What's New -- August 2022

Labor Collections For Labor Day Weekend

"Observed the first Monday in September, Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America's strength, prosperity, and well-being." MNopedia has a wonderful article about the labor movement in Minnesota itself, stating that "Minnesotans have been national innovators in labor strategies and organizational reforms."

This month there are new finding aids for several labor-related collections from the state government archives. Four new finding aids from the Employee Relations Department include such topics as agreements with union/bargaining units, affirmative action, abolished class files, employee benefits, labor relations, and local government pay equity, among other things.

There is also a series of Packing House Strike Files from the collection of Governor Youngdahl that includes letters, telegrams, postcards, clippings, and photographs documenting Youngdahl's actions during the CIO/United Packinghouse Workers of America strike at the packing houses of Swift and Company (South St. Paul), Wilson and Company (South St. Paul and Albert Lea), and Cudahy and Company (Newport). They particularly detail his decision to call out the National Guard to control illegal picketing and his efforts to assist in negotiations between the union and the packing companies.

More digital content has also been added to the Education and Housing Equity Project (Minneapolis, Minn.).

Have a great Labor Day weekend!

New and Updated Finding Aids - August 2022

Name/Abstract	File No.
Anoka County: Rice Creek Watershed District: An Inventory of Its Records	gr02289
Records include meeting minutes and agenda packets, bylaws, organizational records, plans, rules and published reports. Includes digital content.
Auditor: An Inventory of Its Township Organization Records	gr02282
Record books and files giving data on the organization of Minnesota townships and villages, including names, name changes, locations (legal descriptions), and dates and nature of any changes in name, boundaries, or organizational status.
Connee L. Chivers: An Inventory of Research Files On Women at the Phyllis Wheatley Settlement House	P2287
Material collected or created by a Minneapolis woman conducting research on African American women involved with the Phyllis Wheatley Settlement House in Minneapolis. Includes digital content.
Education and Housing Equity Project (Minneapolis, Minn.): An Inventory of Its Records	00857
Minutes, financial statements, correspondence, discussion guides, news clippings, sound and visual materials and other records of an organization formed in 1995 to advance public understanding of the growing economic disparities and racial segregation in the Twin Cities metropolitan area and to develop constructive community responses to these challenges. Includes digital content.
Employee Relations Department: An Inventory of Its Abolished Class Files	gr02281
Files on abolished position titles and classifications for state employees (1976-1982), consisting of audit sheets, job opening announcements, examinations and scoring keys, and job rating criteria. No position descriptions are included. Many files contain items predating the year of abolition. Also includes an examination file on the state's Cooperative College Placement Program (1974).
Employee Relations Department: An Inventory of Its Agreements with Union/Bargaining Units	gr02280
Agreements made between the State of Minnesota (on behalf of the Public Welfare Department and its institutions) and various unions and bargaining units.
Employee Relations Department: An Inventory of Its Published Records	gr02278
Reports, newsletters, guidebooks, handbooks, annual commissioner's plans, and various print and near-print materials documenting the department's activities.
Employee Relations Department: An Inventory of Its Records	gr02279
Reports, manuals, correspondence, and related materials documenting a wide variety of the department's activities.
Fillmore County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Civil Case Files	gr02283
Files numbered A1 - 4944 and 253 - 10551. Includes criminal files through [approximately 1894]. Box 118 contains transcripts for several of the cases; box 119 contains unnumbered transcripts.
Fillmore County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Criminal Case Files	gr02284
Files numbered 1-1511. Files through approximately 1894 are interfiled with the civil case files.
Governor: Youngdahl, Luther: An Inventory of His Packing Houses Strike Files	gr02290
Letters, telegrams, postcards, clippings, and photographs documenting Youngdahl's actions during the CIO/United Packinghouse Workers of America strike at the packing houses of Swift and Company (South St. Paul), Wilson and Company (South St. Paul and Albert Lea), and Cudahy and Company (Newport). They particularly detail his decision to call out the National Guard to control illegal picketing and his efforts to assist in negotiations between the union and the packing companies.
Hennepin County: Board of County Commissioners: An Inventory of Its Files of Commissioner Thomas L. Olson	gr02286
Records concerning the planning and construction of the Hennepin County Government Center and the Hennepin County Medical Center (formerly the Hennepin County General Hospital). At the time, the cost of constructing and furnishing the buildings was a contentious issue. Expenses were investigated by WCCO-TV and the Minnesota State Auditor's Office, but no malfeasance was found. Includes transcripts, statements, printed items, and photographs.
Investment Board: An Inventory of Its Correspondence	gr02285
Includes correspondence regarding the board's investment activities and procedures in general; miscellaneous summary data on investment transactions and fund statuses; state Attorney General opinions on investment and fund management matters; and correspondence regarding transactions on behalf of several retirement funds and the Rural Credit Department. Also includes a stray file of State Auditor correspondence relating to the Board of Investment (1930-1933). A second series includes correspondence of the members and secretary of the Investment Board with officials of local units of government (cities, towns, counties, school districts) regarding loans from the state trust funds; procedures for issuing and redeeming bonds to the state to cover the loans; the board's purchase and sale of investment bonds; and related matters of local finance and indebtedness and of trust fund management.
Jerome Foundation: An Inventory of Its Records	01330
Board meeting minutes (1964-2000); administrative (1986-2016) and grant (1978-2016) files of the Film, Video, and Digital Program; grant files (1980-2017) of the General Program; grant (1989-2015) and administrative (1989-2016) files of the Travel and Study Program; audited financial statements (2000-2017); grant and administrative files of the Composer Sound Artist Fellowship (2016-2017); commemorative material regarding the Composers Commission Program (2004); and tax returns (2014, 2016). Includes digital content.
Lac qui Parle County. District Court: An Inventory of its Naturalization Records	SAM183
Declarations of intention, final papers, petitions, and related records.
McKnight Foundation: An Inventory of Its Records	01100
Historical and program files of the McKnight Foundation, a Minneapolis-based family foundation established in 1953 by William L. McKnight and his wife Maude that made grants to programs focusing on children and youth, the region and communities, the environment, the arts, and neuroscience research. Materials include memoranda, directors' meetings materials, brochures and reports, planning documents, program descriptions, program guidelines, news clippings, photographs, video recordings, and audio recordings and transcripts of oral history interviews with early leaders of the Foundation. Includes digital content.
Natural Resources Department: Parks and Recreation Division: An Inventory of Its Subject Files	gr00643
Correspondence, reports, studies, legal and financial materials, clippings, minutes, maps, photographs, histories, and related materials documenting the organization and operation of the division. Includes digital content.
Waseca County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Minutes	gr02287
Minutes of the District Court of Waseca County.
Waseca County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Index to Sellers and Purchasers of Liquor	gr02288
Record of sellers and purchasers of liquor index.

New and Updated Catalog Records