Irving Bluestone Papers

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Irving Bluestone (January 5, 1917 – November 17, 2007) was born and raised in New
York City. He received his B.A. at City College of New York in 1937 and attended the
University of Bern, Switzerland for one year of postgraduate studies. In 1942 he joined
the UAW in New Jersey and showing promise, was moved to Detroit in 1947 by Walter
Reuther to join the General Motors department. He became Leonard Woodcock’s
administrative assistant in 1955 and Walter Reuther’s in 1961. In 1972 he was elected
Vice President of the UAW and also served as the Director of UAW General Motors
Department. Bluestone retired from the UAW in 1980, and became a professor and then
director of the Labor Studies program at Wayne State University, a position he held until
1999. During his retirement he served on numerous labor and economic councils, was
heavily involved in Joint Action and Quality of Work Life programs, promoted Michigan
industry and economy, and served as a labor representative on several companies’ board
of directors. In 1999 he retired fully and moved to Brookline, Massachusetts.

This collection highlights Bluestone’s retirement years from 1980-1999. It covers his
activities on labor councils, economic alliances, worker’s programs, technology and
manufacturing research, and Quality of Work Life and Joint Action programs. His
educational work and research are included, as well as his correspondence, publications and speeches.

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