Inventory of the Union Women's Alliance To Gain Equality Records, 1971-1982

Processed by Suzanne Forsyth; machine-readable finding aid created by James Lake

Labor Archives and Research Center

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/special/larc.html

Inventory of the Union Women's Alliance To Gain Equality Records, 1971-1982

Accession number: 1986/22

Labor Archives & Research Center

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

Contact Information:

Labor Archives & Research Center
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/special/larc.html

Processed by:: Suzanne Forsyth
Date Completed:: October 1986
Encoded by:: James Lake

Descriptive Summary

Title: Union Women's Alliance To Gain Equality Records,

Date (inclusive): 1971-1982

Accession number: 1986/22

Creator: Union Women's Alliance To Gain Equality

Extent: 18 manuscript boxes; 7.5 linear feet (4.89 cu. feet)

Repository: San Francisco State University. Labor Archives & Research Center

San Francisco, California 94132

Shelf location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Center's online catalog.

Language: English.

Administrative Information

Access

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Copyright has not been assigned to the Labor Archives & 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 & 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.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Union Women's Alliance To Gain Equality Records, 1986/22, Labor Archives & Research Center, San Francisco State University.

Introduction

The office files of the organization Union Women's Alliance to Gain Equality (Union W.A.G.E.) were donated by the Data Center, Oakland, California, contact person, Leon Sompolinsky, Data Center Archivist, on 4 April 1986. The collection was processed by Suzanne Forsyth, October 1986.

History

Union Women's Alliance to Gain Equality (Union W.A.G.E.) was founded on International Women's Day, March 8, 1971, at an educational conference sponsored by the National Organization for Women (NOW), at the University of California, Berkeley. Union W.A.G.E. was a politically non-partisan, non-profit organization for "working women" which included housewives, unemployed, retired, and welfare women. The organization's purpose was to achieve "equal rights, equal pay, and equal opportunity" for working women.

Union W.A.G.E. was created at a workshop during the NOW conference entitled "Extending Protective Legislation to All Workers." The panelists included future Union W.A.G.E. leaders Jean Maddox, president of the Office and Professional Employees Union, AFL-CIO, Local 29, and Ann Draper, West Coast Union Label Director for the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, AFL-CIO. By the end of the panel discussion the participants all agreed on the necessity of a working women's feminist organization and voted to reconstitute themselves as that organization.

Maxine Wolpinsky (now Maxine Jenkins), then an American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, field organizer for Local 1695, was also a part of the NOW conference. She joined Union W.A.G.E. and served as newspaper editor for the next three years.

The main groups which first made up Union W.A.G.E. were the Committee to Extend Protective Legislation to Men, a caucus of the International Socialists; San Francisco State's Independent Campus Women; U.C. Berkeley's Graduate Sociology Women's Caucus; and many members of the Office and Professional Employees Union Local 29. Although Union W.A.G.E. considered itself a national organization, the bulk of its membership, as well as its headquarters was located in the San Francisco Bay Area.

One of the organization's main activities was publishing a bi-monthly newspaper, Union W.A.G.E., which focused on working women's issues from a feminist and labor movement perspective. Another focal point of Union W.A.G.E. activity was the California Industrial Welfare Commission. Through the members' testimony, lobbying efforts and serving on I.W.C. wage boards Union W.A.G.E. sought to represent the interests of working women. Issues they brought before the I.W.C. included the need to preserve and extend protective legislation threatened by the Equal Rights Amendment, and raising the minimum wage requirements. Union W.A.G.E. also sponsored educational conferences and events, and published literature for women workers. Topics the organization covered included: organizing non-union workplaces; fighting sexism on the job and in the unions; preventing job-related health hazards for women workers; fighting for rank-and-file control and democracy within the unions; and promoting women's labor history.

Scope and Content

The Union W.A.G.E. collection contains the office files of this feminist organization. Types of materials include the minutes and correspondence of the Executive Board, the organization's constitutions, convention documents, administrative records, membership documentation, general correspondence, information on other feminist groups and the women's movement internationally, ephemera from Union W.A.G.E. events, financial records, newspaper correspondence, membership opinion surveys, newsclippings, interchapter newsletters, minutes and correspondence of local chapters, the records and ephemera from Union W.A.G.E. involvement with the Industrial Welfare Commission, and a complete set of Union W.A.G.E. newspaper, 1971-1982.

The earliest materials contained in the collection are attendance sheets, newsclippings, Union W.A.G.E. Newsletters, and the program of the conference where Union W.A.G.E. was founded, all dated 1971. The most recent materials are ephemera from benefits and conferences, correspondence, and newsclippings, dating 1981-82. The bulk of the material spans the years 1972-80.

Researchers will value the collection for documenting the attempts of feminists to address and deal with working class women's issues and needs. The Union W.A.G.E. subject files give insight into issues of importance for feminists and working women of the 1970s and feminist organizing techniques of the 1970s. Of note in particular are the informal character of the organization and its leadership, and the openness and self-criticism of the inter-chapter newsletters.

The Union W.A.G.E. collection is divided into ten series. Within each series, material is separated by subject and, within each subject, material is arranged chronologically. The only exception is Series IV, in which folders are arranged alphabetically. In the Box List, individual folders are located by a set of three numbers indicating collection number, box, and folder. Therefore, 2/3/4 indicates Collection 2: Union W.A.G.E.; Box 3, Folder 4: Executive Board Election Results, 1980. Folder titles are followed by dates, which indicate when the material was produced.

Material Cataloged Separately

The Union W.A.G.E. pamphlet collection, which includes both Union W.A.G.E. pamphlets and pamphlets published by other organizations, has been transferred to the Labor Archives central print file. Union W.A.G.E. pamphlets contained in the print file:

Allen, Pamela, et. al., Jean Maddox: The Fight For Rank and File Democracy, 1976.
Maupin, Joyce, Labor Heroines: The Women Who Led The Struggle, 1974.
Maupin, Joyce, ed., Talking Union: a Guide for Working Women, 1979.
Maupin, Joyce, Working Women and Their Organizations-- 150 Years of Struggle, 1974.
Maupin, Joyce, ed., "You Can't Scare Me..." Labor Heroines: 1930s-1980s, 1981.
Union W.A.G.E. Education Committee, Organize! A Working Women's Handbook, 1975, revised edition, 1981.

In addition the collection includes 36 cassette tapes transferred to the Archives cassette tape collection:

AFL-CIO Women's Conference, May 1973 Ginger, Ann, "Working Women and the Law" Glenn, Elinor, Los Angeles County Employees, Local 434, "Negotiating Women's Issues" Glenn concludes, floor discussion Jenkins, Maxine, "Organizing the Unorganized" Jenkins concludes, floor discussion Mulrooney, Virginia, Los Angeles College Guild, Local 1521, American Federation of Teachers (AFT), "The Role of Women in the Labor Movement" Nolan, Kathleen, Screen Actors Guild, "Women in the Media," and Costa, Jackie, Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union (OCAW) Resolutions
Argue, Manja, and Maupin, Joyce, "The Industrial Welfare Commission," 1/76, Union W.A.G.E. Mtg., San Francisco, Calif.
"Dual Unionism," 9/8/75
Maddox, Jean, Class Series on Unionism "Organizing" "Negotiating a Contract" "Negotiating a Contract" cont. "Negotiating Women's Issues" "Women's Issues" cont. "Building a Caucus and Parliamentary Procedure" "Shop Newsletter" "Shop Newsletter" cont. Willa Suduth, guest speaker, Machinists Union, "Blue Collar Women"
Maddox, Jean, "The Lucky Strike," 11/10/70, KPFA
Maddox, Jean, "The Story of the Opeu Local 29 Caucus," 11/73, Union W.A.G.E. Mtg.
Maddox, Jean, "Trusteeship,"
Maupin, Joyce, "An Historical View of Unemployment," Union W.a.g.e. Mtg., East Bay Chapter
Maupin, Joyce, "Interview with Elizabeth Nicolas, 1930s Cannery Organizer," 1978
Maupin, Joyce, "Women on the Move," KSFX
"Organize" Conference, 11/75
Skotnes, Pearl, "California Union Maids," 2/79, Los Angeles, Calif.
Working Women's Conference, 1973 Kpfa Edited Version All Conference Speakers and Clerical Workshop, No Editing

The collection also contains approximately 400 photographs transferred to the Archives photograph collection:

Women's conference, 1973, 19 photos;
"How To Be A Troublemaker At Work" conference, 1980, 19 photos;
Mime Troupe benefit, 1976, 11 photos;
Coalition of Labor Union Women (C.L.U.W.) founding conference, 1974, 10 photos;
Bank of America demonstration, 1972-73, 9 photos;
demonstrations at Industrial Welfare Commission hearings, 1979. n.d., 32 photos;
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) workers' strike, undated, 6 photos;
clerical workers conference, 1974, 6 photos;
"With Babies and Banners" stills, 1978, 2 photos;
"Silkwood" play, 1980, 1 photo;
gay rights demonstrations (including blue collar women's contingent) and gay strike support, 1982, 11 photos;
San Francisco hotel workers' strike, 1980, n.d., 13 photos and negatives;
Shell strike, women workers and families picket, 1973, 7 photos;
Jung Sai strike (Asian women workers), 1974, 6 photos;
nurses' strikes, 1974, 1982, 13 photos;
anti-intervention demonstrations, n.d., 33 photos;
"Justice vs. J.P. Stevens," n.d., 5 photos;
union caucuses, n.d., 8 photos;
protests against union busting, 1975, 12 photos;
city workers' strike (including Gloria Steinem and Diane Feinstein), 1974, 16 photos;
runaway shops, n.d., 11 photos;
yellow cab lockout, n.d., 14 photos;
disabled people, 1977, n.d., 12 photos;
misc. strikes and organizing drives, 1971-77, 1979, 125 photos;
misc. unidentified photos, undated, 90+;
unidentified negatives.

Duplicate materials, ballots, routine financial records, and Industrial Welfare Commission materials not related to Union W.A.G.E. have been disposed of.

Series Description

SERIES I: EXECUTIVE MINUTES AND CORRESPONDENCE, 1972-1981

Physical Description: 22 folders

Scope and Content Note

Union W.A.G.E. constitutions 1974-79; constitutional referendum, 1979; Executive Board minutes, 1972-81; Executive Board correspondence, 1974-81; Executive Board election results, 1980.

SERIES II: CONVENTIONS AND CONFERENCES, 1975-1981

Physical Description: 6 folders

Scope and Content Note

Convention documents, announcements, and ephemera, 1976-77, 1979, 1981; conference programs and ephemera, 1979-80.

SERIES III: MEMBERSHIP MINUTES AND GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1971-1980

Physical Description: 29 folders

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous materials from Union W.A.G.E.'s first year, 1971; general meeting minutes and questionnaire, 1978; attendance sheets, 1971-75; general meeting minutes, 1974; educational committee correspondence, 1973-74; general correspondence, 1972-80.

SERIES IV: SUBJECT FILES, 1972-1981

Physical Description: 75 folders

Scope and Content Note

Background materials covering issues of importance to women, arranged in alphabetical order, including information on other feminist groups, the women's movement internationally, legal cases involving the civil rights of workers (Clara Fraser, 1980) and parents (Kamalla Miller, 1980), and ephemera from Union W.A.G.E. events.

SERIES V: OFFICE FILES FOR NEWSPAPER AND FUND APPEALS, 1973-1981

Physical Description: 16 folders

Scope and Content Note

This series contains newspaper and pamphlet copyrights, 1974-75, 1981; newspaper correspondence, 1976-79, 1981; the suppressed issue of the newspaper, 1973; Judith Day cartoons, 1978-79; office use and upkeep files, job descriptions, and a membership survey, undated; financial reports, 1974-80; fund appeals and receipts, 1976-81.

SERIES VI: PUBLICITY, 1971-1982

Physical Description: 10 folders

Scope and Content Note

Newsclippings which mention Union W.A.G.E., individual members, or Union W.A.G.E. events, 1971-82.

SERIES VII: BENEFITS, 1976-1982

Physical Description: 9 folders

Scope and Content Note

Reviews, financial arrangements, publicity, and ephemera of several Union W.A.G.E. benefits, 1976-82.

SERIES VIII: INTERCHAPTER NEWSLETTERS AND INDIVIDUAL CHAPTERS, 1974-1981

Physical Description: 23 folders

Scope and Content Note

Interchapter newsletters, 1-10, including original pasteups, 1978; minutes and correspondence with Union W.A.G.E. chapters, Arkansas, 1978; Boston, Mass., 1977-78; East Bay Area, Calif., 1976-80; Eugene, Ore., 1978-79; Indiana, 1975, 1977-80; Los Angeles, Calif., 1978-79; Mid Peninsula, Calif., 1976-78; New York, N.Y., 1977-79; Philadelphia, Penn., 1977-78; Portland, Ore., 1978; Redding, Calif., 1977; San Francisco, Calif., 1975, 1978-79; San Jose, Calif., 1974-75, 1977-78; Seattle, Wash., 1977-78.

SERIES IX: CALIFORNIA INDUSTRIAL WELFARE COMMISSION AND PROTECTIVE LEGISLATION, 1971-1981

Physical Description: 26 folders

Scope and Content Note

California Industrial Welfare Commission background information and ephemera, 1971, 1973-76, 1979-81; an issue of Union W.A.G.E. newspaper on IWC orders for the canning industry, 1976; IWC orders regarding the trucking, public housekeeping, and household workers industries, including records from the wage board which Joyce Maupin served on, 1976; Seattle IWC, 1975-76; minimum wage demonstrations, 1978; IWC leaflet paste-ups, undated; testimony of Union W.A.G.E. members before the IWC, 1976; court injunction against IWC orders, 1980; IWC legislative hearings, 1980; Coalition for Workers' Rights ephemera, 1975-77; Union W.A.G.E. amicus brief regarding IWC orders for household workers, 1971-73; California Occupational Safety and Health Act, 1973.

SERIES X: UNION W.A.G.E. NEWSPAPER, 1971-1982

Scope and Content Note

A complete set of the Union W.A.G.E. newspaper, including the organization's first newsletters.

Container List

Series I. Executive Minutes and Correspondence

Box-folder 1/2

Constitutions 1974-1979

Box-folder 1/3

Constitutions 1976-1977

Box-folder 1/4

Constitutional Referendum 1979

Box-folder 1/5

Executive Board Minutes 1972-1973

Box-folder 1/6

Executive Board Minutes 1975

Box-folder 1/7

Executive Board Minutes 1976

Box-folder 1/8

Executive Board Minutes 1977

Box-folder 1/9

Executive Board Minutes 1978

Box-folder 2/1

Executive Board Minutes 1979

Box-folder 2/2

Executive Board Minutes 1980

Box-folder 2/3

Executive Board Minutes 1981

Box-folder 2/4

Executive Board Correspondence 1974

Box-folder 2/5

Executive Board Correspondence 1975

Box-folder 2/6

Executive Board Correspondence 1976

Box-folder 2/7

Executive Board Correspondence 1977

Box-folder 2/8

Executive Board Correspondence 1978

Box-folder 2/9

Executive Board Correspondence 1978

Box-folder 2/10

Executive Board Correspondence 1979

Box-folder 3/1

Executive Board Correspondence 1980

Box-folder 3/2

Executive Board Correspondence 1981

Box-folder 3/3

Executive Board Correspondence 1981

Box-folder 3/4

Executive Board Election Results 1980

Series II. Conventions And Conferences

Box-folder 3/5

Convention 1976

Box-folder 3/6

Convention 1977

Box-folder 3/7

Convention 1979

Box-folder 3/8

Convention 1981

Box-folder 3/9

"Organize" Conference 1975

Box-folder 3/10

"Troublemaker" Conference 1980

Series III. Membership Minutes And General Correspondence

Box-folder 3/11

Misc. Clippings, Letters, And Flyers 1971

Box-folder 4/1

General Membership Meeting 1974

Box-folder 4/2

General Membership Meeting 1978

Box-folder 4/3

Attendance Sheets 1971-1975

Box-folder 4/4

Educational Committee Correspondence 1973-1974

Box-folder 4/5

General Correspondence 1972

Box-folder 4/6

General Correspondence 1973

Box-folder 4/7

General Correspondence 1973

Box-folder 4/8

General Correspondence 1974

Box-folder 5/1

General Correspondence 1974

Box-folder 5/2

General Correspondence 1975

Box-folder 5/3

General Correspondence 1975

Box-folder 5/4

General Correspondence 1975

Box-folder 5/5

General Correspondence 1975

Box-folder 6/1

General Correspondence 1976

Box-folder 6/2

General Correspondence 1976

Box-folder 6/3

General Correspondence 1976

Box-folder 6/4

General Correspondence 1976

Box-folder 6/5

General Correspondence 1977

Box-folder 6/6

General Correspondence 1977

Box-folder 6/7

General Correspondence 1977

Box-folder 7/1