Historical Note
Seattle's 1896 Freeholders' City Charter created the position of Labor
Commissioner in the Civil Service Department and established the Public
Employment Office. The Labor Commissioner, who also served as Chief Examiner
and secretary of the Civil Service Commission, received and responded to
applications both from job seekers and from businesses seeking employees; the
Commissioner also maintained records of applicants' names, addresses, and type
of position requested. The Labor Commissioner managed the Public Employment
Office and maintained labor statistics for the City. The Public Employment
Office was abolished in 1942.
Content Description
Two volumes of outgoing correspondence from the Labor Commissioner
include replies to businesses seeking temporary and permanent laborers,
individuals requesting employment, and persons from out of the area gathering
information about employment possibilities in Seattle. Letters include
information regarding the availability of positions in various lines of work,
as well as wage information. When positions in the requested line of work were
unavailable or scarce, the letters often suggested "domestic help" positions as
an alternative, particularly for women.
Other documents include statistics and expense reports of the
department. Of particular interest is a 1902 letter to the State Labor
Commissioner making recommendations for changes in legislation.
A front-of-the-book index contains the names of addressees of
correspondence.