Oral history interview with Margaret Butler

Collection

Identifier: SR11027

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Margaret Butler was conducted by Madeline Bisgyer at Butler’s home from June 4 to August 17, 2018. The interview was conducted as part of the Oregon Labor Oral History Program, which collects oral histories of individuals who have advocated for working people of Oregon, including public figures, union members, and workers. The interview was conducted in eight sessions.

In this interview, Butler discusses her family background and early life in Portland, Oregon, her experiences in college, and her early involvement in union organizing while working at the Multnomah County library. She talks about her involvement with the Communications Workers of America while working as a telephone operator for Pacific Northwest Bell. She speaks at length about her work as executive director of the Portland coalition of Jobs with Justice. She also speaks at length about her work as a contractor and later as executive director of the American Association of University Professors. The final interview session includes Rich Peppers, Jamie Partridge, and Lorene Scheer; they talk about their work together as labor organizers with Jobs with Justice.

Dates

2018 June 4-August 17

Creator

Butler, Margaret (Labor leader) (Interviewee, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Biographical note

Margaret Helen Butler was born in Portland, Oregon, 1957. She began her career in labor rights advocacy while she was a student working at the Multnomah County library. In 1980, she graduated from Lewis & Clark College with a bachelor’s degree in history. She worked as a telephone operator for Pacific Northwest Bell, and became involved with the Communications Workers of America Local 7901. In 1990, she was elected vice president of the CWA Local 7901. In 1991, she and Rich Peppers were married; they later had one child. That same year, she helped form the Portland coalition of Jobs with Justice, and became its executive director in 1996, a role she served in until her retirement in 2013. In 2014, she became executive director of the American Association of University Professors of Oregon.

Extent

1.09 Gigabytes (10 audio files (WAV, 10 hr., 10 min., 50 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Margaret Butler conducted by Madeline Bisgyer from June 4 to August 17, 2018, as part of the Oregon Labor Oral History Program. Butler discusses her involvement in union organization and her career as executive director of the Portland coalition of Jobs with Justice from 1996 to 2013.

Technical access

Access to audio recording is provided online in OHS Digital Collections.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of the Oregon Labor Oral History Program, August 2018 (Lib. Acc. 29333).

Related Materials

Portland Jobs with Justice records, Coll 827, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Publication note

An article about Margaret Butler, "Oral History with Margaret Butler: Advocate for Workers' Rights and Jobs with Justice," by Laura Mercier, was based on this interview and published in the Oregon Historical Quarterly, Vol. 123, No. 1 (Spring 2022), pages 80-107.

General

Interview outline (10 pages) and an incomplete transcript (94 pages) are available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.