Inventory of the California State Senate Industrial Relations Records

Processed by Archives staff and Sara Roberson.

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 California State Senate Industrial Relations Committee Records

Collection number: See series description

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: Archives staff and Sara Roberson

Date Completed: 2004

Encoded by: Sara Roberson

Descriptive Summary

Title: California State Senate Industrial Relations Committee Records,

Date (inclusive): 1972-2000

Collection number: See series description

Creator: California State Senate Industrial Relations Committee

Extent: 31 cubic feet.

Repository: California State Archives

Sacramento, California

Abstract: The Senate Industrial Relations Committee Records reflect the activity of the committee in overseeing legislation and other matters affecting the California Labor Code.

Physical location: California State Archives

Language: English.

Administrative Information

Access

Collection is open for research.

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], California State Senate Industrial Relations Committee Records, LP[number]:[folder number], California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.

Acquisition Information

The Archives acquired the Senate Industrial Relations Committee Records as required by state law.

Alternative Forms of Material Available

Some of these papers are available on microfilm at the California State Archives.

Processing Information

The collection was processed by staff of the California State Archives over a period of time and described in a finding aid in 2004.

Committee History

The Senate Rules Committee created the Senate Industrial Relations Committee in 1970. The Industrial Relations Committee evolved from the Senate Committee on Insurance and Financial Institutions, which had reviewed bills concerning the Unemployment Insurance Code, workers' compensation and insurance, and the unemployed. Initially, the seven members of the new Industrial Relations Committee considered "all bills relating to labor, public employees, non-certificated public school employees, business regulation, the unemployed, workmen's compensation and insurance, and bills amending the Unemployment Insurance Code" (California Legislature at Sacramento, 1970, p93). In 1971, the Committee's responsibilities were reduced when business regulation bills were assigned to the Business and Professions Committee. Then, in 1973 public employee bills were assigned to the new Public Employment and Retirement Committee.

The committee consisted of seven members with the exception of the period from 1983-1990 when the number increased to nine. Senator Alan Short (Dem.) served as the Committee's first Chairman from 1970-1974. Senator George N. Zenovich (Dem.) replaced Senator Short as Chairman and served from 1975-1977. In 1978 Senator Bill Greene (Dem.) was assigned as committee Chairman and served through 1992. Senator Patrick Johnston (Dem.) served as chair for the 1993-1994 legislative session then was replaced by Senator Hilda Solis (Dem.), who served from 1995-2000. From 1972 through 2000 the committee's responsibilities remained focused on, "bills relating to labor, industrial safety, unemployment, workmen's compensation and insurance and non-certificated public school employees" (California Legislature at Sacramento, 1972, p98). In 2001 the committee was renamed the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee, but its scope did not change. Senator Richard Alarcon (Dem.) served as the first Chairman of this committee starting in 2001.

The Senate Industrial Relations Committee considered many bills that drew significant public interest because of their focus on labor relations, industry and the environment, and employee safety. During the 1970s, the committee saw several bills on discrimination in the workplace. These bills were supported by labor unions and aimed to protect every worker from discrimination based on race, gender, or sexual orientation (SB16, 1980).

Since its inception, the committee has spent a large percentage time dealing with the issues of workers' compensation and the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration, (Cal-OSHA), particularly in 1987 when Governor Deukmajian attempted to shift from the California occupational safety and health standards to that of the Federal government. The other topic that drew considerable committee interest was welfare policy. In 1985, AB2580 created the Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) Program, also known as workfare. This mandatory program was designed to reduce dependence on public assistance by providing education and job training to every adult recipient of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). After AB2580 was chaptered, the Joint Oversight Committee on GAIN Implementation was created in 1986 to deal specifically with this issue. Senator Bill Greene (Dem.), Chairman of the Industrial Relations Committee from 1978-1992 and an author of the GAIN legislation, served on this Joint Committee.

Scope and Content

The Senate Industrial Relations Committee Records consist of 31 cubic feet of records reflecting the activity of the committee in overseeing legislation and other matters affecting the California Labor Code. The records cover the years, 1972-2000, with the bulk from 1975-2000. They are comprised of bill files, hearing files, Cal-OSHA files, and welfare files. Although the Industrial Relations Committee began in 1970, records from 1970-1971 are entirely lacking in the Archives holdings. Similarly, the Archives did not receive bill files from the 1995-1996 Legislative session or Assembly Bill files from the 1997-1998 session. It is anticipated that the Archives will receive further records from the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee. Researchers should ask a reference archivist about recently received, unprocessed records of the committee.

The majority of files pertain to employee safety in almost every California industry from agriculture to motion pictures. Workers' compensation and California's occupational safety and health (Cal-OSHA) program are the subject of most of the collection. In 1975, the Governor's Reorganization Plan Number 2 proposed the consolidation of the Department of Industrial Relations' Divisions of Industrial Welfare and of Labor Law Enforcement into a new Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. The Senate Industrial Relations Committee attended hearings on this topic and retained background information, statements and testimony regarding these changes. Likewise, when the Governor's Reorganization Plan Number 1 of 1977 and 1978 proposed to move the Cal-OSHA program from the Department of Health and Human Services to the Department of Industrial Relations, the committee's close association with the Department of Industrial Relations thrust it into this debate. Governor Deukmajian's attempt to eliminate California's occupational safety and health program and standards in 1987 in exchange for the federal standards resulted is a series of Cal-OSHA subject files from 1975 through 1989.

The committee also complied a series of welfare files beginning in 1985 when the controversial workfare legislation, Greater Avenues of Independence (GAIN) Program (AB2580) was introduced into the Legislature. Once AB2580 was chaptered the committee accumulated a variety of documents concerning its implementation including correspondence and county reports and some of its papers are included in the Industrial Relations Committee's welfare files. Other major issues covered are unemployment, wages, and the impact of industry on the environment. In 1975, the committee held three hearings on the implementation and operations of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975, and the Archives has files on this topic.

Arrangement

The Senate Industrial Relations Committee Records are arranged into four series: bill files, hearing files, Cal-OSHA files, and welfare files.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been associated with these materials in the Archives' automated public access system (currently in development, June 2004).

Subjects

Worker's Compensation--Law and legislation--California

California. Legislature. Senate. Committee on Industrial Relations

California. Labor Code

Welfare--Law and legislation--California

Cal-OSHA--California

Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) Program--California

Related Material

Patrick Johnston Papers

George Zenovich Papers

Alan Short Papers

Bill Greene Papers

Hilda Solis Papers

Assembly Industrial Relations Committee Records

Assembly Labor and Employment Committee Records

Department of Industrial Relations Records

Oral histories of Committee members

Patrick Johnston, oral history interview conducted by Laura McCreery, 1988, Regional Oral History Office, University of California, Berkeley, for the California State Archives State Government Oral History Program.

See LP numbers below

Series 1. Bill Files, 1972-2000

Physical Description: 380 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by legislative session then numerically and alphabetically by bill number.

Scope and Content Note

Bills relating to labor including employee safety, training, wages, and insurance are generally referred to the Senate Industrial Relations Committee for analysis. Most bill files include all or some of the following items: bill analyses, amendments and resolutions, author's statements, testimony, press releases, newspaper clippings, correspondence, roll calls, records of votes, and committee statements. For the years prior to 1977, some of the committee analyses, roll calls, and records of votes were removed from bill files and filed under the title Committee Papers. The committee saw numerous bills concerning worker's compensation, Cal-OSHA, and Unemployment Insurance, which all generated impassioned constituent correspondence. Other bill files cover a variety of subjects including the Fair Employment Practices Act of 1978 (AB1919), public employees/domestic partner health benefits (AB107, 1999-2000), amusement park safety (SB973 and AB850, 1999-2000), and sweatshops (SB460 and AB633, 1999-2000).

Bill Files from the 1970, 1971 and 1995-1996 Legislative Sessions and Assembly Bill Files from the 1997-1998 Legislative Session were not transferred to the California State Archives.

Microfilm copies of bill files are available for the years 1972-1992 where indicated with MF before the LP number.

Senate Industrial Relations Committee, 1972-2000

1972: Committee Papers (2ff) LP112:9 LP163:218

1972: SB290-SB1499; SCA20; SCR56 (5ff)MF LP112:10-14

1972: AB78-AB2388; ACR100 (9ff) MF LP112:15-23

1973-1974: Committee Papers (1ff) LP163:219

1973-1974: SB136-SB2472; SCA22; SCR53-SCR103; SJR21, SJR72; SR21-SR81 (7ff) MF LP163:220-226

1973-1974: AB10-AB4464 (7ff) MF LP163:227-233

1975-1976: Committee Papers (1ff) LP163:234

1975-1976: Governor's Reorganization Plan No. 2, Committee Correspondence (2ff) LP170:270-271

1975-1976: SB20-SB2203; SCA43; SR18; SB1XXX (11ff) MF LP170:243a-252

1975-1976: AB91-AB4506; ACR209; AJR6 (17ff) MF LP170:253-269

1977-1978: SB19-SB2207; SCR32-SCR75; SR18; SR19 (9ff) MF LP199:49-57

1977-1978: AB28-AB3747; ACR96; ACR148 (19ff) MF LP199:58-76

1979-1980: Preprint SB1; SB3-SB2026 (10ff) MF LP199:78-87

1979-1980: AB28-AB3361; ACA47; ACR44; ACR108 (13ff) MF LP199:88-100

1981-1982: SB24-SB2033; SCA35; SCR72 (12ff) MF LP227:60-71

1981-1982: AB12-AB3494; ACR16; ACR102 (12ff) MF LP227:72-83

1983-1984: SB1-SB2331; SB7X; SB8X (15ff) MF LP228:17-31

1983-1984: AB139-AB1916 (8ff) MF LP228:32-39

1983-1984: AB1921-AB4000; ACR47; ACR144 (7ff) MF LP255:202-208

1985-1986: SB2-SB2617; SCA35; SJR47 (23ff) MF LP273:174-196

1985-1986: AB7-AB4307; AJR94 (21ff) MF LP273:197-217

1987-1988: SB122-SB2155 (15ff) MF LP203:242-256

1987-1988: SB2311-SB2872; SCR40; SJR6; SJR31 (2ff) MF LP230:281-282

1987-1988: AB25-AB4592; ACR108 (15ff) MF LP230:283-297

1989-1990: SB47-SB2850; SCA8; SJR58; SB15X (14ff) MF LP230:298-311

1989-1990: AB28-AB4315; ACR73; AJR9; AJR69 (18ff) MF LP230:312-329

1991-1992: SB54-SB2004; SJR46-SJR50; SR33; SB5XX (5ff) MF LP230:330-334

1991-1992: AB15-AB3810; ACR95; AB51X; AB52X (11ff) MF LP230:335-345

1993-1994: SB4-SB2031; SCA26; SR20; SB34X (14ff) LP341:1-14

1993-1994: AB110-AB3831; ACR25; ACR90; AB4X (15ff) LP341:15-29

1997-1998: SB46-SB966; SCR93 (22ff) LP341:30-51

1999-2000: SB16-SB2081; SR32 (17ff) LP341:52-68

1999-2000: AB60-AB2906 (21ff) LP341:69-89

See Appendix A for LP Numbers

Series 2. Hearing Files, 1975-1991

Physical Description: 111 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by date of hearing.

Scope and Content Note

Hearing files may contain agendas, audiocassette tape recordings of hearings, transcripts, testimony, background reports, and working files for regular session hearings, interim hearings, and some joint hearings. Audiocassette tapes have been moved to a cold-storage vault for preservation purposes and separation sheets are in the appropriate files to alert the researcher to the existence of such tapes.

When complete, hearings files can provide in-depth analysis of issues of concern to the committee and California's labor issues. The committee often held joint hearings with the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee. These hearings largely focused on the future of Cal-OSHA during the Deukmajian/Reagan administrations and compared California's occupational safety and health standards with federal standards.

For a list of hearing dates and topics, see Appendix A in master finding aid at the California State Archives.

See Appendix B for LP Numbers

Series 3. Cal-OSHA Files, 1977-1989

Physical Description: 27 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

Scope and Content Note

Cal-OSHA files contain studies, correspondence with state agencies and interest groups, press clippings, and reports that concern the occupational safety and health section of workers' compensation. Some files focus on the Governor's Reorganization Plan Number 1 of 1977 and 1978, which proposed to move the Cal-OSHA program from the Department of Health and Human Services to the Department of Industrial Relations. Then, in 1987, Governor Deukmajian cut all appropriations to the Department of Industrial Relations for the Cal-OSHA program. This decision placed California's private business sector under the jurisdiction of the Federal occupational safety and health standards, which were not as stringent as California's standards. At this time, the Industrial Relations committee reviewed and intensely compared Cal-OSHA to the Federal OSHA program. The resulting files discuss in detail the safety standards for many specific work conditions including cranes, ladders, and boiler and pressure valve safety. Among other parties, John F. Henning and the California Labor Federation (AFL-CIO) sued Governor Deukmajian for his Cal-OSHA policy in 1987 and a file regarding the Supreme Court case is included in the series.

For a list of Cal-OSHA headings, see Appendix B in master finding aid at the California State Archives.

See Appendix C for LP Numbers

Series 4. Welfare Files, 1983-1991

Physical Description: 60 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

Scope and Content Note

The Senate Industrial Relations Committee compiled files concerning welfare reform because of the introduction of AB2580 in 1985. A major piece of legislation, AB2580, proposed a shift from the established state welfare system to a new workfare system named the Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) program. This legislation is California's prototype of the federal Family Assistance Act (JOBS) program. The mandatory program aimed to reduce public assistance by providing job training and education to recipients of the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. The most distinctive feature of this bill is its bipartisan support and authorship in the Legislature including Senator Bill Greene (Dem.) Chairman of the Industrial Relations committee. The series includes files on other proposed welfare legislation of 1985 such as the Step-Up Program (SB863), the Public Assistance Independence Act (SB96), and the Employment Preparation Program (SB15). Also included are files on related legislation concerning education and training and childcare programs such as the School-Age Community Child Care Service "Latchkey Program" (SB303) and the Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (CARE) Program (AB1308) both of 1985. After AB2580 was chaptered on September 26, 1985 the subsequent implementation of the program created a multitude of problems and necessitated the creation of the Joint Oversight Committee on GAIN Implementation. The Joint Committee focused on County Plan Guidelines and gathered data and feedback from each County regarding the program. Los Angeles County is highlighted because it questionably contracted out all case management services with Maximus, Inc., a private company. Newspaper clippings that were either sent to the committee or retained by the committee provide a public perspective on the GAIN Program and its turbulent history from 1984 to 1988.

For a list of Welfare headings, see Appendix C in master finding aid at the California State Archives.