The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1182 records document the daily activities of a labor union that represented bank employees in the state of Washington. The records date from approximately 1970 to 2004, although coverage is not consistent – the bulk of the material was created from the late 1970s through the early 1990s. The collection represents only a portion of Local 1182's records. The records document how the union coped with declining membership, negotiated several contracts with uncooperative bank officials, remained committed to union members during a protracted legal battle, and corresponded with bank officials, judges, and members of the National Labor Relations Board. The collection consists mostly of contract drafts, correspondence, illustrated training manuals for union employees, meeting minutes, newsletters for union members, newspaper clippings, and court transcripts. The material primarily pertains to the union and its legal battle with SeaFirst but also documents typical union activities such as member recruitment and grievance filing.
The collection has been divided into four series: Administrative Files, SeaFirst Case Files, Subject Files, and Photograph.
The Administrative Files include correspondence, election materials, bulletins, membership information, and materials created for unit representatives. These files document the daily functions of the office and provide a glimpse into the union's difficulties with SeaFirst. The collection's contents are fragmentary: several years of election materials and bulletins are absent. Subjects covered include union legal rights, oppositional strategies, union dues and membership rights, negotiations, and training union representatives. The files are arranged alphabetically.
The SeaFirst Case Files consist of agreements other UFCW chapters had reached with employers, UFCW bylaws, grievance claims and correspondence related to these claims, court transcripts, several drafts of contracts, and material relating to the boycott of SeaFirst in 1981. The records document how the union prepared for – and eventually won – the lengthy legal battle with SeaFirst. Some of the material post-dates the final U.S. Supreme Court decision and deals with the bank's implementation of the final contract and alleged contract violations. Subjects covered include successful union contracts, the National Labor Relations Board, boycotts, and the bargaining process. The materials are arranged alphabetically.
The Subject Files consist of congressional correspondence, meeting minutes, the FIEA's constitution, including questionnaires and discussion of said constitution's legality, IRS records, and legal files tangentially related to the SeaFirst case. This series documents legal matters related to the case and how the executive council administered and reacted to it. Much of this material dates from the late 1970s, the initial years of the conflict with SeaFirst, although the meeting minutes date into the 1990s. The files are arranged alphabetically; only files A-L are present.
The Photograph depicts UFCW employees boycotting SeaFirst.
