Finding aid of the Working Group Records
Collection processed and finding aid created by Conor Casey, San Francisco, CA
Labor Archives and Research Center
© 2009
San Francisco State University
480 Winston Drive
San Francisco, California 94132
Phone: (415) 564-4010
Fax: (415) 564-3606
Email: larc@sfsu.edu
URL: http://www.library.sfsu.edu/about/depts/larc.php
San Francisco State University. All rights reserved.
Finding aid of the Working Group Records
Accession numbers: 2008/005, 2009/007
Labor Archives and Research CenterSan Francisco State University
San Francisco, California
- Labor Archives and Research Center
- San Francisco State University
- 480 Winston Drive
- San Francisco, CA 94132
- Telephone: (415) 564-4010
- Facsimile: (415) 564-3606
- Email: larc@sfsu.edu
- URL: http://www.library.sfsu.edu/about/depts/larc.php
- Processed by:
- Conor M. Casey
- Date Completed:
- 2009
- Encoded by:
- Conor M. Casey
© 2009 San Francisco State University. All rights reserved.
Title: Working Group records
Dates: 1984-2005
Bulk Dates: (Bulk 1988-1999)
Accession number: 2008/005, 2009/007
Creator:
Working Group Records
Collection Size:
33 record cartons.
Repository:
San Francisco State University.
Labor Archives and Research Center.
480 Winston Drive
San Francisco, California 94132
(415) 564-4010
Abstract:
The Working Group Collection contains production, research, outreach, and financial records generated by the The Working Group
in producing the television series
California Working,
We Do the Work, and
Livelyhood. The collection also contains materials created in the production of contract documentaries and films for client organizations
such as labor unions and apprenticeship programs. The bulk of the collection spans the years 1988-2002, and reveals the activities
of the organization in producing local and nationally distributed television programs for broadcast on public television.
The Working Group is an independent media production company based in Oakland, California.
Physical location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Center's online catalog.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English.
Collection is open for research.
Copyright has not been assigned to the Labor Archives and Research Center. All requests for permission to publish or quote
from materials must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf
of the Labor Archives and Research Center as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
[Identification of item], Working Group Records, Labor Archives and Research Center, San Francisco State University.
The Working Group Records were donated to the Labor Archives and Research Center by The Working Group in September of 2008.
A second accession was donated by Rhian Miller of The Working Group in February of 2009.
Archivist Conor Casey processed, arranged, re-foldered and re-boxed the collection in acid free containers in the fall and
winter of 2008-2009, creating a finding aid. Photographs and negatives were removed and integrated into the Labor Archives
Photograph Collection as Collection #25. Videocassettes were integrated into the Labor Archives Film and Videocassette Collection.
Materials that were judged active records of The Working Group, such as personal release forms, footage and music use agreements;
and personal releases were removed and returned to The Working Group. Tape Logs were photocopied and the originals were returned
to The Working Group. Photocopies of these files there then integrated into their original folders. Three audiotapes and
a small box of computer floppy discs of material used in show production were also returned to The Working Group. The collection
remains stored at Iron Mountain facilities.
Organizational / Administrative History
In 1988, a coalition of labor leaders, educators, independent filmmakers and community activists founded the California Working
Group in response to a deficiency of coverage of workers by the mainstream media. The era was politically conservative in
national and statewide politics, and when the program went on the air it was the only independently produced program about
work and working people on the Public Broadcasting System in the United States. Patrice O'Neil and Edwin Herzog co-created
the newsmagazine on local labor issues
California Working, which aired on local public television stations KCSM (San Mateo) and KQED (San Francisco).
In 1990, a report by the media watchdog group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) found negative or non-existent depictions
of working people in the national media. The organizers of the California Working Group saw this as a mandate for creating
a national series on working people's issues.
We Do the Work, a monthly magazine format series, included occasional documentary special reports and also featured the work of other independent
filmmakers.
The original 35 member board of California Working met at the headquarters of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union
in San Francisco. Early on, the board members handled the outreach, public relations, and fundraising of the organization.
While the producers were still experimenting with the show's format,
California Working featured several celebrity guest hosts, but eventually comedian and commentator Will Durst became the main host.
The series struggled to gain distribution throughout local Public Broadcasting System (PBS) media markets in the US; The Working
Group's members focused outreach efforts on a station-by-station basis, convincing programming directors at each local station
to carry the series. At this time, revenue was generated from station fees, tier pricing allowed each affiliate to pay according
to its market share. This market by market distribution meant uneven distribution and often-irregular scheduling or non-primetime
slots in stations that did not prioritize labor programming. It also resulted in some station-level battles. For example,
when a St. Louis affiliate refused to carry the program because of its labor content, local unions and labor-supporters staged
a campaign to get the station to carry the show. The series ran for 7 seasons. Working Group members maintained a grueling
schedule to produce the program in monthly installments 10 months of the year.
After gaining experience and recognition with a national labor series, The Working Group approached PBS with a proposal to
create a national primetime program, meaning a broadcast from a single "hard feed" transmission from PBS national headquarters
rather than a variable affiliate-by-affiliate basis that characterized the distribution of the
We Do the Work series. In theory, a "hard feed" series from PBS national headquarters meant that each affiliate would broadcast the series
during the same timeslot nationwide, thus guaranteeing it a larger audience and broader exposure in national media markets.
With this in mind, Working Group producers developed the series
Livelyhood. The program, hosted by Durst, examined the impact of globalization and the "new economy" on American workers. The series
was differed in format, scope, frequency, and tone from
We Do the Work.
Livelyhood, which ran for three seasons, was sponsored by United Airlines, The UAW Daimler Chrysler National Training Center, a joint
fund of UAW members and the company, funding that was leveraged by the associated unions.
One 1993 episode of
We Do the Work, "Not In Our Town", focused on residents of Billings, Montana who reacted to hate violence against Jewish, African American
and Native American neighbors by organizing to create to fight hate groups. The documentary grew into a PBS series and national
anti-hate campaign, with on-site conferences staged across the US and several sequels and follow-ups. The campaign continues
to this day, incorporating current events to galvanize discussions about race and diversity.
In 2006, The Working Group produced "The Outsource Report,” broadcast by LinkTV, available still as a streamed web-based serial
at linktv.org
In addition, from its inception the Working Group was making made independent contract documentaries for PBS, unions, and
for other organizations. The production of one such documentary
Test of Courage is reflected in this collection, as well as several other contract productions.
For list of the closest location of Working Group documentaries and library catalog records, please see the following WorldCat
Catalog List of Working Group Documentaries.
Scope and Content of Collection
The records of the Working Group reveal the activities of the organization to produce, fund, and promote their documentary
projects. The bulk of the collection reflects the group’s history between the years 1988-1999. The records of Series I reflect
the broader activities of the organization to promote, research, and produce shows. Series I also contains meeting notes
and minutes of the Working Group’s Board and correspondence. Other Working Group activities include producing and promoting
the series
California Working,
We Do the Work, and
Livelyhood; reflected in Series II, III, and IV. Series V is comprised of records collected or created by the Working Group’s production
of contract films for organization clients as well as some stand-alone documentaries.
The collection is arranged into five series:
SERIES I: THE WORKING GROUP ORGANIZATION FILES, 1984-2002
SERIES II:
CALIFORNIA WORKING SERIES FILES, 1984-1992
SERIES III:
WE DO THE WORK SERIES FILES, 1989-2005
SERIES IV:
LIVELYHOOD SERIES FILES, 1995-2001
SERIES V: CONTRACT PRODUCTIONS, 1990-2005
The series are arranged depending on the activity that created them. Thus, Series I contains records pertaining to the overall
operation and activities of The Working Group, while Series II-V are arranged to reflect the group’s activities in producing
specific television series and contract productions, including planning, production, outreach, and episode research. Sub-series
are subdivided similarly, with files documenting the overall series preceding files generated by each episode. The
California Working series is subdivided by activity into outreach, production, research, and financial activities.
We Do the Work are arranged alphabetically by title and within divided into outreach, production, research, and financial sections. Episodes
from
Livelyhood are arranged chronologically and divided into outreach, production, and research sections.
The following terms have been used to index the description of
this collection:
Subject Headings
Aeronautics -- United States -- Safety measures.
Aeronautics -- United States -- Accidents.
Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States -- Safety measures.
African Americans -- Mississippi -- Indianola -- Economic conditions.
African Americans -- Employment -- Mississippi -- Indianola.
African Americans -- Mississippi -- Indianola -- Economic conditions.
African Americans --Employment -- Mississippi -- Indianola.
Airlines -- Safety regulations -- United States.
Airlines -- United States.
Airlines -- United States -- Deregulation.
Airplanes -- Maintenance and repair -- Law and legislation.
Airplanes -- Maintenance and repair.
Airplanes -- Parts.
Allied health personnel -- California -- San Francisco.
Antisemitism -- United States.
Antisemitism.
Barter -- United States.
Bread and Roses Cultural Festival.
Brick layers -- United States.
Bridges -- California -- San Francisco Bay.
Building trades -- Employees -- Labor unions -- California.
Fire fighters -- Recruiting -- California -- Oakland.
Fire fighters -- Training of -- California -- Oakland.
Canada -- Treaties, etc, -- 1992 Oct. 7.
Career changes -- United States.
Child labor.
Children of working parents -- United States.
Children of working parents -- United States -- Social conditions.
Cities and towns -- Flathead River Valley (B.C. and Mont.) -- Growth.
Cities and towns -- United States.
Clothing workers -- Cambodia.
Coffee industry -- Guatemala.
Coffee industry -- United States.
Collective labor agreements -- Retail trade.
Commuting.
Computer industry -- California -- Santa Clara County.
Computer industry -- Social aspects -- California -- Santa Clara County.
Computer software industry -- Ghana.
Computers -- Social aspects -- California -- Santa Clara County -- Case studies.
Construction workers -- United States -- California -- Labor unions.
Construction workers -- United States -- California.
Construction workers -- United States -- Labor unions.
Construction workers -- United States.
Convict labor -- China.
Convict labor -- United States.
Corporate culture -- United States.
Corporations, American -- Mexico.
Corporations, American -- Mexico.
Defense industries -- Mississippi -- Waveland.
Defense industries -- Mississippi -- Waveland -- Employees -- Economic conditions.
Delta Pride Catfish Inc. Strike, Indianola, Miss., 1990.
Documentary films.
Documentary television programs.
Downsizing of organizations -- United States.
Dual-career families -- United States.
Employee ownership -- United States.
Employees -- Effect of technological innovations on.
Employment -- United States -- History.
Factory laws and legislation.
Family -- California -- Santa Clara County -- Case studies.
Fire departments -- California -- Oakland.
Fire fighters -- California -- San Francisco.
Food habits -- France.
Foundry workers -- United States.
Franchises (Retail trade) -- United States.
Free trade -- Mexico.
Free trade -- United States.
General Strike, San Francisco, Calif., 1934.
Globalization.
Hate crimes -- United States.
High technology industries -- Social aspects -- California -- Santa Clara County.
Hours of labor -- United States.
Industrial relations -- United States.
Industrial safety .
Industries -- California -- Santa Clara County.
Industries -- Social aspects -- California -- Santa Clara County.
International business enterprises -- Social aspects -- United States.
International business enterprises -- Employees.
International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union -- History.
Job stress -- United States.
Labor disputes -- Michigan -- Detroit -- History.
Labor movement -- California -- History.
Labor unions -- California -- History.
Labor unions -- Organizing -- United States.
Labor unions -- United States -- History -- 20th century.
Labor unions -- United States -- Political activity -- History.
Loma Prieta Earthquake, Calif., 1989.
Mexico -- Commercial policy.
Microelectronics industry -- Social aspects -- California -- Santa Clara County.
Minorities -- Crimes against -- United States.
Navajo Indians -- Health and hygiene.
Navajo Indians -- Medical care.
Night work -- United States.
Occupational retraining -- United States.
Offshore assembly industry -- Mexican-American Border Region.
Older volunteers -- United States.
Organizational change -- United States.
Pacific Coast Longshoremen's Strike, 1934.
Painters -- United States -- Biography.
Plant shutdowns -- Mississippi -- Waveland.
Prison industries -- China.
Prison industries -- United States.
Producer cooperatives -- United States.
Profit-sharing -- United States.
Quality of life -- United States.
Quality of work life -- United States.
Race relations.
Racism.
Semiconductor industry -- Social aspects -- California -- Santa Clara County.
Shift systems -- United States.
Shift systems -- United States.
Social change -- Flathead River Valley (B.C. and Mont.)
Social conflict -- Flathead River Valley (B.C. and Mont.)
Sole proprietorship -- United States.
Stevedores -- Labor unions -- Pacific Coast -- History.
Stevedores -- Pacific Coast -- Labor unions -- History.
Strikes and lockouts -- Fisheries -- Mississippi.
Strikes and lockouts -- California -- San Francisco.
Strikes and lockouts -- Fisheries -- Mississippi.
Strikes and lockouts.
Technological innovations -- United States.
Technology -- Social aspects -- California -- Santa Clara County.
Telecommuting -- United States.
Telemarketing -- India.
Temporary employment -- United States.
Toleration.
Union busting -- United States.
United States -- Commercial policy.
Video recordings for the hearing impaired.
White supremacy movements -- United States.
Women -- Employment -- United States.
Women construction workers -- United States -- California.
Work and family -- California -- Santa Clara County.
Work and family -- United States.
Work design -- United States.
Work environment -- United States.
Work environment.
Work ethic -- United States.
Working class in art.
Working class in motion pictures.
Working class writings, American.
Working class.
Workweek -- United States -- History -- 20th century.
California Working Group.
KQED-TV (Television station : San Francisco, Calif.)
We California Working Group Inc.
We Do the Work (Association)
We Do the Work (Firm)
Working Group (Oakland, Calif.)
Bayha, Betsy.
Durst, Will.
Friedman, Katrina.
Herzog, Edwin.
Halperin, Jon.
Liard, Bob.
Mercer, Gary.
McGinn, Sean.
Needham, Sara.
O'Connell, Cathleen.
O'Neill, Patrice.
Peckham, Linda.
Miller, Rhian.
Morgenstern, Angela.
Searles, Heather.
Yu, Kyung Sun.
Whalen, Kelly.
Documentary Subjects and Cast:
Beatty, Ned.
Broderick, Anthony.
Fromer, Jon.
Fromer, Reed.
Galimore, Wayne.
Hallinan, Conn Malachi.
Hamer, Fannie Lou.
Kaihatsu, Tim.
Kopple, Barbara.
Lowery, Joseph (Joseph E.)
Ocean, Billy David.
Pearson, Scott.
Pritchard, Michael (Michael K.)
Schiavo, Mary.
Smith, Wesley J.
Spano, Joe.
Studi, Wes.
Woodard, Alfre.
Alliance (Neb.)
Billings (Mont.) -- Race relations.
California Century Freeway (Calif.)
Detroit (Mi.) -- Newspapers.
East Liberty (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Flathead River Valley (B.C. and Mont.) -- History.
Flathead River Valley (B.C. and Mont.) -- History
Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, Calif.)
Green Bay (Wis.)
Kalispell (Mont.) -- History.
Kalispell (Mont.) -- Environmental conditions.
Mexico -- Commercial policy.
New Orleans (La.)
Nome (Alaska)
San Francisco (Calif.)
San Jose (Calif.)
Seattle (Wash.)
United States -- Commercial policy.
United States -- Race relations.
Waveland (Miss.) -- Economic conditions.
Westminster (Md.)
Print version of finding aid and MS Word version available on-site.
The Labor Archives Film and Video Collection contains most of the VHS copies of Livelyhood and We Do the Work and some episodes
of California Working. Several of the Working Group’s contract productions are also in the video collection.
Photographs and negatives from the Working Group Collection have been removed into the Working Group Photograph Collection
#25.
Photographs and negatives were removed and integrated into the Labor Archives Photograph Collection as Collection #25. Videocassettes
were integrated into the Labor Archives Film and Videocassette Collection. Materials that were judged active records of The
Working Group such as personal release forms, footage and music use agreements, and personal releases were removed and returned
to The Working Group. Tape Logs were photocopied and the originals were returned to The Working Group and copies integrated
into their original folder. Three audiotapes and a small box of computer floppy discs of material used in show production
were also returned to The Working Group. The collection remains stored at Iron Mountain facilities.
Container List
Series I: Working Group Organization Files, 1984-2002
Physical Description:
147 folders.
Series I: Working Group Organization Files is comprised of the operational records of The Working Group and reflects the activities
of the organization to promote, research, fund, and produce shows. In addition, the series contains meeting notes, minutes,
and correspondence of the Working Group’s Board.
Subseries A: Outreach includes records created by The Working Group’s outreach efforts to promote its projects to allied organizations for publicity,
financing, and promotion. Records include press releases and news clippings reflecting media coverage of the projects in which
the group was involved. Outreach materials include a Working Group history, biographies of Will Durst, and the resumes of
Working Group producers. Event materials from conferences, film festivals, and affiliate events that the Working Group attended
or hosted to promote their projects and seek funding represent another important segment of this subseries. Highlights include
Working Group’s planning and promotion of two important annual outreach events: the Crystal Lee Sutton Awards and the Joady
Awards.
Subseries B: Production contains information on acquired works, interns, and film project pitches;
Subseries C: Research and Planning contains research on topics that the Working Group was considering including in one of their documentary productions;
Subseries D contains tape orders and invoices as well as a budget and several financial statements and information on funding sources;
Subseries E: Meeting Minutes and Notes contains a mix of board communications, financial reports and meeting agendas as well as notebooks and meeting minutes.
The series is subdivided into subseries by the generating activity or records function: Subseries A: Outreach; Subseries B:
Production; Subseries C: Research and Planning; Subseries D: Financial; Subseries E: Meeting Minutes and Notes.
Subseries A. Outreach, 1984-2000
Physical Description:
114 folders
Subseries B: Production, 1990-2002
Physical Description:
4 folders
Subseries C: Research, 1990-1997
Physical Description:
4 folders
Subseries D: Financial, 1991-2000
Physical Description:
17 folders
Subseries E: Meeting Minutes and Notes, 1991-1998
Physical Description:
8 folders
Series II: California Working Series Files, 1984-1992
Physical Description:
36 folders.
Series II is made up of records generated from the Working Group’s production of the
California Working newsmagazine.
The series is subdivided by activity and function into five subseries: Subseries A: Series Outreach; Subseries B: Series Production;
Subseries C: Series Research; Subseries D: Series Financial.
Subseries A: Series Outreach includes series promotional materials, feedback letters from viewers, and press coverage of the show.
Subseries B: Series Production includes tape logs, planning notes, and show scripts.
Subseries C: Series Research contains supporting research materials for
California Working segments.
Subseries D: Series Financial contains a folder of financial statements and tax returns.
Subseries A. Series Outreach, 1984-1992
Physical Description:
22 folders.
Subseries B. Series Production, ca. 1984-1988
Physical Description:
4 folders.
Subseries C. Series Research, ca. 1984-1989
Physical Description:
9 folders.
Subseries D. Series Financial, 1988
Physical Description:
1 folder.
Series III: We Do the Work Series Files, 1989-2005
Physical Description:
400 folders.
Series III contains records created from the production of the documentary series
We Do the Work. Materials in
Subseries A: Series Outreach is separated into publicity, press coverage, episode study guides sections. In particular, the publicity and press coverage
sections reveal the Working Group's hard-fought affiliate-by-affiliate fight to get the series broadcast in various national
markets. Mailing cards, episode promotion flyers, and other promotional materials show the publicity the Working Group employed
in its outreach efforts. Press coverage that resulted is also contained in this subseries. Feedback letters on the series
from views of the show comprise the remainder of this subseries.
Subseries B: Series Production is comprised of materials reflecting the production of segments for use in the series, including tape edit lists, tape logs,
and transcripts.
Subseries C: Series Research is made up of research files for use in planning potential episodes. Finally,
Subseries D: Episode Files contains viewer letters, press coverage, tape and edit logs, and research materials on an episode-by-episode basis.
The series is subdivided by activity and function into five subseries: Subseries A: Series Outreach; Subseries B: Series Production;
Subseries C: Series Research; Subseries D: Episode Files. Subseries A is divided into sections for series outreach, publicity
and press coverage. Subseries D is further subdivided by episode and within episodes into outreach, production, and research
sections. Titles are arranged alphabetically by title.
Subseries A. Series Outreach, 1989-2002
Physical Description:
202 folders.
Subseries B. Series Production, ca. 1994-1997
Physical Description:
7 folders.
Subseries C. Series Research, ca.1990-ca.1994
Physical Description:
7 folders.
Subseries D. Episode Files, 1989-2005
Physical Description:
253 folders.
Series IV: Livelyhood Series Files, 1995-2001
Physical Description:
378 folders.
Series IV contains records created from the production of the documentary series
Livelyhood. The series is subdivided by activity and function into four subseries: Subseries A: Series Outreach; Subseries B: Series
Production; Subseries C: Series Research; Subseries D: Episode Files. Subseries D is subdivided by episode. Within each
episode, it is subdivided into outreach, production, and research sections. Episodes are arranged chronologically.
Subseries A: Series Outreach includes press releases and packets from the Working Group's promotion and publicity activities on behalf of the series at
conventions, events, and conferences. The subseries also contains materials reflecting the Working Group's efforts to obtain
funding via grants and sponsorships. The subseries also contains records from the Working Group’ series promotion efforts
through publicity materials as well as the resulting press coverage, station distribution reports, and resulting correspondence
and viewer feedback.
Subseries B: Series Production contains industry publications, story pitches, meeting notes, and other files documenting the process of planning segments
and shows for the series;
Subseries C: Series Research contains news clippings, audience polls, and other subject files that
Livelyhood producers used in planning new episode segments for the series;
Subseries D: Episode Files contains the outreach, production, and research files from each individual show. Outreach files include press coverage clippings,
production materials including tape logs and edit lists, episode development documents, and travel planning information; research
files include web printouts, government and organizational reports, articles, and news clippings relating to each
Livelyhood segment.
The series is subdivided by activity and function into four subseries: Subseries A: Series Outreach; Subseries B: Series Production;
Subseries C: Series Research; Subseries D: Episode Files. Subseries D is subdivided by episode. Within each episode, it
is subdivided into outreach, production, and research sections. Episodes are arranged chronologically.
Livelyhood Series Episodes:
Season 1, Episode 1—Shift Change
Season 1, Episode 2—Working Family Values
Season 1, Episode 3—Honey, We Bought the Company
Season 1, Episode 4—Our Towns
Season 2, Episode 1—Chipping Off the Old Block
Season 2, Episode 2—Carpool to Nirvana
Season 2, Episode 3—Night Shift
Season 3, Episode 1/Episode 2—Planet Work (Parts I and II)
Season 3, Episode 3—Working Until it Hurts
Subseries A. Series Outreach, 1995-2000
Physical Description:
138 folders.
Subseries B. Series Production, 1997-2001
Physical Description:
13 folders.
Subseries C. Series Research, 1996-2001
Physical Description:
15 folders.
Subseries D. Episode Files, 1997-2000
Physical Description:
254 folders.
Series V: Contract Productions, 1990-2005
Physical Description:
112 folders.
This series is comprised of materials from The Working Group’s contract productions for clients including the AFL-CIO, Labor
Institute for Public Affairs, Carpenters/Contractors Cooperative Committee, United Airlines, the California Labor Federation,
Japanese Chamber of Commerce, International Longshore and Warehouse Union, the International Association of Machinists District
141, California State Building Trades Council. Records include production tape logs, scripts, and edit lists. A notable highlight
is the entire production materials from the PBS documentary
Test of Courage: The Making of a Firefighter, a documentary on the Oakland Fire Department.
This records of this series are arranged by based on film titles:
AFL-CIO Convention Video
Blue Diamond Strike (Labor Institute of Public Affairs)
Building Dreams (Carpenters/Contractors Cooperation Committee)
Buyout Zone (United Airlines Corporation)
Jack Henning Retirement
Japanese National Chamber of Commerce Anniversary
Jimmy Herman Memorial
No Butts About It (California State Building Trades Council)
Our Jobs/Our Union (IAM District 141)
Playing for Keeps (California Alliance for Jobs)
Power Switch (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers)
Powerful Learning (Bay Area School-to-Career Action Network)
Test of Courage
Turbulent Romance (Association of Flight Attendants)
Victory or Extinction (California State Building Trades Council)
We Stand for Safety (International Association of Machinists)
Voices of Victory (California State Federation of Labor)