Title: United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 1182 (Seattle, Wash.) Records
Inclusive Dates: 1970-2004

Creator:

• United Food and Commercial Workers. Local 1182 (Seattle, Wash.)

Call Number: Mss 1025; PH 6520

Quantity: 3.2 c.f. (8 archives boxes) and 1 photograph

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Records of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1182, a labor union in Seattle, Washington, which represented employees at the Seattle-First National Bank (SeaFirst). Initially represented by the Firstbank Independent Employees Association, this union later became affiliated with the Retail Clerks International Union which merged with another union to create the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW). A dispute arose regarding whether the union could represent the bank's employees in contract negotiations and after several legal battles involving the National Labor Relations Board, the United States Supreme Court ended the dispute in 1986 with a decision in favor of the union. In 1990, SeaFirst became the first large bank to bargain with a labor union. The collection documents the legal battle with SeaFirst, as well as routine union activities such as member recruitment, grievance filing, and training of union representatives.

Note:

There is a restriction on use of this material; see the Administrative/Restriction Information portion of this finding aid for details.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss01025

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Labor unions are the legally-recognized representatives of workers in numerous industries. American unions negotiate contracts with employers over wages, benefits, and working conditions and represent their members if management attempts to violate contract provisions. The United Food and Commercial Workers represents workers from various sectors including agriculture, food processing, health care, manufacturing, and retail.

The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1182 represented the employees of the Seattle-First National Bank (SeaFirst) in Washington state. The union worked to provide its members with better working conditions by negotiating contracts with SeaFirst regarding, among other matters, compensation, the filing of grievances, attendance policies, and lay-off policies. The first union to represent SeaFirst employees was initially called the Firstbank Independent Employees Association; this union merged with the Retail Clerks International Union in 1978, which in turn merged with another union to create the United Food and Commercial Workers in 1979.

The unions that represented the employees of SeaFirst were involved in a court case that arose after the Firstbank Independent Employees Association merged with the Retail Clerks International Union in 1978. SeaFirst refused to negotiate a new contract with the Retail Clerks International Union, claiming that the union did not have the right to represent the bank's employees. The Retail Clerks International Union disputed this claim and filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board over the bank's refusal to negotiate a new contract. The National Labor Relations Board ruled that SeaFirst must bargain with the union. SeaFirst appealed the decision and between 1978 and 1990, the case progressed from the National Labor Relations Board to the U.S. Court of Appeals and eventually to the U.S. Supreme Court. In a series of landmark decisions, the courts eventually found that the Retail Clerks International Union – which in 1979 had merged with another union to form the United Food and Commercial Workers – had the right to represent SeaFirst employees in contract negotiations. In 1990, SeaFirst officials entered into contract negotiations with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1182, and became the first large bank to bargain with a labor union.

The following acronyms are used throughout the collection:

EEOC:	Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
FIEA:	Firstbank Independent Employees Association (1969-1978)
FIEA:	Financial Institution Employees of America (after 1978)
NLRB:	National Labor Relations Board
RCIU:	Retail Clerks International Union
UFCW:	United Food and Commercial Workers

Timeline

1938	Employees Association of Seattle-First National Bank is formed
1969	Association affiliates with Marine Engineers Beneficial Association prompting some employees to form a rival organization, Firstbank Independent Employees Association (FIEA), and petition the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for an election to determine a single bargaining agent. The employees chose FIEA
1971	FIEA negotiations first contract with SeaFirst
1974	FIEA negotiates a second contract with the bank
July 1977	Second contract expires. During bargaining for a new contract, FIEA negotiators realize that SeaFirst was intent on destroying key provisions of the contract, particularly the grievance procedure
October 1977	Despite efforts by a federal mediator, SeaFirst refuses to change its positions and gives FIEA 10 days to accept its offer
November 1977	FIEA decides not to accept bank's offer. SeaFirst implements economic changes and terminates such practices as dues check-off and providing employee information to FIEA. FIEA leadership recommends to members that it seek an affiliation with a stronger union to help members withstand SeaFirst's attempt to destroy it
February 1978	FIEA begins mail referendum to 2,624 members for affiliation with the Retail Clerks International Union (RCIU). Prior to vote, nonmembers were encouraged to pay one month's dues of $4 to be eligible to vote. Members vote 1,206 to 774 in favor of affiliation
April 1978	FIEA receives charter as RCIU Local 1182 and changes its name to Financial Institution Employees of America. Bank refuses to bargain, claiming all employees should have been allowed to vote on affiliation, and refuses to recognize the NLRB's certification of Local 1182 as the bargaining agent for SeaFirst employees, withdrawing recognition of FIEA. Local 1182 files charges with the NLRB over the bank's refusal to bargain
April 1979	NLRB rules the bank is obligated to bargain, finding that the affiliation vote was conducted properly. SeaFirst appeals to federal court
May 1979	RCIU merges with the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen. This resulting union is called the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)
June 1980	9th Circuit Court of Appeals send affiliation issue back to the NLRB at the board's request, which arises from conflicting rulings on similar cases
February 1981	9th Circuit issues decision on question of whether SeaFirst had bargained in bad faith during the 1977 negotiations. Court sends case back to the NLRB with instructions to examine the “totality of circumstance” to determine if the bank had violated labor law. The court noted the record contained evidence of bad faith, but the NLRB ignores that evidence and rules that the bank had bargained legally
November 1982	The NLRB reverses the earlier NLRB decision and finds the affiliation vote was improper because nonmembers were not permitted to vote
August 1984	9th Circuit overturns NLRB decision on affiliation, stating it made no sense that nonmembers be allowed to vote on internal union matters, especially since the NLRB found that “continuity” existed between the union before and after its affiliation with the RCIU. The NLRB and SeaFirst appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court
February 1986	The U.S. Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, finds the 1978 election was conducted properly. The Court says unions should be free to seek financial stability and aid in negotiations, and that affiliations with other organizations is one way to meet changing circumstances. The Court, however, sends the case back to the NLRB to determine whether “continuity of representation” was maintained from the independent union to the affiliated union, as the NLRB found in 1982
July 1988	The NLRB rules again that “continuity” existed between FIEA and UFCW Local 1182 and that there was no “new union” as SeaFirst claimed. Bank asks NLRB to reconsider
September 1988	The NLRB refuses to reconsider the case
January 1990	SeaFirst officials decide to enter contract negotiations with UFCW Local 1182
June 1990	SeaFirst becomes the first large bank to bargain collectively

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.

Use Restrictions

Researchers wishing to use these records are asked to sign the Archives “Use of Restricted Materials” form certifying that they will not release any personally identifiable information.

Acquisition Information

Presented by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21, October 2006. Accession Number: M2007-005

Processing Information

Processed by Alexis Spry (Practicum student), May 2007.

Mss 1025	Series: Administrative Files
Box   1 Folder   1	Bank Deposit Error, 1977
Box   1 Folder   2	Bargaining Chronology, 1978
	Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   3-5	1971-1977
Box   1 Folder   6	October-December 1977
Box   1 Folder   7	Outgoing, 1986-1987
Box   1 Folder   8	With Retail Clerks International Union, 1977-1978
Box   1 Folder   9	With SeaFirst, 1977-1978
Box   1 Folder   10-15	Election, 1972, 1975, 1977-1978
Box   1 Folder   16-23	FIEA Bulletins, 1974-1978, 1981, 1989, 1991-1993
Box   1 Folder   24	FIEA Handout, undated
Box   1 Folder   25	FIEA Negotiation Newsletter, 1977
Box   1 Folder   26	FIEA Non-member Bulletin, undated
	FIEA Rosters
Box   2 Folder   1	1975-1976
Box   2 Folder   2	Draft, 1975
Box   2 Folder   3	Kathy Keene, Leave of Absence Request, 1976
Box   2 Folder   4-5	Membership Termination Requests, 1973-1977
Box   2 Folder   6	Membership Withdrawal Cards, undated
Box   2 Folder   7-8	Negotiations, 1977-1978
Box   2 Folder   9	Negotiation Petition, 1977
Box   2 Folder   10	Notes, Nancy Holland Young, 1988-1989
Box   2 Folder   11	Petitions, undated
Box   2 Folder   12-14	Propaganda, 1976-1977, 1979
Box   2 Folder   15	Strike Vote, November 1977
Box   2 Folder   16	Sweepstakes, May 1976
Box   2 Folder   17	Unit Representative Directory, 1990
Box   2 Folder   18	Unit Representative Manual, 1976
Box   3 Folder   1	Unit Representative Seminar, 1977
Box   3 Folder   2	WAC 296-130, undated
	Series: SeaFirst Case Files	⇧
	Agreements
Box   3 Folder   3	Albertson's, 1998
Box   3 Folder   4	Interstate Brands, 2003-2004
Box   3 Folder   5	SeaFirst, 1990
Box   3 Folder   6	Bylaws, UFCW, 1990
Box   3 Folder   7-8	Constitutions and Bylaws, FIEA and UFCW, 1970-1988
	Correspondence
Box   3 Folder   9	FIET Telegrams, 1991
Box   3 Folder   10	William Wynn, 1990
Box   3 Folder   11	Decertification, 1990
Box   3 Folder   12	Directory of UFCW Union Officers, 1993-1994
Box   3 Folder   13	Exception Report, UFCW, 1989-1994
Box   3 Folder   14	Financial Reports, 1970
	Grievances
Box   3 Folder   15	Don Paddock, 1995-1996
Box   3 Folder   16	Marjorie Guynn, 1994-1995
Box   3 Folder   17	Virgene Cox, 1995-1996
Box   3 Folder   18	Membership Applications, 1993-1994
	Negotiations
Box   4 Folder   1	Bakery/Thrift, 1986
Box   4 Folder   2	1990
Box   4 Folder   3	1992
Box   4 Folder   4	Signatures, 1990-1992
	NLRB
Box   4 Folder   5	Information, 1990
Box   4 Folder   6	Weingarten Rights, 1992
Box   4 Folder   7	Case #19-CB-6827, 1990-1991
	Press
Box   4 Folder   8-10	1988-1990
Box   4 Folder   11	Nancy Young Holland, 1990s
Box   4 Folder   12	Proposal, 1977
Box   5 Folder   1-4	Proposals, 1990
Box   5 Folder   5	Proposal, Index, 1990
Box   5 Folder   6	Puget Sound Grocery Retailers, 2004
Box   5 Folder   7	Research, UFCW, 1990
Box   5 Folder   8	SeaFirst Background Information, 1990s
Box   5 Folder   9	SeaFirst Benefit Plan, undated
Box   5 Folder   10	SeaFirst Boycott, 1981
Box   5 Folder   11	SeaFirst Boycott Advertising, 1981
Box   5 Folder   12	SeaFirst Correspondence, 1988-1989
Box   5 Folder   13	SeaFirst, Group Health Cooperative, 1979
Box   5 Folder   14	SeaFirst Management Memos, 1977-1984
Box   5 Folder   15	SeaFirst, SEC, 1984
Box   5 Folder   16	SeaFirst, U.S. Court of Appeals, 1989
	Series: Subject Files	⇧
Box   6 Folder   1	Ackerly Communications v. UFCW, 1979-1982
Box   6 Folder   2	Address List, 1983
Box   6 Folder   3	Advertising, 1981-1982
Box   6 Folder   4	Affiliation, 1974
Box   6 Folder   5	Affiliation Cases, Other Circuits, 1974, 1980
Box   6 Folder   6	Affiliation Literature, Not FIEA, 1978, 1982
Box   6 Folder   7	Alaska State Bank, 1980
	ALJ (Boyce) Decision
Box   6 Folder   8	1977-1979
Box   6 Folder   9	August 1978
Box   6 Folder   10	Amendment for Certification, SeaFirst Response, 1978
Box   6 Folder   11	Arbitration, Delores Linville, 1979
Box   6 Folder   12	Arbitration, Attendance Policy, 1975-1976
Box   6 Folder   13	Bank Correspondence, 1980
Box   6 Folder   14	Bank Implementation of Final Offer, June 1978
Box   6 Folder   15	Banking Terms, undated
Box   7 Folder   1	Bargaining Information Demand, 1976
Box   7 Folder   2	Catholic Charities, 1980-1981
Box   7 Folder   3	Check Cashing Policy, 1980
Box   7 Folder   4	Capitol Savings and Loan, 1982
Box   7 Folder   5	Coca-Cola/Amoco Circuit Decisions, 1979-1980
Box   7 Folder   6	Congressional Correspondence, 1980-1982
Box   7 Folder   7	Contract, 1977
Box   7 Folder   8	Contract Questionnaire, 1977
Box   7 Folder   9	Council 33, 1983
Box   7 Folder   10	Demand Response, 1978-1986
Box   7 Folder   11	Department of Labor, Election of Officers, 1978, 1980
Box   7 Folder   12	Dues Check-off Correspondence, 1970
Box   7 Folder   13	Election Material, 1977
	Executive Council
Box   7 Folder   14	Elections, 1978-1980
Box   7 Folder   15	Letters, 1979-1982
	Meetings
Box   7 Folder   16	1970-1977
Box   7 Folder   17-23	January 1980-September 1982
Box   7 Folder   24-25	1990s
Box   8 Folder   1	FIEA Certification, 1975
Box   8 Folder   2	FIEA Constitution Amendment, 1973
Box   8 Folder   3	FIEA Constitution, 1970
Box   8 Folder   4	FIEA Constitution Questionnaire, 1979
Box   8 Folder   5	FIEA Contract, undated
Box   8 Folder   6	FIEA Handbills, undated
Box   8 Folder   7	FIET, 1981-1982
Box   8 Folder   8	Four-Hour Guarantee, 1974-1976
Box   8 Folder   9	Grievance Proposal, 1976
Box   8 Folder   10	IRS, 1971-1981
Box   8 Folder   11	Lay-off Policy, 1978-1980
Box   8 Folder   12	Leave of Absence/Benefits Policy, 1978
Box   8 Folder   13	Leave of Absence Policy, Officers, 1973-1976
	Legal
Box   8 Folder   14	1978-1979
Box   8 Folder   15	Weingarten Rule, 1981
Box   8 Folder   16	SeaFirst vs. EEOC, 1976
Box   8 Folder   17	Lueke Case, 1978-1980
Box   8 Folder   18	Gibbs Douglas & Theiler Law Offices, 1979-1981
Box   8 Folder   19	Glomac Plastics, undated
Box   8 Folder   20	Jasper Seating, et cetera, 1977-1979
Box   8 Folder   21	Litigation, Vi Bradshaw, 1983
Box   8 Folder   22	Lynda Garman, NLRB Charge, 1979-1980
PH 6520	Series: Photograph Scope and Content Note: UFCW Boycott	⇧