These records represent the diverse interests of the Institute of Industrial Relations and include arbitration records, records of two employer associations, the Industrial Association of San Francisco and the Waterfront Employers Association, materials from the (U.S.) Pacific Coast Maritime Industry Board during World War II, studies by the Institute For Science and Labor in Japan, 1931-1932, and a strikes series, 1934-1949, including materials on the 1936 Salinas Lettuce Strike by the Fruit and Vegetable Workers Union of California, Local 18211 and on the San Francisco 1934 Maritime Strike. Many documents are stamped "Division of Industrial Relations, Graduate School of Business" (Stanford University). Paul Eliel, the predominant creator of the files, served as its director from 1936 until 1947, and was also was an arbitrator.

Arbitration files include those of Eliel as well as files of many other arbitrators, particularly those of Paul Sinsheimer. Documents from these arbitrations cover the years 1917 to 1949. Many of the arbitrated disputes subsequently led to strikes, which are documented in related material in the strikes series. Both series have a significant number of cases from the maritime industry. Other series dealing with maritime labor relations are Series IV: Employer Associations which contains material on the Industrial Association of San Francisco and the Waterfront Employers Association.

The material on the Industrial Association of San Francisco dates from the year it was formed in 1921. There are files on employer complaints, a contract for strikebreakers, articles on economic conditions in San Francisco (1925 and 1934), correspondence and publications. The Waterfront Employers Ass'n files hold correspondence, publications, pamphlets, and agreements with various longshoremen's and seamen's unions. A researcher of maritime labor relations is advised to look at each of these series. A single document on the San Francisco Employers Council holds a draft proposal addressed to Roger Lapham, 1938, on how to structure that organization.

Material from unions includes pamphlets from CIO unions published in the late 1940s, and two scrapbooks of clippings: one of articles covering labor in California, 1937-1941, (Series VI); the second reports organizing in Hawaii, 1937-1938, (Series VII).

Two significant parts of this collection are 29 studies from the Institute of Labour and Science (Japan) which deal with a different aspect of workers' lives, 1931-1935. (See the list of titles in the Box/Folder List.) The second is a survey of the pulp and paper industry commissioned by the employer association and two unions. It was prepared by the Pacific Coast Labor Bureau (Melnikof) in 1936 with supplements for 1937, 1939 and 1940.