WAUBuildingAndConstruction2299.xml Guide to the Seattle Building & Construction Trades Council Records Building and Construction Trades Council Records Finding aid prepared by Midori Okazaki Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries 2005 (Last modified: 8/30/2021)

Allen Library BOX 352900 Seattle, Washington 98195-2900 Business Number: 206-543-1929 speccoll@uw.edu http://www.lib.washington.edu/specialcollections/

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-03-20. Description is written in: English, Latin script. Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard), 2nd Edition. Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries Seattle Building & Construction Trades Council records Building & Construction Trades Council (Seattle, Wash.) 2299 21.42 cubic feet 1942-1974 Records of a Seattle labor organization involved in discrimination lawsuit and contract negotiations English

The Seattle Building & Construction Trades Council coordinates the efforts of local unions in the building trades, including contract negotiations with employer organizations and apprenticeship and training programs. It was formerly the Seattle Building Trades Council. Following the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Executive Order 11246, requiring equal employment opportunities in federally funded construction projects, the low numbers of minority workers in the constructions trades became a target of scrutiny. In Seattle and other cities across the country, there were efforts to increase minority membership in the building trade unions. As part of Seattle's participation in the federal Model Cities Program, Seattle issued affirmative action guidelines in 1969 for contractors seeking city contracts. The Seattle Urban League developed a program called Labor Education and Advancement Project, or LEAP. The Washington State Labor Council endorsed the establishment an apprenticeship "Outreach" program, to be funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and operated locally by the Seattle Opportunities Industrialization Center. The Seattle Building and Construction Trades Council favored instead a program with the Apprenticeship Information Center. Construction industry employers formed Affirmative Minority Construction Opportunity, Inc., to implement its minority hiring plan. None of these programs enjoyed the support of all of the industry, labor, and community interests needed for success.

In the meantime, community-based organizations were staging protests and fighting in the courts. In fall 1969, several lawsuits resulted when protests by community activists at publicly financed construction sites led to work stoppages. In October 1969, the U.S. Department of Justice brought suit against four buildings trade union locals and three apprenticeship and training committees under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In the suit, U.S. v. Ironworkers Local 86, et al., the Justice Department alleged that the practices of named unions and apprenticeship committees for admission, training, and job referrals discriminated against blacks. On June 16, 1970, U.S. District Judge William Lindberg found that the defendants did discriminate against black workers and ordered a variety of relief measures. To implement the relief measures, Judge Lindberg ordered the formation of an advisory committee comprised of representatives from the construction industry, unions, and community organizations. The Court Order Advisory Committee first met in July 1970. Austin St. Laurent, the executive secretary of the Seattle Building & Construction Trades Council, was a member of the committee.

Organized into 2 accessions.

Accession No. 2299-001, Seattle Building & Construction Trades Council records, 1959-1974 Accession No. 2299-002, Seattle Building and Construction Trades Council records, 1942-1958

Minutes, Correspondence, Financial records, Agreements, Bylaws, Court papers.

Access restricted. Contact the Special Collections division of the University of Washington Libraries for details.

Request at UW

Rights have not been transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Wikidata is available for this collection

St. Laurent, Austin AFL-CIO. King County Labor Council of Washington Building & Construction Trades Council (Seattle, Wash.)--Archives King County (Wash.). Affirmative Action Advisory Committee King County (Wash.). Housing Authority Labor Archives of Washington (University of Washington) Seattle Building Trades Council Seattle Building Trades Council--Archives University of Washington--Employees Washington (State). Higher Education Personnel Board Washington (State). Superior Court (King County) Washington State Board Against Discrimination Affirmative action programs--Washington (State) Apprentices--Washington (State) Building trades--Employees--Labor unions--Washington (State) Building trades--Washington (State) Collective bargaining--Construction industry--Washington (State) Collective labor agreements--Construction industry Collective labor agreements--Washington (State) Construction industry--Washington (State) Construction workers--Labor unions--Washington (State)--Seattle County courts--Washington (State) Courts--Washington (State) Discrimination in employment--Washington (State) Education, Higher--Personnel management Housing authorities--Washington (State) Labor unions--Washington (State)--Seattle Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington) Labor History Labor Unions Washington (State) Business, Industry, and Labor Civil Rights Civil Procedure and Courts Accession No. 2299-001: Seattle Building & Construction Trades Council records, 1959-1974 4 cubic feet

Scope and Content: The Building & Construction Trades Council (Seattle, Wash.) records document the activities of the council in the 1960s and early 1970s. Over half of the accession is related to competing efforts to increase minority participation in the building trade unions in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Correspondence, case files, minutes, court files, subject files, and other records relate to the council's role in negotiations with employers regarding such issues as affirmative action and apprenticeship programs with the King County, Washington, Superior Court and the University of Washington. The various committees and plans, which sought to resolve issues out of court with the aid of federal funds, are documented in the General Correspondence series. These files contain a mix of correspondence to, from, and about the referenced entity as well as other related materials. Such plans include the Philadelphia Plan, which was the Nixon Administration's prototype envisioned for adoption across the country; the Seattle Urban League's LEAP Plan; and the Menasco Plan, which was the basis for construction industry employers' minority hiring program. The Seattle Building & Construction Trades Council's own efforts are documented in files titled "Outreach" and "Outreach Program."

Materials related to U.S. v. Ironworkers Local 86, which the council referred to internally as Court Case #8618 (after its civil case number), can be found in the General Correspondence and the Case Files series. The Court Order Advisory Committee subgroup contains general correspondence, minutes, bylaws, and court papers of the committee. The Miscellany file in this subgroup appears to have been maintained personally by Austin St. Laurent. While the committee continued to work into the mid-1970s, no documents in this subgroup are dated later than 1972. Because the committee existed to implement the court's order, material related to the advisory committee can also be found in the Court Case #8618 files. Likewise, the Court Order Advisory Committee subgroup contains materials on the court case.

The remainder of the collection focuses on other aspects of the council's work. These materials date from the early 1960s through the mid-1970s. The General Correspondence series includes files regarding the University of Washington and the Washington State Higher Education Personnel Board (HEP Board) that document the council's representation of University of Washington employees. The HEP Board files contains minutes from many of the board meetings from 1969 to 1974 as well as memoranda and correspondence. There are also subject files on issues of interest to organized labor, including situs picketing and President Nixon's suspension of prevailing wage regulations. These files contain correspondence and other materials.

Also included are materials relating to the King County Affirmative Action Advisory Committee, the King County Central Labor Council, the King County Housing Authority, and Washington State Board Against Discrimination.

Restrictions on Access: Access restricted. Contact the Special Collections division of the University of Washington Libraries for details.

Restrictions on Use: Literary rights have not been transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Acquisition Info: Records were given to the Libraries by the Seattle Building & Construction Trades Council on August 9, 1974.

Processing Info: Processed by Midori Okazaki. Processing completed in 2005.

U.S. Department of Labor Brochure digitized for Web-accessible finding aid housed in Box 2/11. E. Inlow, 3/15/2005

Series I, Administrative Records 1964-1974 Subseries A, General Correspondence Associated General Contractors - Proposals - Minority Training 1969-1970 2299-001 Box 1 1 Environmental Health Problems 1967-1969 2299-001 Box 1 2 Equal Employment 1964-1971 2299-001 Box 1 3 Evans, Daniel J. 1970-1971 2299-001 Box 1 4 Housing - Low Income Housing for Elderly, etc. 1966-1971 2299-001 Box 1 5 King County Affirmative Action Advisory Committee 1968 1971-1972 2299-001 Box 1 6 King County Executive [and] Council 1969-1974 2299-001 Box 1 7 Legislation: HB 239 (re. Minority Training) 1970 2299-001 Box 1 8 Menasco Plan 1970 2299-001 Box 1 9 Outreach Program Apprenticeship - Apprenticeship Standards 1970 2299-001 Box 1 10-11 Apprenticeship - Proposed Legislation 1970 2299-001 Box 1 12 Drafts 1970-1973 2299-001 Box 1 13 Miscellaneous 1969-1970 2299-001 Box 1 14-16 University of Washington Apprenticeship and Training Programs 1968-1971 2299-001 Box 1 17-18 Negotiations 1969 1968-1969 2299-001 Box 1 19 Rules File 1961-1968 2299-001 Box 1 20-21 Second Election 1967-1969 2299-001 Box 1 22 Miscellaneous 1971-1974 2299-001 Box 1 23-24 Subseries B, Case Files: Court Case #8618: U.S. v. Local 86 Briefs 1970 2299-001 Box 1 25 Related Cases 1969-1970 2299-001 Box 1 26 Transcripts (of Court Proceedings) 1970-1971 2299-001 Box 2 1-2 Miscellaneous 1969-1973 2299-001 Box 2 3-7 Subseries C, Contracts 1969 Contracts 1969 2299-001 Box 2 8 Subseries D, Conferences and Conventions Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council 1971 Convention 1971 2299-001 Box 2 9 Subseries E, Authorization Cards 1968, 1972 University of Washington 1968, 1972 2299-001 Box 2 10 Subseries F, Subject Series Davis-Bacon and Prevailing Wages 1959-1972 2299-001 Box 2 11 Drugs 1965-1968 2299-001 Box 2 12 Philadelphia Plan 1969-1970 2299-001 Box 2 13 Seattle Model City Program 1986-1970 2299-001 Box 2 14 Seattle Opportunities Industrial Center 1966-1971 2299-001 Box 2 15 Seattle Urban League - LEAP Program 1969 2299-001 Box 2 16 Seattle Urban League - Operation Breakthrough Proposal 1969 2299-001 Box 2 17 Sign Ordinance 1973 2299-001 Box 2 18 Situs Picketing Bill 1960-1967 2299-001 Box 2 19 Wage Stabilization 1971 2299-001 Box 2 20 Washington (State) Board Against Discrimination 1962-1970 2299-001 Box 2 21 Washington (State) Department of Labor and Industries 1961-1972 2299-001 Box 2 22 Washington (State) Employment Security Department - Unemployment Compensation Insurance Legislation 1969 1970 2299-001 Box 3 1 Washington (State) Employment Security Department - Workmen's Compensation Law 1971 1971 2299-001 Box 3 2 Washington (State) Higher Education Personnel Board 1969-1974 2299-001 Box 3 3-14 Washington (State) Legislature 1971-1974 2299-001 Box 3 15-16 Washington State Ferries 1970 2299-001 Box 3 17 Washington State Labor Council 1970-1974 2299-001 Box 3 18 Series II, Court Order Advisory Committee 1970-1972 By-laws 1970 2299-001 Box 4 1 General Correspondence 1970-1972 2299-001 Box 4 2-3 Minutes 1970-1972 2299-001 Box 4 4-6 Court Papers 1970-1972 2299-001 Box 4 7 Miscellany 1970-1971 2299-001 Box 4 8 Series III, AFL-CIO, King County Labor Council 1964-1973 Organizational Features 1964, 1970-1973 2299-001 Box 4 9 General Correspondence 1969-1973 2299-001 Box 4 10 Subject Series Affirmative Action 1968-1972 2299-001 Box 4 11-14 Manpower and Veterans Assistance Committee Affirmative Action Plan 1971-1972 2299-001 Box 4 15 Series IV, Seattle-King County Plan Advisory Committee 1971-1974 General Correspondence 1971-1974, undated 2299-001 Box 4 16-17 Minutes 1971-1974 2299-001 Box 4 18 Reports 1972-1974 2299-001 Box 4 19 Contracts 1971-1973, undated 2299-001 Box 4 20 Subject Series Affirmative Action Agreement - Articles of Incorporation 1971-1972 2299-001 Box 4 21-22 Seattle-King County Plan 1973 2299-001 Box 4 23 Clippings 1971, undated 2299-001 Box 4 24 Miscellany 1971, undated 2299-001 Box 4 25 Series V, Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council 1972-1974 Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council 2299-001 Box 4 26 Accession No. 2299-002: Seattle Building and Construction Trades Council records, 1942-1958 17.42 cubic feet

Scope and Content: Minutes, correspondence and financial records

Restrictions on Access: Open to all users

Restrictions on Use: Literary rights transferred

Acquisition Info: Lee Newgent, Executive Secretary 3/25/2014

Processing Info: Materials are boxed in the order they were received. Folders are well-labelled, but series are often out of order. Incoming materials were reboxed into clean, archival cartons.

Series I, Minutes 1946-1953

Scope and Content: Includes minutes of Board meetings and Council Meetings

Minutes 1946-1953 2299-002 Box 1 Minutes 1946-1953 2299-002 Box 2 Series II, General Correspondence 1942-1958 General correspondence 1942-1958 2299-002 Box 3 General correspondence 1942-1958 2299-002 Box 4 General correspondence 1942-1958 2299-002 Box 5 General correspondence 1942-1958 2299-002 Box 6 General correspondence 1942-1958 2299-002 Box 7 General correspondence 1942-1958 2299-002 Box 8 General correspondence 1942-1958 2299-002 Box 9 General correspondence 1942-1958 2299-002 Box 10 General correspondence 1942-1958 2299-002 Box 11 General correspondence 1942-1958 2299-002 Box 12 Series III, Financial Records undated

Scope and Content: Includes cancelled checks and check registers

Financial records undated 2299-002 Box 13 Financial records undated 2299-002 Box 14 Financial records undated 2299-002 Box 15 Financial records undated 2299-002 Box 16 Financial records undated 2299-002 Box 17 Financial records undated 2299-002 Box 18