Guide to the College Of Labor And Employment Lawyers, Video Oral History Project,
2000-2009

The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers was founded in 1995 with a vision to recognize the profession, in all its aspects, as one uniquely important to modern economic life, individual rights, collective bargaining and dispute resolution. Established through an initiative of the Council of the Section of Labor and Employment Law of the American Bar Association, the College operates as a freestanding organization recognizing those who have distinguished themselves as leaders in the field through sustained and outstanding service.

The College is managed by its officers and a Board of Governors. The sixteen-member Board of Governors is composed of an equal number of Fellows from four constituencies: those who have primarily represented organized labor, employers, plaintiffs, and those serving as neutrals, whether in government, in academia, or as mediators and arbitrators. This structure is designed to bring every part of the profession together to further excellence and integrity in the profession. Fellows are nominated exclusively by other Fellows and elected by the Board of Governors after due diligence has established that a nominee meets the highest standards of the profession. There are three categories of Fellows: Fellow, those in active practice, Fellow Emeritus, those who are retired; and Honorary Fellow, reserved to sitting judges and outstanding individuals who have made substantial contributions to the field but are not lawyers. The College functions entirely within the profession. It is forbidden by its Bylaws from taking legislative positions.

The Video History Project’s primary purpose is to create a repository of oral histories documenting significant employment law topics or events. By videotaping distinguished individuals who played a significant role or who had an opportunity to observe a milestone event, the project can protect the past and serve the future. Subjects include: WJ Usery – former Secretary of Labor; UW Clemon - the first African American Chief Judge, US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama; Theodore Kheel – one of New York’s most influential public advocates; Willard Wirtz – former Secretary of Labor; George Nicolau – nationally recognized labor arbitrator; Max Zimny – former General Counsel, ILGWU and UNITE!; Paul Tobias – founder of the National Employment Lawyers Association; John Truesdale – former Executive Secretary and Chairman of the NLRB; Howard Jenkins – first African-American Member of the NLRB; Arvid Anderson – distinguished public sector arbitrator and Chair of the New York City Office of Collective Bargaining; Sam Pointer – former Chief Judge, US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama; Don Banta and Warren Sullivan – distinguished Management lawyers with over fifty years of experience; Betty Southard Murphy – the only person to have served as both Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and as Administrator, Wage and Hour Division; and Marvin Miller – former Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Collection consists of digital DVD's, DigiBeta, and VHS, Beta tapes of interviews and transcripts for most of the interviews.