2010 North American Labor History Conference

The 32nd annual North American Labor History Conference (NALHC) will take place October 21-23, 2010 on the campus of Wayne State University. In 1979, a committee representing Wayne State's History Department, the Walter P. Reuther Library, and other parts of the University formed to address the growth of labor history as a field of scholarship. The result was the first NALHC in October 1979. The fee for the first conference was $5.00.

You can view the program for this year's conference as well as the programs from each of the past 31 years at the NALHC website, where you can also register. Register by October 15 to pay a lower rate. Also note that the Reuther reading room will be open for extended hours during the conference.

This year's conference theme is "Class, Social Movements, and the New Politics." Scholars from Canada, Sweden, and across the United States will present on a wide variety of labor topics including women in labor, migrant workers, workers' use of media, race and ethnicity in labor, working class politics, national security, and urban and industrial spatial issues.

NALHC is held each year in McGregor Conference Center, one of Wayne State's architectural jewels. Designed by famed architect Minoru Yamasaki, McGregor showcases his signature style. Yamasaki's papers will open for research this month at the Reuther Library.

Johanna Russ was the Archivist for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) from 2008 until 2013.