A letter in Box 14, folder 18 gives a short history, written in 1968 by Local 1684's Business Manager, James J. Gallapher. Local 1684 news letters and correspondence also refer to these early historical events.

The Humboldt County Employees’ Association was formed on August 10, 1945 with a meeting attended by one hundred employees. The Association was formed with 430 out of 750 employees voting for it.

In December 1960 a meeting was held with Emery F. Mitchell, former District Attorney, presiding. The following officers were elected and installed on January 21, 1961 at the Bella Vista Inn: President, Steve Antongiovanni; Vice President, Gene Cox; Secretary, Mary Brazil; Treasurer, Neva Griffin.

In 1962 a second group of officers were installed at the Bella Vista: President, Kenneth Thompson; 1st V.P., Wesley Windsor; 2nd V.P., Dorothy Shirek; Secretary, Betty Perdew; Treasurer, Neva Griffin.

On May 31, 1966 HCEA voted to affiliate with the International AFSCME, which had been formed in 1936. The vote was 265 for and 100 against, according to the Redwood Empire Labor Journal, June 9, 1966. On Labor Day the following year, the Local received its charter as AFSCME, Local 1684, with eight hundred county employees present at the Labor Day BBQ. This was the second local in California to affiliate. The first was AFSCME Local 1675 in 1963.

One of the significant events of the local occurred in September 1967 when the county refused to negotiate. The Local held a three-day strike, claiming to be a pioneer of this tactic. This may be the first local in California, and perhaps in the nation, to call a limited strike. The success of the strike was the result of the high percentage of involvement in the action by the members of the Local--seven hundred out of 1100 employees, or 63.63%, went out on strike and 500 were on the picket line. The Local’s minutes dated October 19, 1967 describe the momentum forged by this successful action.

On January 1, 1968, the Eureka Municipal Employees, Local 54, merged with Local 1684. See the minutes of January 30, 1968 with the special meeting notice on the back.

On December 19-20, 1970, the Local and Farm Workers held the United Conference and Victory party at Delano.

In the course of the twenty-nine years that these records cover, ASCME, Local 1684, had some significant achievements. A county work week of 37½ hours was established in 1950 in lieu of a pay raise, in a year of tight county finances. Many letters attest to the Local making impressive salary gains for its members in the 1960s. In 1965 HCEA requested that the board of supervisors establish a limited civil service commission. This was approved by the electorate and a commission was adopted for Humboldt County. International AFSCME increased its membership greatly in the 1960s going from 210,000 in 1960 to 525,000 in 1972, an increases of 150%.

The Local pursued various grievances through the years. Issues include: grievance procedure, undated comparable worth 1969-90 Hedlund, Self Insurance 1978 pregnancy sex discrimination rights dispute 1981 CETA reclassification 1980 holiday pay--rights dispute 1981 HDSO vs. County lawsuit 1982-84 DFR in public sector, part-time benefits 1983 defense of public employees being sued 1983 sick leave payoff--rights dispute 1983 Domingo, Nestor B., fringe benefits 1984 Humboldt Transit Authority (HTA) grievance on rest breaks 1984 HTA grievance on holiday pay 1984 Kolstad discrimination--rights dispute 1985-86 HTA grievance on acts of God 1986 non-work intervals 1986 HTA grievance--on split shifts 1986 HTA grievance on unpaid rest breaks 1987