This collection documents the daily business activities of the ILWU Local 56 Ship Scalers and Painters Union. The collection also documents the activities of the ILWU Southern California Regional Office whose records were stored in the ILWU 56 Joint Dispatch Hall. The collection is arranged into three series: Local 56 Administrative (1935-2022), Local 56 Financial (1946-2013), and Southern California Regional Office (1947-2014).

Series I, Local 56 Administrative documents the daily operations of the local union including the operations of its Joint Dispatch Hall in San Pedro, California. Materials include member files documenting cases, trials, dues payments, correspondence, and grievances; Joint Dispatch Hall papers including daily dispatch sheets, dues collection, and crew lists; files on signatory companies (employers) that document violations and grievances, general correspondence, and collective bargaining; Job training materials; and Labor organizing and political issue educational materials.

A large portion of this series is meeting minutes. The minutes are filed chronologically and many of the folders contain minutes from a variety of meetings including the Executive Committee, the Investigation Committee, and the Regular Meeting for the general membership. Meeting minutes are recorded in both Spanish and English language and document the daily operations of the local including disciplinary actions, daily business of the officers, financial decisions, business with affiliated unions, and more. Notably, materials in this series highlight the effects that World War II had on union operations.

Lastly, the material also includes the notes and papers of specific administrators such as Constantino “Tino” Castro, one of the ILWU-56 presidents. The papers of specific administrators were largely unorganized and represent of wide range of documentation including correspondence from the National ILWU, correspondence with other locals, flyers, handwritten notes from meetings and bargaining sessions, all of which are filled under the administrator’s last name.

Series II, Local 56 Financial includes financial statements, Joint Dispatch Hall accounting reports, Labor Organization Annual Reports, general ledgers, member dues reports, per capita reports to the International Union, and a small amount of correspondence.

Series III, Southern California Regional Office documents the Regional Office’s organizing efforts including union petitions, contract negotiations with signatory companies, strike organizing, legal cases, and filings with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Materials include paperwork related to each Local represented, documenting collective bargaining, correspondence, organizing and strike efforts, event coordination and other administrative duties related to the Locals. Also included are the papers generated by specific staff members such as Carlos Cordon and Joe Ibarra, documenting their efforts to organize non-signatory companies, coordinate with Southern California Locals, perform collective bargaining with signatory companies, correspond with the National Labor Relations Board, and other daily operations they performed for the Regional office. Wherever possible this series is arranged by the Local Union first, then by the signatory employer company. The rest of the materials are arranged alphabetically by subject.