This collection documents the academic and professional life of Pat Williams- a former union operating engineer. Also an advocate for women in trades, Williams has participated in the labor and non-traditional women's occupation movement in Southern California. Materials in this collection include: correspondence; personal papers; materials related to International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE); newsletters; magazines; and other documents collected from trades unions; and tradeswomen and related organizations; materials concerning career development including apprenticeship programs; materials regarding events and conferences; photographs; videocassettes; and ephemera such as stickers, t-shirts, pencils, and hats. The bulk of the materials in this collection relate to Pat Williams' involvement within IUOE Local 501 and include IUOE Local 501 contracts and agreements; as well as magazines and newsletters. For digitized material related to all tradeswomen archives collections please consult the Tradeswomen Archives Project .

Pat Williams is a retired stationary operating and maintance engineer, who during her 32 year tenure was an Assistant Chief Engineer, District Representative, and Vice President of Operating Engineers Local 501. Williams, one of the first women to enter the Operating Engineer apprenticeship program in Los Angeles in 1979 has been a long time tradeswomen activist and advocate for gender equity in skilled trades. Williams has been involved in groups such as the Women Build Nations annual conference; Pride and a Paycheck; the Tradeswomen Archives at CSUDH; the Tradewomen Memorial Wall Project at the Long Beach Rosie the Riveter Park; the Commission on the Status of Women for the City of Los Angeles; Policy Group on Tradeswomen's Issues; KickAss careers; Blue Collar Women; Southern California Tradeswomen Network, and others. Williams holds a bachelor of arts degree in Sociology from UCLA; and an Associate of Science, Operation and Maintenance, from Los Angeles Trade-Tech College.

38 boxes (seven document boxes; twenty eight record storage boxes; one photograph box; two oversized boxes)

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

There are no access restrictions on this collection.