Inventory of the Dept. of Industrial Relations Records

Processed by The California State Archives staff; supplementary encoding and revision supplied by Xiuzhi Zhou.

California State Archives

1020 "O" Street

Sacramento, California 95814

Phone: (916) 653-2246

Fax: (916) 653-7363

Email: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov

URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/

Inventory of the Dept. of Industrial Relations Records

Inventory: F3743

California State Archives

Office of the Secretary of State

Sacramento, California

Contact Information:

California State Archives
1020 "O" Street
Sacramento, California 95814
Phone: (916) 653-2246
Fax: (916) 653-7363
Email: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov
URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/

Processed by:: The California State Archives staff

Descriptive Summary

Title: Dept. of Industrial Relations Records

Inventory: F3743

Creator: California. Dept. of Industrial Relations

Extent: see Arrangement and Description

Repository: California State Archives

Sacramento, California

Language: English.

Administrative Information

Publication Rights

For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the California State Archives. Permission for reproduction or publication is given on behalf of the California State Archives as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives collections.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Dept. of Industrial Relations Records, F3743, California State Archives.

Agency History

In 1927 the Legislature coalesced formerly independent enforcement and service agencies responsible for labor-management functions into the Department of Industrial Relations in order to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners of California, improve the working conditions and advance their opportunities for profitable employment ( Stats. 1927, ch. 440). Initially, the work of the department was distributed among five divisions whose titles indicated their respective functions: Industrial Accidents and Safety, Housing and Sanitation, State Employment Agencies, Labor Statistics and Law Enforcement, and Industrial Welfare. The Director of Industrial Relations coordinated the activities of each division chief.

Subsequent changes resulted in the assimilation of the Division of Housing and Sanitation into a reconstituted Division of Immigration and Housing ( Stats. 1931, ch. 597), and in the transfer of the Division of State Employment Agencies to the newly created Department of Employment ( Stats. 1935, ch. 352). In 1945 a major reorganization of the department was proposed by Governor Warren and approved by the Legislature ( Stats. 1945, ch. 1431). The Division of Fire Safety, established in 1929, was transferred out of the department to become an independent agency. With the immigrant aid features repealed, the Division of Immigration and Housing became the Division of Housing, and functioned through a five-member Commission of Housing until the division was absorbed into the new Department of Housing and Community Development in 1965. Statistical functions were delegated to a restructured Division of Labor Statistics and Research, and investigative and labor law enforcement cuties were retained in the renamed Division of Labor Law Enforcement. In 1975 the functions and responsibilities of the Divisions of Labor Law Enforcement and Industrial Welfare were consolicated into a new Division of Labor Standards Enforcement ( Stats. 1975, Appendix, Governor's Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1975). Likewise, the Division of Industrial Safety assumed its separate identity together with an Industrial Safety Board composed of the Director of Industrial Relations and four appointees. A distinct Division of Industrial Accidents continued to administer the provisions of the Workmen's Compensation, Insurance and Safety Act through augmentation of the membership of the Industrial Accident Commission ( Stats. 1913, ch. 561) in two locations, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The State Compensation Insurance Fund (established concurrently with the Industrial Accident Commission) was removed from the Division of Industrial Accidents and assumed independent jurisdiction. The Division of Apprenticeship Standards and the Office of Self Insurers were added to the department.

The State Conciliation Service was established ( Stats. 1947, ch. 1049) to investigate and mediate labor disputes, and the Division of Fair Employment Practices ( Stats. 1959, ch. 121) was organized to provide essential staff services for the Fair Employment Practice Commission. Organizational and administrative details are provided in the sections which follow.

Records of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards

Folder F3743:1-2.

1. CORRESPONDENCE AND RECORDS. 1958-63.

Physical Description: 2ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

As the administrative arm of the California Apprenticeship Council (established in order to implement the provisions of the Shelley-Maloney Apprentice Labor Standards Act of 1939), the Division of Apprenticeship Standards enforces state and federal equal opportunity laws in apprenticeship, prepares and revises apprenticeship standards, and secures the cooperation of labor and management in the promotion and adoption of apprenticeship standards.

Notices and minutes of meetings, articles of organization, press releases, intradepartmental memos, outgoing letters, score sheets, reports, activity summaries, questionnaires, radio spots and fact sheets regarding: California Joint (Labor-Management) Apprenticeship Committees in San Francisco, Sonoma Co., San Mateo, Los Angeles and in the Painting and Decorating Industry, Hire an Apprentice Drive, 1958, Apprenticeship Month 1960, California Conference on Apprenticeship Meetings, April 1962, April 1963, and surveys of selection and evaluation procedures used by joint apprenticeship committees (JAC's) in California.

Records of the Commission on Manpower, Automation and Technology

Scope and Content Note

The Commission on Manpower, Automation and Technology was authorized ( Stats. 1963, Ch. 998) in June of 1963 to make a broad study of the impact of technological change on manpower needs in the state. Governor Edmund G. Brown appointed Father Andrew C. Boss, director of the Labor-Management School at the University of San Francisco, as chairman of a 29-member body. The Commission consisted of four Senators appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, four Assemblymen appointed by the Speaker, 15 persons appointed by the governor--six representing labor, six from management and three from the general public--and six ex officio members who were the Commissioner of the Economic Development Agency, the directors of the departments of Agriculture, Industrial Relations, Employment and Social Welfare, along with the Superintendent of Education. The Commission succeeded an unofficial Governor's Committee on Automation and Technological Developments created by Governor Brown in August of 1962 in response to the recommendations of a Governor's Conference on Automation held in November of 1961. A Final Report was submitted to the Governor and Legislature and the Commission terminated its activities at the end of the 1965 fiscal year when funcing ceased.

Folder F3743:3-19.

2. GENERAL RECORDS. 1961-65.

Physical Description: 17ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

M.I. Gershenson, Chief of the Division of Labor Statistics and Research (1945-1967) served as a general consultant to the Research Committee of the Commission. He was a participant in the California Assembly on Automation and Technological Change (November 1962), and served as panel coordinator on the Role of Labor Management Relations, Governor's Conference on Automation (November 1961).

Incoming and outgoing correspondence, press releases, newspaper clippings, memoranda, reports, inventories, proposals, conference proceedings, handwritten notes, agendas and minutes of the following: Proceedings of the Governor's Conference on Automation (November 27-28, 1961); Town Hall, California Assembly on Automation and Technological Change (November 8-11, 1962); California Commission on Manpower, Automation and Technology: Commission Meetings, quarterly (1964); Public Hearings, trimester (November and December, 1964 and January 1965); Commission Meetings (March 25-26, 1965); Research Committee Meetings (1964) and Steering Committee Meetings (May 1964 and monthly, January through June, 1965).

Records of the Division of Housing

Commission of Immigration and Housing

Scope and Content Note

The Commission of Immigration and Housing ( Stats. 1913, Ch. 318) was incorporated into the Department of Industrial Relations at its inception in 1927 within the Division of Immigration and Housing. During the department reorganization of 1945, the Commission assumed the name of the retitled Division and continued to administer the laws governing labor camps, auto courts, resorts, motels, auto and trailer camps and the provisions of the State Housing Act.

Folder F3743:20-22.

3. MINUTES of MEETINGS. 1913-26,44-54.

Physical Description: 3ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Minutes and intermittent correspondence of Commission meetings held at approximate monthly intervals from October 3, 1913, and at irregular intervals after 1915 until April 5, 1926. Also included are minutes of the State Commission of Housing (May 12, 1944-Sept. 14, 1954).

Folder F3743:23.

4. MINUTES of THE HOUSING INSTITUTE, FIRST AND SECOND SESSIONS. 1922-23.

Physical Description: 1 ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Minutes, correspondence and press releases.

Folder F3743:24.

5. MINUTES of THE PRELIMINARY CONFERENCE of THE DEPARTMENT of LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS. 1921.

Physical Description: 1ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Minutes of the Preliminary Conference of Representatives of all divisions of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (July 15, 1921); minutes of the first meeting of the Representative Board of the Department (October 26, 1921); includes correspondence.

Folder F3743:25-27.

6. EXECUTIVE OFFICER'S REPORTS. 1916-24.

Physical Description: 3ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Reports of the Attorney and Executive Officer on Activities of the Commission of Immigration and Housing (from December 1, 1916 to December 11, 1924), presented at irregular monthly intervals. General remarks, changes in staff, salaries, synopses of: complaint department, branch offices, camp sanitation, housing department, immigrant education and community organization, publicity, statements of expenditures and proposed budgets, statistics, inspection and reinspection reports, summaries of newspaper headlines relating to housing (1920) and suggestions to combat unemployment. Includes some correspondence.

Folder F3743:28.

7. CONTRACTS. 1920.

Physical Description: 1ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Contracts engaging consultants on housing legislation.

Folder F3743:29.

8. MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE. 1914-23.

Physical Description: 1ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

General Correspondence.

Division of Housing, Survey and Conference Records

Folder F3743:30.

9. SURVEY REPORTS. 1950,54.

Physical Description: 1ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

A Final Report of the Division of Housing regarding a detailed survey of housing conditions for agricultural labor in the San Joaquin Valley, including five black and white photographs (fourteen views) illustrating substandard housing (November 1950), and the Report of the Housing Survey in Tuolomne County as prepared by Messrs. Kline and Freitas (September 1954). Includes some correspondence.

Folder F3743:31.

10. HOUSING SURVEY of SQUAW VALLEY, REPORTS AND CORRESPONDENCE. 1955-61.

Physical Description: 1ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

In 1955 the Division of Housing conducted its first survey of housing in the Squaw Valley area in preparation for the VIIIth Olympic Games. In response to the requests of the olympic organizing committee and architects, the Division provided advisory, technical, consultative, surveying, data-gathering services, and follow-through assistance upon reconversion of the Squaw Valley facilities.

Intradepartmental communications, minutes of meetings of the Planning Group for the 1960 Winter Olympics; reports of housing activities and cooperation with other agencies; provisions for environmental sanitation and preventive medical services; lists of motels, resorts and trailer parks in the Squaw Valley area found to be in compliance with state code.

Folder F3743:32-35.

11. PROCEEDINGS, CONFERENCES ON HOUSING. 1952-57.

Physical Description: 4ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

The State Commission of Housing called several regional conferences on housing in order to provide an opportunity for city and county officials to explore and identify the housing problems in their many phases and to help find solutions for them.

Agendas, attendance rosters, recommendations and transcripts of the meetings held in: Fresno (December 5, 1952); Riverside (February 19, 1953); Santa Barbara (May 7, 1953); Sonoma (October 28, 1953); San Jose (January 13, 1954); Marysville (October 20, 1955) and Fresno (December 12, 1957).

Division of Housing, Code Revisions, State Trailer Park Act

Scope and Content Note

On August 14, 1929 the Division began to enforce an act governing the construction and maintenance of auto camps in unincorporated areas, subject to frequent revisions thereafter. The regulations were collated into Division 13, Part 2 of the Health and Safety Code ( Stats. 1939, ch. 60, Pt. 2), and are referred to as the State Trailer Park Act. Major changes included: ( Stats. 1941, ch. 1097; Stats. 1955, ch. 91; and Stats. 1961, ch. 2176).

Folder F3743:36-42.

12. CORRESPONDENCE. 1958-64.

Physical Description: 7ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged by subject and chronologically thereunder.

Letters received, copies of letters sent, intradepartmental communications, divisional summaries of operations, proposals, meeting agendas, bulletins, ordinances, blueprints and promotional literature. Files include data on: the jurisdiction and authorization of local trailer park ordinances in the city of Costa Mesa, Orange County, and the cities of Anaheim and Carlsbad (intermittent 1955-1964); collaboration of the Division of Housing and Trailer Coach Association (TCA) Standards Administrative Committee; applications for official insignia of approval (sampled for the period 1959-1960); comments on the proposed rules and regulations for Plumbing, Heating and Electrical Equipment in Mobilehomes, (1964); responses from the trailer industry and the Portable Camp Coach Association to the cited regulations; TCA Bulletins, newsletters and application forms (1958-1960); and the application of state and National Fire Protection Association codes to mobile homes.

Folder F3743:43-48.

13. HEARINGS. 1953-63.

Physical Description: 6ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Transcripts of proceedings of public hearings conducted by the Division of Housing for the purpose of considering proposed amendments to: the Rules and Regulations for Independent Trailer Coaches, Structures in Trailer Parks, Stockton (July 22, 1953) and Los Angeles (July 29, 1953); Proposed Rules and Regulations for the Manufacture and Sale of Trailer Coaches, Los Angeles (March 3, 1958, December 17, 1958, October 7, 1963 and November 19-20, 1963), and San Francisco (December 17, 1963).

State Housing Act, Compliance and Enforcement

Scope and Content Note

Although the first state law governing housing was passed in 1909, only since 1923 have the laws governing hotels, apartment houses and dwellings been incorporated into one statute known as the State Housing Act, Division 13, Part I, Health and Safety Code ( Stats. 1923, ch. 386 and Stats. 1939, ch. 60). In 1961 the Legislature amended the code and substituted Part 1.5 ( Stats. 1961, ch. 1844).

Folder F3743:49.

14. CORRESPONDENCE. 1955-61.

Physical Description: 1ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Incoming and outgoing letters, intradepartmental communications, reports, memoranda and ordinances relating to: adoption of local housing ordinances, City and County of San Francisco; and sanitation and structural non-compliance of arks and houseboats in Sausalito.

Folder F3743:50.

15. PERMITS. 1955-57, 60.

Physical Description: 1ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Copies (sampled) of operational and construction permits in accordance with the provisions of Division 13, Part 2, Health and Safety Code, Statutes of 1941.

Division of Housing, Code Revisions: Apartment Houses....

Folder F3743:51-56.

16. CORRESPONDENCE. 1962-63.

Physical Description: 6ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged by subject and chronologically thereunder.

Intradepartmental communications, memoranda, pamphlets, ordinances, resolutions, and comments upon proposed regulations from city, county and state governmental agencies, including fire, health, building and safety divisions, public utility companies and industry; departmental synopses of submitted suggestions and a revised draft of proposed regulations concerning apartment houses, hotels and dwellings. This file includes two black and white photographs depicting corroded pipe (dated March 22, 1962), and submitted in accompaniment with a letter signed by Joseph R. Leal.

Folder F3743:57-58.

17. HEARINGS. 1962.

Physical Description: 2ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Transcripts of the proceedings of two public hearings held in Los Angeles (August 28-29, 1962) and in Sacramento (August 30, 1962) to consider proposals for amendment, repeal or addition to Rules and Regulations for Apartment Houses, Hotels and Dwellings.

Division of Housing, Labor Camps and Substandard Housing

Folder F3743:59-61.

18. LABOR CAMP REPORTS. 1940-50, 59-61.

Physical Description: 3ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Reports of accommodations, and inspections (May-August 1950), (January 1940-August 1950); County inspections and reinspections (January 1940-August 1950); Nationalities (January 1940-August 1950), and camp classifications (January 1940-August 1950). Also included are a Recapitulation of Housing Activites (September 1950-November 1956), and statistical recap. sheets of labor camps, sampled for (1959-1961).

Folder F3743:62.

19. HEARINGS. 1958, 60.

Physical Description: 1ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Transcripts of public hearings to consider proposed rules and regulations to implement, interpret and make specific provisions of the Labor Code (Section 76, 2410 (e) and 2422, and Sections 2410-2525, inclusive of Division 2, Part 9, Chapter 1, Article 4) relating to employee housing. Hearings were conducted as follows: Riverside (November 17, 1958), Fresno (November 19, 1958) and Marysville (November 20, 1958). In addition, the file contains the statement of the divisional chief before the U.S. Senate Sub-Committee on Migratory Labor, Sacramento (July 11, 1960).

Folder F3743:63-64.

20. LABOR CAMPS AND SUBSTANDARD HOUSING, CORRESPONDENCE AND MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 1957, 59-62.

Physical Description: 2ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Agendas and minutes of meetings, intradepartmental communications, memoranda, newsletters, bulletins, reports, copies of legal actions, newspaper clippings, questionnaires, forms, recap sheets and instructions for interviewers relating to labor camp conditions, cooperation with counties, university, private foundations and federal agencies, field sampling, grant applications, opinions of grower organizations and procedures of the Advisory Committee of the Agricultural Labor Family Housing Staff, including a preliminary report the Advisory Committee (December 15, 1961) and presentations for continuation of the study (January 29, 1962).

This file also includes fourteen black and white prints depicting substandard housing located on Southern Pacific Company property, and partially on the Shey Estate, Vallejo, taken on March 7, 1957: four black and white photographs illustrating substandard housing in East Mendota, Fresno Co., dated June 8, 1960; seven black and white photographs representing relocated war housing in Clearlake Highlands, Lake Co., dated October 13, 1960, and November 9, 1960; twelve black and white photographs portraying the Lucy Frois de Veaux Camp, Butte Co., substandard housing, dated February 6, 1962, and taken by James Rackerby, Sanitarian, Butte Co. Health Dept.; one black and white photograph of uncertain location, describing improper installation of a gas heater vent in a resort cabin, dated August 22, 1961; and ninety-seven black and white photographs delineating substandard housing in Butte, Fresno, Kern, Monterey, Riverside, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tulare, and Yolo counties (October - November 1961).

Collateral Documentation: federal, state, local and private programs pertaining to California Housing Problems

Folder F3743:65.

21. FEDERAL REPORTS. 1959, 61.

Physical Description: 1ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Reports published by federal agencies concerning the living, and working conditions, health and welfare of migrant agricultural workers. Titles include: Mexican Farm Labor Program Consultants' Report (October 1959); U.S. Dept. of Labor, 1959 State Legislation Affecting Migratory Agricultural Workers; Status of Agricultural Workers Under State and Federal Labor Laws (August 1959); Housing for Migrant Agricultural Workers; Labor Camp Standards (November 1961); Instructions and Menus for Feeding Mexican Workers (January 1, 1958); and Employer's Statement of Housing and Facilities, sampled for 1961.

Folder F3743:66-71.

22. STATE AND LOCAL AGENCY REPORTS. 1942-65.

Physical Description: 6ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Reports published by state and local agencies regarding housing, sanitation, working conditions, family organization, and placement of farm laborers and senior citizens. Subjects covered are: Mexican Nationals in California Agriculture (1942-1959); Compendium of Papers Presented at the Seminar on Hygiene of Housing (April 15-17, 1953); How the Farm Placement Service Works (November 6, 1959); reports of the Second and Third Annual Conference on Families Who Follow the Crops (October 24-25, 1960 and March 28, 1962); Tentative Conclusions and Recommendations Relating to Housing for California's Senior Citizens (April 19, 1962); Health Program for Farm Workers in California (December 28, 1962 and April 5, 1963); Health Conditions for Domestic Seasonal Agricultural Workers and Their Families in California (October 1, 1960); Copies of applications for the Migrant Health Project Grant, U.S. Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare filed by fourteen California counties, four health departments, and the University of California; Community Housing Surveys: Mendota Area (March 1959) and Firebaugh Area (June 1958) and the (Rosenberg Foundation) Preliminary Report on a study of Farm Laborers in Fresno Co. (1959).

Folder F3743:72.

23. NATIONAL ORGANIZATION REPORT (NON-GOVERNMENTAL). 1960-62.

Physical Description: 1ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Reports published by national (non-governmental) organizations with special focus upon migrant farm workers. Subjects include: America's Displaced Persons: Migratory Farm Workers (1935-1960); newsletters of the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor which refer specifically to California (sampled 1960-1962); Public Law 78, How It Works; The California Harvester (Migrant Ministry, Fall, 1960); the Bishop's Committee for Migrant Workers (newsletters sampled from 1960-1962) and selected letters of the National Sharecroppers Fund, Inc. for the Advancement of Agricultural Labor (1961-1962).

Folder F3743:73.

24. NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS. 1959, 61-63.

Physical Description: 1ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically by subject.

Newspaper clippings relating to statewide housing problems with a special emphasis upon migratory labor housing especially in Fresno County. Mobilehome issues are also featured, and there is one item from 1941 concerning Carey McWilliams' (Division Chief) denial of alleged Communist sympathies.

Records of the Division of Industrial Accidents

Records of the Industrial Accident Commission (IAC)

Scope and Content Note

The Industrial Accident Commission superseded the Industrial Accident Board ( Stats. 1911, ch. 399), empowered to hold hearings and make awards for all controversies concerning compensation, with enactment in 1913 of the Workmen's Compensation, Insurance, and Safety Act ( Stats. 1913, ch. 176). In 1927 the Commission was assimilated into the Division of Industrial Accidents and Safety with executive powers to administer the division. The appointive membership of the Commission was increased from three to seven members in 1945 and two panels were established, one in San Francisco and the other in Los Angeles. As a court of limited jurisdiction, the IAC is to see that injured workers and dependents receive promptly, and with the least possible delay, all the benefits to which they are entitled under the Workmen's Compensation Law. ( Stats. 1945, ch. 1431). A staff of referees assisted the Commission in deciding claims and heard claims in various areas of the state in conjunction with district offices. A Permanent Disability Rating Bureau provided the Commission with recommended ratings and evaluation of permanent disability. The Medical Bureau evaluated the nature and extent of disability, the medical care supplied by employers in certain injury cases, and determined the medical adequacy of settlements in compromise cases. For a limited period, a Legal Bureau provided legal counsel to the IAC. The Legislature ( Stats. 1965, ch. 1513) adopted the California Workmen's Compensation Study Commission recommendations, abolished the former IAC, and created a Workmen's Compensation Appeals Board in its place exercising all judicial powers vested in it under the Labor Code.

Folder F3743:74-75.

25. HEARINGS. 1941-42.

Physical Description: 2ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Minutes of a meeting held on March 19, 1942 and transcripts of three hearings before the IAC regarding the revocation, approval and/or reinstatement of approval of the Oberti Window Washing Platform on request of a group represented by Cushing and Cushing, etal., presided over by the IAC Commissioner, T.A. Reardon, Deputy Commissioner, George W. Lane; and by C.H. Fry, Chief of the Bureau of Industrial Accident Prevention of the Commission, (on October 15, 1941, October 22, 1941 and January 29, 1942). The file contains pertinent correspondence, notes and memoranda (1935-1941). Seven black and white photographs (three dated 1931 and four dated 1941) illustrate the contested safety device.

Folder F3743:76-99.

26. WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION CLAIMS. 1911-21.

Physical Description: 24ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically by date of filing of application for adjustment of claim.

Applications for compensation, transcripts of proceedings before the IAC; findings and awards; opinions; petitions for and transcripts of re-hearings, referee reports and correspondence. These documents represent a twenty per cent sampling of ten cubic feet. Three major criteria determined the selection of claims: distribution of ethnic groups in the work force (i.e., assimilation immigrant populations); legal issues appealed to the California Supreme Court for interpretation and decision, (i.e., establishment of legal precedents); and medical evaluation of the nature, extent and duration of disability. The sample contains examples of: monetary awards, dismissed claims, releases from further liability and compromise settlements. The most frequent issues raised are: denial of liability, allegations of wilful misconduct and insufficient evidence, invocation of the statute of limitations, cessation of disability before termination of the waiting period, allocation of lump sum awards, loss of wage earning capacity, nature and rating of disability, amount of compensation, verification of eligible dependents for receipt of death benefits, and jurisdiction in cases involving interstate commerce and farm labor.

This file includes two black and white photographs illustrating agricultural machinery (1915) in accompaniment with Claim #2096, Ledbetter vs. Emmett (December 21, 1915); two black and white photographs describing industrial equipment (1917) introduced as exhibits together with Claim #LA-24, Greenleaf vs. San Pedro Daily News (July 31, 1917); and three black and white photographs of x-rays (1914) submitted as exhibits in conjunction with Claim #1227, Cuebas vs. Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Co. (November 5, 1914).

Folder F3743:99a.

26A. ACCIDENT CLAIMS INDEX. 1915-1935.

Physical Description: 1 vol.

Scope and Content Note

Index volume covers the letters A through I only.

Folder F3743:100.

27. BONDS. 1917-1931.

Physical Description: 1ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Surety bonds sampled from one cubic foot concerning proceedings before the IAC.

Records of the Division of Industrial Safety

Scope and Content Note

Upon reorganization of the Department of Industrial Relations in 1945, the newly constituted Division of Industrial Safety assumed the enforcement of health and safety standards in seven sections: boiler, construction, electrical, elevator, industrial, mining, petroleum and later, education. Compliance safety engineers investigate industrial fatalities, injuries and complaints of workplace hazards and conduct workplace inspections in an effort to prevent industrial accidents and injuries.

Folder F3743:101.

28. CORRESPONDENCE. 1930's, 1960.

Physical Description: 1ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Copies of applications for approval of safety devices, machines, and appliances; drawings, blueprints, illustrated brochures, approval granted in the 1930's by the Industrial Accident Commission and cancellation notices issued in the late 1950's, 1960 by the Division of Industrial Safety at which time such devices no longer required formal approvals. See also F3743:74-75 for a detailed account of the process of revocation and/or reinstatement of approval of one device identified as the Oberti Window Washing Platform.

Folder F3743:102-106.

29. ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORTS. 1929-50.

Physical Description: 5ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically thereunder.

Copies of accident investigation reports sampled from three cubic feet. Reports cite the date and place of accident, the names of employers and injured parties, the nature and extent of injuries, description of the accident and recommendations of precautions to prevent recurrence. Subject classification spans areas such as: abrasive wheels, occupational diseases, power presses, railroads, shipbuilding and window washing.

Folder F3743:107

30. WORK SUMMARY REPORTS. 1936-55.

Physical Description: 1ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Work summary reports sampled from 1/3 cubic foot including: Weekly Reports (one week in January and July, 1936-45 and weekly, January-October, 1947-1948); monthly totals (January, July) for San Francisco and Los Angeles (1945-1947); weekly summaries, mining and petroleum section (months of January and July, 1949-1954, San Francisco and Los Angeles); monthly reports, construction section (January and July, 1949); semi-annual periods, electrical workers (July 1, 1952-December 31, 1955, Los Angeles). The primary emphasis is upon the nature, numbers, and hours of inspections.

Records of the Division of Industrial Welfare

Folder F3743:108.

31. CORRESPONDENCE AND MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS. 1958-60,74.

Physical Description: 1ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

The Division enforced the Industrial Welfare Commission ( Stats. 1913, ch. 318) orders governing minimum wages, maximum hours and working conditions of women and minors in all industries except government and domestic service until it was abolished and the Commission's functions were extended to secure equal pay for equal work for all adults and children (unless otherwise protected) within the framework of the new Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. ( Stats. 1975, Appendix, Governor's Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1975).

Minimum and back wage complaints, investigation samples, including inter-office memoranda, incoming and outgoing letters, affidavits, payment/earnings receipts, case notes, citations, telegrams, press releases, reports, payroll worksheets and time sheets.

Records of the Division of Labor Law Enforcement

Folder F3743:109-113.

32. REPORTS. 1950-64.

Physical Description: 5ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically by Claim Number.

The Division of Labor Law Enforcement, a lineal outgrowth of the Bureau of Labor Statistics established in 1883, assumed responsibility in 1945 for the enforcement of laws relating to the following: payment of wages, child labor, private employment agencies, misrepresentation of employment laws, laws specifically designated by the legislature and all labor laws not specifically delegated to any other agency, until subsumed in the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement ( Stats. 1975, Appendix, Governor's Reorganization Plan No. 2).

Reports of hearings and interviews, including correspondence, notices, summons, subpoenas, wage tallies, records of criminal prosecution, warrants, liens, declarations of bankruptcy, receipts, inter-office communications regarding violation of labor laws, non-payment of wages, child labor, collection of employment agency fees, and operation without required licenses.

Records of the Division of Labor Statistics and Research

Scope and Content Note

As a direct descendant of the Bureau of Labor Statistics ( Stats. 1883, ch. 21), the Division of Labor Statistics and Research is authorized to collect, compile, and present facts and statistics relating to the condition of labor in the State, including information as to employment, unemployment, hours, wages, earning, cost of living, labor supply and demand, industrial relations, industrial disputes, industrial accidents and safety, labor productivity, sanitary and other conditions, prison labor and such other matters in relation as the Director of Industrial Relations deems desirable. ( Stats. 1945, Ch. 1431).

Folder F3743:114-115b.

33. CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DIVISION CHIEF. 1956, 1962, 1964.

Physical Description: 3ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Maurice I. Gershenson served as Division Chief from 1946-1967.

Copies of outgoing letters; memoranda; inventories; drafts of articles prepared for Employment and Unemployment in California and the Governor's Council Report; statistical data; provided as a public service to industry, unions, governmental and private concerns; questionnaires, and reports regarding the compilation of statistics on employment, earnings and hours of work; preparation of estimates of nonagricultural employment; the distribution of disabling injuries and work fatalities; analyses of union contract provisions; number and duration of work stoppages; collective bargaining and wage settlements for the state, and major metropolitan areas. These files represent a sampling from two cubic feet. Series also includes samples of tab cards for payrolls, work injuries, IAC decisions, union contracts, inspections, etc.

Folder F3743:116-118.

34. CORRESPONDENCE, WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION. 1960-65,66.

Physical Description: 3ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Incoming and outgoing letters and statistical reports regarding the administration of workmen's compensation, with particular attention to: procedures for filing the Doctor's First Report of Injury; identification of insurance carriers; referrals to the Division of Labor Law Enforcement in cases where an employer has failed to report injury or death; and complaints concerning collection of physician's fees. These files comprise a sampling from 1-1/3 cubic feet. Reports include: Decisions of the Industrial Accident Commission, Statistical Summary (fiscal years ending June 30, 1961 and 1962); Permanent Disability Ratings, California (1953-1963); and Workmen's Compensation Statistics, by Jean C. Powers, Senior Research Analyst (July 9, 1959).

Folder F3743:119-121.

35. PRESS RELEASES. 1960-65.

Physical Description: 3ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged by divisional and joint departmental issue, and chronologically thereunder.

Press releases issued independently by the division and jointly with the Department of Employment, including two California Labor Statistics Bulletins treating employment trends, earnings and hours of male and female workers in non-agricultural jobs. Classifications include: special releases, (intermittent from December 21, 1960-December 22, 1965), spendable earnings, Los Angeles-Long Beach, and San Francisco-Oakland Metropolitan areas, (in approximate monthly intervals from February 1, 1961-December 10, 1965). California Civilian Employment and Unemployment (joint releases in monthly issues from November 18, 1960-December 8, 1965); Employment and Unemployment, San Francisco-Oakland (in monthly installments from January 4, 1961-December 9, 1965), and California Manufacturing Employment, Los Angeles-Long Beach and San Francisco-Oakland areas (intermittent from October 18, 1960-May 28, 1964).

Folder F3743:122-128.

36. UNION AGREEMENTS. 1950-52.

Physical Description: 7ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged alphabetically according to the more inclusive union title. The order corresponds to the arrangement given by the division in its Alphabetical Guide to California Unions, a copy of which is contained in these files.

Copies of incoming and outgoing correspondence, coding lists, and union agreements for hours, wages and benefits covering the years 1950-52 with a few agreements dating from 1936-48. This selection represents a ten percent sample of a total of three cubic feet.

Folder F3743:129-132.

37. WORK STOPPAGE REPORTS. 1963-67.

Physical Description: 4ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Joint reports of the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Statistics and Research describing work stoppages according to: employer, union, commencement/termination dates of dispute, industry, area, issues, number of employees on/off job, and statements of facts surrounding the disputes. Also contains newspaper clippings and trade union bulletins.

Folder F3743:133-135.

38. WORK DISPUTE INVENTORIES. 1961-67.

Physical Description: 3ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Quarterly inventories of trade disputes (from January 1, 1962 through December 31, 1962), including bi-weekly supplements; memoranda: Strikes and Labor Disturbances, Los Angeles and Orange Counties, published by the Merchants and Manufacturers Association (for the month of December, 1961-67); and a U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics Work Stoppage listing (June - July, 1965).

Folder F3743:136-145.

39. GENERAL RECORDS, FEDERAL WORKS AGENCY, WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION (WPA). 1936-42,46.

Physical Description: 10ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

The Federal Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1939 allocated funds for the implementation of useful non-federal public projects to provide work for needy persons, provided that there would be no reduction of direct employment by the sponsor or co-sponsors of such projects. The State of California, Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Statistics and Law Enforcement, made application for and was awarded funds in October 1939 to tabulate and summarize data on employment and payrolls of persons employed in hotels, mines and offices, and on employment and payrolls by sex in manufacturing industries in California covering the period from January 1935 through December 1939. In May of 1941 additional funds were awarded to continue and complete the compilation of index numbers of monthly and annual employment and earnings in California (January 1935 through December 1940 for the San Francisco and Los Angeles industrial areas), classified into some 60 industries, 20 major industry groups, two major sub-groups and a grand total.

Incoming and outgoing correspondence, inter-office communications, project proposals and exhibits, sponsor's statements, memoranda, newspaper clippings, procedures, project outlines, reports, questionnaires, job specifications, expenditure tallies, employment and payroll indices (1942), graphs, code conversion tables, forms and work sheets sampled from six cubic feet. Also included are: excerpts from Statistical, Research and Survey Projects, WPA (1936); a Census of Manufactures Codes for the San Francisco and Los Angeles Industrial Areas (1937) and a Census of Apparel Manufacturing Industries, California (1946).

Records of the State Conciliation Service

Scope and Content Note

The State Conciliation Service implements the mediation and arbitration functions set forth in Section 65 of the State Labor Code. Specifically, the staff of conciliators and supervisor of Conciliation may investigate and mediate labor disputes providing any bona fide party to such cispute requests intervention by the Department, and may arbitrate or arrange for the selection of boards of arbitration on such terms as all of the bona fide parties to such a dispute may agree upon.

Folder F3743:146.

40. CORRESPONDENCE. 1957-61.

Physical Description: 1ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Incoming and outgoing letters, intra-departmental communications, rosters and promotional literature concerning staff procedures, notices to mediation agencies and departmental cooperation in the Coro Foundation Internship in Public Affairs.

Records of the State Relief Administration

Scope and Content Note

The State Relief Administration (SRA) was the successor in 1935 to the State Emergency Relief Administration (SERA), which was created by provision of the Unemployment Relief Bond Act of 1933 ( Stats. 1933, ch. 207) as the state agency responsible for the distribution of state funds appropriated for unemployment relief. Federal funds made available to the governor were also administered by the SRA. A subsequent bond issue was approved by popular vote. The operations and functions of the SRA were liquidated in 1944.

Folder F3743:147-156.

41. MONTHLY BULLETINS. September-December, 1934; January-November, 1935; April-November, 1936 (exclusive of June and July); January-November 1937; August-November, 1938; and Juanuary-June, 1939.

Physical Description: 10ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Monthly Bulletins. A Monthly Bulletin reporting relief activities and statistics commenced publication in 1934 under the auspices of the Division of Research and Surveys. Subsequent reorganization of the SRA resulted in the issue by the Division of Planning and Research of the bulletin as Unemployment Relief in California. Weekly Bulletins (May 1-June 12, 1941) are also included.

Records of the Workmen's Compensation Study Commission

Scope and Content Note

The Workmen's Compensation Study Commission was authorized by the Legislature ( Stats. 1963, ch. 2040) to conduct a study of and recommend improvements to the California Workmen's Compensation system as set forth in Division 4 (Section 3201 ff.) and Division 4.5 (Section 6100 ff.) of the Labor Code. The Commission consisted of seven members appointed by the governor, approved by the Senate and representative of those interests and persons most directly affecting workmen's compensation. Upon submission of the final report to the governor and legislature on April 12, 1965, the Commission ceased functioning.

Working Papers of the Commission

Scope and Content Note

(Pencilled numerals on documents indicate approximate correspondence to the chapter organization of the final Commission Report. Numbers were assigned by Commission staff.)

Folder F3743:157-159.

42. MINUTES. December 11, 1963-March 28, 1965.

Physical Description: 3ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Minutes, agenda, notes, attendance rosters, resolutions, notices, correspondence, informal memoranda of proceedings of Commission meetings, memoranda addressed to Commission members, legal resumes, testimony, statements, statistical tables and draft summaries relating to investigative research conducted by Commission members and including input from concerned members of the insurance, medical, legal professions, labor-management and the general public concerning revision and improvements upon existing workmen's compensation laws and procedures. Findings are often presented in chapter format designed for inclusion in the final report.

Folder F3743:160-162.

43. HEARINGS. 1964.

Physical Description: 3ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Transcripts of Public Hearings of the Workmen's Compensation Study Commission held in Los Angeles (March 20, 1964); in San Francisco (on October 22, 1964); and a joint hearing with the Assembly Finance and Insurance Committee. Particular emphasis was placed upon causes of litigation; with reference to the reporting of injuries, medical evaluation of same, verification of injury, employer-employee attitudes towards compensation, rehabilitation benefits, dilatory payments, determination of permanent disability and in the joint hearing, the overlapping of Workmen's Compensation and Unemployment Compensation Disability Programs.

Folder F3743:163-164.

44. STAFF MEMORANDA. January 20, 1964-December 21, 1964.

Physical Description: 2ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Memoranda which summarize: interviews, conferences, inspection tours, Commission and outside policies, applicant cases, meetings, research, informational surveys and legal limitations. Chief contributors include Conrad J. Moss, Chairman of the Workmen's Compensation Study Commission, and Malcolm R. Peattie, Assistant.

Folder F3743:165-176.

45. CORRESPONDENCE. November 12, 1963-April 21, 1965.

Physical Description: 12ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Outgoing and incoming letters, press releases, bulletins, memoranda, statistics, guidelines, newspaper clippings, summaries, and statements concerning Commission policies and procedures. Chief correspondents include: Conrad J. Moss, Chairman; Malcolm R. Peattie, Assistant; Governor Edmund G. Brown; Fred Drexler, Senior Vice-President and Secretary of the Industrial Indemnity Company; J. William Beard, Chairman, Industrial Accident Commission; Ernest B. Webb, Director, Department of Industrial Relations; Maurice I. Gershenson, Chief, Division of Labor Statistics and Research; E. P. Welch, Chief, Permanent Disability Rating Bureau; L.B. Dropkin, Actuary, California Inspection Rating Bureau; Charles Scully, Attorney; Professor Stefan Riesenfeld, Chairman, Department of Economics, Rutgers University, and F. Britton McConnell, Attorney, California Workmen's Compensation Institute.

Folder F3743:177.

46. ADDRESSES. 1963-1964.

Physical Description: 1ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Addresses. Summaries and transcripts of five sampled speeches, the contents of which were considered in the composition of the final Commission Report. Speakers include: Earl R. Howard, General Manager-Retired, State Compensation Insurance Fund; Edmund D. Leonard, Attorney; Howard Hassard, Executive Director, California Medical Association; Sterling L. Hilen, Attorney, and Jerry W. Haughey, Safety and Training Officer, County of Santa Clara. Topics analyzed were: workmen's compensation and public jurisdiction in California; the threat of wilful misconduct and the pros and cons of the California compensation system.

Folder F3743:178-183.

47. REPORTS. 1964.

Physical Description: 6ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged in approximate chronological order.

Eleven separate reports including: form letters, compliance requests, notices, directives, statistics, pamphlets, injury report forms, policy forms, appointments, encorsement agreements, job specifications, investigator's reports, investigation procedures, rules and regulations governing the filing of Reports of Industrial Injuries and cooperation with the California Inspection Rating Bureau (CIRB) in accordance with the Labor Law Enforcement Program of the Workmen's Compensation Study Commission. Titles include: Workmen's Compensation Study Commission, Report on Labor Law Enforcement by John B. Williams, L.L.M. (December 15, 1964); (See also: Appendix to Journal of the Senate, Vol. 3, Regular Session, 1953, Enforcement, pp. 175-193 of Part 1, Report of Senate Interim Committee to the Senate on Workmen's Compensation Benefits). California Unemployment Compensation Disability Fund, Report of the Actuaries for Calendar Year 1963, compiled by Robert Tilove, Woodward and Fonciller, Inc.; The California Workmen's Compensation System: Attitudes and Experiences of a Cross-Section of California Physicians, prepared by the Bureau of Research and Planning, California Medical Association (July 1964); Processing Uncontested Workmen's Compensation Cases in Wisconsin, submitted by Monroe Berkowitz (October 6, 1964); Workmen's Compensation and Rehabilitation Procedures in Florida, submitted by Monroe Berkowitz (December 4, 1964); three reports covering aspects of Workmen's Compensation Self Insurance; Organizational Structure, Personnel Workload Statistics (August 5, 1963); Supervision of Plans (October 20, 1964); Survey of General Motors Corporation (December 9, 1964), written by Edward D. Struck; Permanent Disability Ratings, California (1953-1963), compiled by the Division of Labor Statistics and Research (September 1964); Rehabilitation Center Interviews (16 completed in November 1964), prepared by Raymond O. Oja, M.L., Assistant Medical Director, State Compensation Insurance Fund; and the Report of the Workmen's Compensation Study Commission, compiled by Conrad J. Moss, Chairman (April 1965).

Folder F3743:184-185.

48. ORIENTATION DOCUMENTS of THE PERMANENT DISABILITY RATING BUREAU, INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT COMMISSION. 1952-64.

Physical Description: 2ff.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically.

Copies of rules, procedures, intra-departmental communications, memoranda, summaries of legal decisions and statistical reports collected for the orientation of new Bureau referees and of Malcolm Peattie, Assistant Chairman, Workmen's Compensation Study Commission, in particular with reference to description and criteria of rating disabilities, the functions of rating specialists, functions of the medical bureau, medical examinations, and rates of compensation. Also included are sampled petitions presented before the Industrial Accident Commission for reconsideration and determination of findings and awards. See above, Division of Industrial Accidents, (IAC) for an explanation of the functions of the bureaus cited herein.