collections from Montana Department of Labor and Industry's various Divisions and Bureaus
that were previously treated as separate entities are now integrated into this collection, RS 498. Rather than reprocessing over 20 linear feet
of DLI materials, MTHS staff decided to keep the past arrangement of those
collections/finding aids and provide access to them via links in the primary finding aid.
This decision has allowed the MTHS archival staff to maintain intellectual control over the
collection, while removing the need to reprocess it. It also keeps State Agency finding aids
at manageable sizes. Please read the scope and content note carefully to determine if this
subgroup/sub-subgroup pertains to your research needs.
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers.
Montana Historical Society Library & Archives, Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information is available upon request.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society
Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places
should search under these terms.
Civil rights--Montana
Discrimination--Montana
Women--Legal status, laws, etc.
Age discrimination--Montana
People with disabilities--Legal status, laws,
etc.--Montana
Human rights--Montana
Montana
Women
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
Interoffice Correspondence
1 / 1-5
Miscellaneous (correspondents include Elsie McGarvey,
Kathe McGehee, Sidney Smith, Eleanor Parker, Raymond D. Brown, John Albrecht, Rosemay
B. Zion, John Frankino, Anne L. MacIntyre, Ken Toole, Janice Frankino Doggett)
1974-1987
General Correspondence
1 / 6
Sen. John Melcher (re age discrimination)
1987
1 / 7
Montana Attorney General
1976-1981
1 / 8-10
Montana Department of Labor and Industry
1976-1987
1 / 11
Montana Legislative Assembly
1974-1982
1 / 12
National Association of Human Rights Workers
1984, 1987
1 / 13
United States Department of Housing and Urban
Development
1986-1987
1 / 14-31
Chronological file (correspondents include wide
variety of organizations, government agencies and individuals concerning problems of
age, sex, age, race, handicapped, religion, and other discrimination, problems with
compliance, investigations, etc.)
1974-1987
Financial Records
2 / 1
Proposed budgets
1979
Hearings
2 / 2
Proposed adoption of a rule regarding adoption of
EEOC affirmative action guidelines
1980
2 / 3
Drafts and working papers for several cases before
Commission
1977-1983
Legal Documents
2 / 4
Agreements with U.S. Office of Revenue Sharing and
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
undated
Minutes
2 / 5
Executive minutes (RESTRICTED: contains sensitive
personnel information etc.)
1976-1983
2 / 6-10
Minutes, agendas, meeting announcements, etc.
1974-1986
2 / 11
Minutes: Interdepartmental Coordinating Committee for
Women
1977
Organization
2 / 12
Administrative rules
1987
2 / 13
Organizational charts, fact sheets, etc.
1975-1979
2 / 14
Proposed bylaws
undated
2 / 15
Work plans
1978, 1986-1987
Reports
2 / 16
Quarterly reports
1977-1979
2 / 17
Reports to Legislative Finance Committee
1977-1980
Subject Files (includes Legal Research)
2 / 18
Age discrimination
1976-1982
2 / 19-20
Business rights
1976-1986
2 / 21
Class and systematic discrimination
1976
2 / 22
Constructive discharge
1980
2 / 23
Discovery of agency materials
1978-1981
2 / 24
Equal pay
1979-1981
2 / 25
Richard Fanestil complaint
1978
2 / 26-27
Handicapped
1980-1982
2 / 28
Handicapped public accommodations (briefs in several
out-of-state cases)
1976
2 / 29
Housing discrimination
1981-1982
2 / 30
Independent right of action
1979-1981
2 / 31
Insurance (mostly re maternity coverage and uni-sex
auto insurance)
1985-1986
2 / 32
Letters of appreciation
1981-1982
2 / 33
Management by objectives
1979-1980
2 / 34
Maternity leave
1977-1980
2 / 35
Political belief discrimination
1981
3 / 1
Pregnancy
1979-1981
3 / 2
Procedural questions and administrative law
1980
3 / 3
Proposed Affirmative Action rules
1980
3 / 4
Religious discrimination
1980
3 / 5
Remedies (includes attorney fees)
1978-1980
3 / 6
Res judicata
undated
3 / 7
Retaliation
1979
3 / 8
Retroactivity
undated
3 / 9
Sexual harassment
1981
3 / 10
Statutes of limitation
1980-1981
3 / 11
Sunset legislation: proposed issue brief and final
review
1980
3 / 12
Veterans
undated
Miscellany
3 / 13
Affirmative Action Guideline Revision Committee
presentation
1980
3 / 14
Board of Crime Control and State Library bylaws (sent
for EEO evaluation?)
1972, 1975
3 / 15
Case list against state agencies
undated
3 / 16
Case log
1975-1986
3 / 17-19
Case reports (lists of cases closed, withdrawn,
conciliated, and open)
1977-1986
3 / 20
Civil rights bibliography: State Law Library
1982
3 / 21
Flathead Industries for the Handicapped affirmative
action plan and report
1979-1980
3 / 22
Form letters and form legal documents
undated
4 / 1
"Guidelines issued by state anti-discrimination
agencies"
1976
4 / 2
Helena Chamber of Commerce Wage Distortion Committee
1979
4 / 3
Human rights guides
circa 1977
4 / 4
Indian education statistics
1974
4 / 5
Indian Resource Information Coalition minutes
1976
4 / 6
Department of Labor and Industry annual report
1978
4 / 7
Legislative history of Human Rights Act
1973-1975
4 / 8
Montana Public Employment Relations Services Review
and Evaluation Team report
1981
4 / 9
Miscellaneous (labelled "Commission meeting" but is
not)
1984
4 / 10
Miscellaneous (includes Governor's proclamations;
"Startling Statements"; annual EEO Conference program, 1986)
1984-1986
Clippings
4 / 11
Miscellaneous (includes employment statistics for
Indians; Human Rights Commission budget; sexual harassment)
1978-1984