Consists of a selection of George Hardy's papers, including personal files, correspondence, clippings, materials relating to the George Scalise case of the 1930s, a biography titled "So Much to be Done: George Hardy's Life in Organized Labor," and an oversized scrapbook from the Theater Janitors Strike in 1951. The bulk of the papers and records from George Hardy's term as President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) are held by the Walter P. Reuther Library of Labor and Urban Affairs at Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.

George Hardy (1911-1990) served as President of the Service Employees International Union from 1971-1980. Born in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Hardy came to San Francisco as a child in the 1920s and grew up in the working-class Hayes Valley neighborhood. He followed in his father Charles "Pop" Hardy's footsteps, working as a janitor and joining the Theater Janitors Local 9 of the Building Service Employees International Union (BSEIU) in 1932. Pop Hardy was elected President of Local 9 and became a Vice President of BSEIU. George Hardy worked with his father on strikes and organizing campaigns, including the San Francisco General Strike of 1934. After serving as a radio operator with the 644th Tank Destroyer Battalion in WWII, Hardy returned to California and organized service workers throughout the state. By 1947, he and his followers had secured contracts for janitors, maintenance workers, hospital staff and public employees in Los Angeles, forming 8 locals which eventually merged to become Local 399, the second-largest local in the BSEIU.

0.8 cubic ft. (1 manuscript box, 1 oversized scrapbook)

Copyright has not been assigned to the Labor Archives and Research Center. All requests for permission to publish or quote from materials must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Labor Archives and Research Center as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Collection is open for research.