A legacy of equality, leadership and organizing

Decades of LELO records now available to explore through the UW Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies and the Labor Archives of Washington

SEATTLE, WA (December 3, 2024) – The Labor Archives of Washington last week announced the donation and processing of the Northwest Labor and Employment Law Office (LELO) Records from 1972 to 2005. This collection, donated by Cindy Domingo and Michael Woo, documents the groundbreaking work of LELO, an organization founded to empower workers of color and fight for racial and economic justice in Seattle and beyond.

LELO emerged in 1972 from a coalition of Black, Asian American, and Latinx labor organizations, including the United Construction Workers Association, Alaska Cannery Workers Association, and the United Farmworkers of America. Using legal advocacy and grassroots organizing, LELO made significant strides for workers’ rights, including increasing Black employment in construction trades and securing union organizers’ access to migrant workers. The organization also played a pivotal role in seeking justice for the 1981 murders of labor leaders Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes, holding Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos accountable in a landmark court case.

A unit of the Special Collections of the University of Washington Libraries, the Labor Archives is a collaborative project of the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies and the University of Washington Libraries. Initial funding for the Archives came largely from the labor movement, in the form of contributions from dozens of unions and hundreds of individuals.

This newly-announced, extensive collection, comprising over 26 cubic feet of materials, includes organizational records, audiovisual materials, publications, and artifacts documenting decades of LELO’s advocacy and campaigns. Highlights include records from the Port Profit for Human Needs project and files from the re-licensing program, which restored driving privileges to workers in low-income communities.

The collection is now accessible at the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections. While portions of the records are restricted until 2049, researchers can explore the majority of this invaluable resource to study the legacy of worker solidarity and the fight for racial justice.

For more details, view the finding aid on Archives West or contact the Labor Archives of Washington (Conor Casey, Head of the Labor Archives of Washington, can be reached at cmcasey@uw.edu or 206.685.3976.)