The fonds consists of documents relating to his career in logging, including membership cards in various union organizations; correspondence with Myrtle Bergren relating to her book, <em>Tough Timber</em>, on the history of the loggers of British Columbia; union correspondence, and minutes of some union meetings including a meeting of October 3, 1948 in which a motion was passed to disaffiliate the membership from the International Woodworkers of America (IWA) and form the Woodworkers Industrial Union of Canada.
The records in the first accrual reflect Johnson’s activities both as a leader in the The Lumber Worker’s Industrial Union (LWIU) during the first half of the 1930s and his later activities as part of the Lumber and
Sawmill Workers’ Union (LSWU) and IWA from 1937 to 1963. Included in the LWIU period are detailed financial and membership account books as well as meeting minutes and correspondence relating to the 1934 strike. This accrual contains the following series: Lumber Workers’ Industrial Union series, Lumber Workers’ Industrial Union financial records series, Lumber and Sawmill Workers’ Union (Local 1-7 1) series, Photograph series, Workers’ Unity League series, and Personal records series.
The second accrual consists of records related to Arne Johnson’s activities as a logger and trade unionist. There are two series: Union activities series and Historical controversies series.
The third accrual consists of two files added to the Personal records series: one file contains a variety of personal documents, including Johnson’s birth certificate, marriage certificate, transportation records, and correspondence; one is a notebook consisting mostly of newspaper clippings.
