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TIM FLORES PAPERS

 Collection
Identifier: WH1991

Scope and Contents

Ranging from 1927 to 1988, the bulk of the papers date between 1947 and 1988. Official correspondence, agendas, meeting minutes and reports constitute most of the labor and organizational papers of this collection. These documents reflect either Flores' membership or his service on the board of directors of the organizations. The collection contains personal papers, including certificates earned by Flores, and family correspondence. Also included are reports, articles and newspaper clippings about topics that interested Flores and detailed information about Colorado legislation that affected labor and trade unions.

SERIES 1 LABOR 1940-1987 BOX 1-6

Papers from labor-related organizations comprise this series. Correspondence from the national AFL-CIO provides background information about the Colorado Labor Council (CLC), which represented the AFL-CIO in Colorado. The documents of this organization include national and local correspondence, financial statements, flyers, and strike and boycott data and literature. The political arm of the Colorado Labor Council, Colorado Committee for Political Education (COPE) generated correspondence and reports related to national, state and local labor politics. Correspondence, meeting minutes and reports comprise the papers of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) dating from the beginning of the organization in Colorado in 1974.

This series also includes papers from various local and national unions. Most, though not all, of the unions represented in the series were AFL-CIO affiliates. These documents reveal the internal politics of the unions with campaigns for union officers literature and ballots. Conflicts with corporations that ended in strikes or boycotts are documented with flyers, correspondence and articles.

Correspondence from labor leaders Herrick Roth and George Meany is included in the series. The leadership abilities and disagreements of these men are displayed in the papers.

SERIES 2 POLITICS 1963-1987 BOX 6-8

Documents reveal that Flores was a lifelong Democrat who strove to further causes he considered worthy. Meeting minutes, correspondence and reports document Democratic Party activities at both the local and the national level.

This series contains detailed voting records of Colorado State legislators as well as their campaign materials and correspondence with labor organizations. Legislation related to labor issues and Hispanic advocacy is contained in the series with annotations and correspondence explaining the significance and impact of the proposed laws.

Correspondence, meeting minutes and flyers document Flores' efforts to register voters and to encourage them to vote.

Correspondence from politicians affirms the respect Flores garnered in his labor movement activism. Local, state and national politicians consistently wrote to Flores informing him of their intents and explaining their actions. Flores helped produce voting "report cards" which evaluated the voting records of these politicians. He and others organized write-in campaigns to try to block unwanted legislation or to promote desired laws.

SERIES 3 ORGANIZATIONS, AGENCIES AND INSTITUTIONS 1962-1988 BOX 8-12

Agendas, meeting minutes, correspondence and reports constitute the papers in this series. The range of organizations covered in this series embody humanitarian groups who worked to improve life for individuals. Flores pursued the betterment of health care, working conditions, education and civil rights for Colorado citizens. For example, he served on the Health Advisory Council for Kaiser Permanente promoting affordable health care. He volunteered at the Career Education Center for Denver Public Schools to help students find employment. The papers also demonstrate his particular interest in Hispanic issues such as his service on the board of directors for the Latin American Research and Service Agency (LARASA).

SERIES 4 TOPICS OF INTEREST 1961-1986 BOX 12-13

While not specific to any one organization, the articles, reports and newspaper clippings that comprise this series document topics of special interest to Flores. He collected information about such matters as the persistent right-to-work movement that concerned labor groups as well as the immigration issue and the changing attitudes about alien workers.

SERIES 5 PERSONAL 1927-1988 BOX 13-14

Greeting cards and correspondence demonstrate Flores' relationships with family and friends. Some papers relate to specific individuals, including the Martinez family (Flores' in-laws) naturalization papers. Others are financial or military related. Legal papers and correspondence reveal Flores' penchant for risky investments.

SERIES 6 EPHEMERA 1960s-1980s BOX 14

Bumper stickers and pins, both political and labor-related, comprise this series.

SERIES 7 OVERSIZE 1968-1982 OVFF 1

Political ephemera including bumper stickers and posters comprise this series.

SERIES 8 PHOTOGRAPHS 1947-1988 PHOTOBOX 1

The bulk of the photographs comprise group photographs of business meetings and labor activities.

Dates

  • 1927-1988
  • Majority of material found within 1947-1988

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Copyright

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from material in the collection should be discussed with the appropriate librarian or archivist. Permission for publication may be given on behalf of the Denver Public Library as the owner of the physical item. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained by the customer. The Library does not assume any responsibility for infringement of copyright or publication rights of the manuscript held by the writer, heirs, donors, or executors. Reproduction restrictions are decided on a case-by-case basis.

Biographical / Historical

Tim Flores was born Tiburcio Gaitan Flores in Saltillo, Coahuhila, Mexico on August 11, 1919. His parents, Rafael Ramirez Flores (1886-1958) and Eusebia Gaitan Flores, moved to Ennis, Texas when he was six months old to escape the Mexican Revolution. In November 1926, the family moved to Colorado. Flores began school in Pueblo, Colorado where his father worked at the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company. Laid off during the depression, his father moved the family to Greeley, Colorado where they worked in the sugar beet fields. Flores attended grade schools in Greeley, but dropped out after one year of high school to help his family financially. In 1936, he returned to Pueblo, Colorado to work for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad as a railroad section hand. He joined the Maintenance of Way Employees, his first union membership.

In 1942, Flores was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served overseas and rose to the rank of Corporal. While stationed in Germany in 1945, Flores was naturalized as a U.S. citizen.

Returning to Colorado after World War II, Flores attended Pueblo Vocational School for auto mechanics. In September 1946, he obtained employment as the first Mexican-American bricklayer apprentice (completing his apprenticeship in 1950) at Colorado Fuel and Iron Steel Corporation in 1947. He joined the United Steelworkers of America. In 1958, Flores was elected vice-president of Steelworkers Local #2102 in Pueblo, serving two terms. In 1963, he was elected vice-president of the Colorado Labor Council of the AFL-CIO serving until 1969. In 1970, President Herrick Roth of the Colorado Labor Council appointed Flores to be his assistant. In 1973, Flores became Legislative Director of the Colorado Labor Council, assisting the Committee on Political Education president, DeLores Dickman.

The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) was founded in 1972 as a national organization promoting the union movement to Latino workers. Flores established and served as chairman of the Denver chapter of LCLAA. Flores also served with the AFL-CIO affiliated Colorado Committee for Political Education (COPE). Flores was involved with such organizations as the American G.I. Forum, Building Jobs for Women, Inc., the Colorado Commission on the Aging, the Latin American Research and Service Agency (LARASA), the Democratic Party and many other civic organizations throughout Colorado.

Flores enhanced his career by furthering his education. He obtained his GED certificate in 1947 and attended the Pueblo Vocational School that same year. He attended many Steelworkers Educational Seminars, took summer courses in labor law at the University of Colorado, attended the George Meany Studies School in Washington, D.C., the O.E.O. Union Leadership Training School at the University of Houston and the Rocky Mountain Labor School.

Flores married Guadalupe ("Lupe") Martinez in 1947. They had three children, Joseph Flores, Dr. Estevan Flores and Cecilia Theresa Flores. Tim Flores died of cancer at the Hospice of St. John near Denver in 1988.

Extent

17 Boxes

1 OVFF

1 oversize box

1 photo box

Language of Materials

English

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, Estevan T. Flores (son) and Lupe Flores (wife), 2007. The National Historical Publication and Records Commission partially funded the processing of this collection.

SELECTION OF RELATED MATERIAL

The Western History/Genealogy Department has additional collections with material related to Tim Flores and some of the organizations in which he played a leading role, including:

Latin American Research and Service Agency (LARASA): WH1842

Herrick Roth: WH1059

Processing Information

Abby Hoverstock and Ann Brown, 2009

Project Manager

Ellen Zazzarino

Title
TIM FLORES PAPERS
Date
2009
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy Repository

Contact:
10 W. 14th Ave. Pkwy
Denver CO 80204 United States