Preserving & Donating Records

The Labor Archives of Washington State (LAWS) serves the labor movement in the Pacific Northwest, preserving its historical records and suggesting ways to manage active records. We offer regular workshops in historical records preservation and records management for labor unions. Contact Conor Casey to schedule training.

Many labor organizations already have good records management systems but want to know which types of records to donate to the LAWS, which to keep, and which to dispose of. This collection of resources explains the process of donating records to LAWS and what kinds of records LAWS collects.

Union Officers and Staff

How confidently can you:

Locate key documents from your union going back to your founding charter?

Retrieve these vital records when you need them?

If your answer to the above question was "not very confident", you should consider implementing or revising a records management strategy for your union's records.

Good records management makes it easier for you to do what unions do best: organizing new members, bargaining with employers, and protecting the rights of members on the job.

Preserving Union Records

How to Keep Union Records (Download PDF)

A practical guide for union officers and staff on labor records management by Debra Bernhart. Courtesy George Meany Memorial Archives.

A Commonsense Guide to Union Records Management (Download PDF)

Quick guide to records management for union officers and staff by Eugene D. Vrana and Rae C. Shiraki.

Courtesy of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and Eugene Vrana and Rae C. Shiraki. Special thanks to ILWU Librarian/Archivist Robin Walker for sending the copy that we posted here.

How to Clean Out a Union Office Without Destroying History (Download PDF)

This handy 3-page publication, by Helmut Knies, Collection Development Archivist at the Wisconsin Historical Society, is a great step-by-step guide on setting up a records management system for local unions, what to preserve for historical archives, and what to get rid of.

What Records Should I Keep? (Download PDF)

This handout outlines the typical formats of labor records, outlining which records of enduring value to keep or donate to the Labor Archives of Washington State.

Donating Records to the Labor Archives

What to retain or donate to the Labor Archives of Washington State:

Definitely Retain	Retain	Can't Accept
Agendas Agreements Annual reports Articles of incorporation Artwork By-laws Buttons Charters Committee files Conference/Convention programs Contracts (Drafts, Final, Printed in Booklet Form) Correspondence Directories/Rosters/Yearbooks Documents pertaining to legislative activity or lobbying Flyers Grievances Meeting minutes Memoranda of Understanding Newsletters Interviews Issues files which reflect your organization’s work Job descriptions of major staff Officer's files (Identify name of officer and position) Organizational flow charts Photographic materials – photos, movies, negatives, albums, etc. [If at all possible, identify individuals in photos and events pictured] Picket Signs Policies Political action files (Committee on Political Action or other committee) Programs from conferences or other events Reports annual, financial, committee, etc. Posters Programs from events Resolutions Scrapbooks Speeches--audio and transcript Testimony	Publications ranging from books produced by organization to brochures Research files on particular actions, negotiations, campaigns, or targets Maps	Cancelled checks Financial transaction records Job applications Personnel files Planning files for events Financial files Tax returns