Character: Conor Casey, labor activist and fervent collector
Butcher knives to bobbleheads, picket signs, papers and pictures, the Labor Archives of Washington contain more than 3,000 cubic feet of artifacts and records that tell the Pacific Northwest’s labor history. It was founded in 2010 as a collaboration between UW Libraries Special Collections and the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies. And it’s where I go to work every day.
I didn’t know if they’d make me wear white gloves. I first used an archive as an undergraduate student researching the 1934 San Francisco General Strike. My grandfather participated as a longshoreman. It helped me deeply connect with my family history and understand my own role as a working person. Along the way, I realized it was my calling to become an archivist.
‘Coyote’ is my nickname because I have a lot of energy and the ability to get around barriers. It’s an apt description for my role as a labor archivist.
Collections live in boxes, but people don’t; archives really house people’s stories. The labor archives include union histories ranging from the Boeing machinists to the Teamsters, farmworkers, longshore workers and more.
I made a jacket adorned with pins from labor conferences and conventions I’ve attended. It also has a “Solidarity Forever” patch, the anthem of the U.S. labor movement, and “An Injury to One Is An Injury to All,” the motto of the Industrial Workers of the World and the Longshore Union. Literally, I wear my love for labor history and culture on my sleeves.
It was an international conspiracy. We acquired a collection I’m particularly proud of. In 1981, two Filipino-Americans—Gene Viernes and Silme Domingo, ’75—were assassinated in Pioneer Square. They were union members who were advocating to sanction Ferdinand Marcos, then-dictator of the Philippines, for draconian labor policies. Marcos conspired to have them killed. The Labor Archives houses the Domingo family’s personal papers.
Seattle was on the lips of everyone thanks to leading the recent minimum wage movement. The Northwest has a long history of being at the forefront of labor struggles. The 1919 Seattle General Strike is credited as being America’s first citywide labor action.
The music of the Industrial Workers of the World has a punk rock attitude. The archives include items dating from the 1880s to today. One of my favorite artifacts is an early 1900s little red songbook created by the IWW. The songs are set to popular tunes but with sarcastic, satirical, irreverent, humorous lyrics.
Respect for the dignity of labor anchors my professional and personal lives. One of my tattoos honors my maternal grandfather, who was a longshoreman.
The future may be mechanization, but given enough time, even two factory robots will organize! There are shifts in labor history and the recent trend is dialogue about how to be more inclusive to represent the history of women, immigrants, people of color and others. I want the collection to reflect the diversity of the community.
One of my earliest memories is my father, who was a teacher, occupying the school district office during a strike. The teachers were demanding a fair contract. My mother, brother and I brought him dinner and people were singing and playing guitar. I remember feeling proud that my dad was doing something important.