Labor unions--History

Brookwood Labor College: Mark and Helen Norton Starr Papers

aergas — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 09:37:10 -0400

With a background in teaching history and economics in England, Mark Starr moved to the U.S. and went to work for Brookwood Labor College as extension director in 1928. He became Director of the Ladies Garment Workers Union Educational Department in 1934, where he served for almost 30 years publishing pamphlets and articles on workers' education and labor history. In the 1960s he traveled for the International Labour Office gathering information and training labor leaders in foreign countries. The Mark and Helen Starr papers relate to Mark Starr's research, writing, and travels.

Labor and Working Class History Association Records

kschmeling — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 13:41:09 -0400

This collection contains records of the Labor and Working-Class History Association (LAWCHA) from 1994 to 2016. Founded in 1998, LAWCHA continues today as an advocate for labor and working-class history. This collection contains records from Tom Klug, Robin Dearmon Jenkins, and Joe Trotter, who are all former officers of the organization.

NALC Biennial Convention Videotapes Collection Resource

mwallace — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 10:18:55 -0400

Letter Carriers met in Milwaukee in 1889 to form a national association to ensure improved salaries, better working conditions, and greater security for letter carriers and their families. The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) continues its efforts while representing over 291,000 active and retired city letter carriers from 2,500 branches across the country.

NALC: Historic Artifacts Collection

kschmeling — Wed, 24 Aug 2016 09:18:05 -0400

Letter carriers answered a call to meet in Milwaukee in 1889, with the intention to form a national association to ensure improved salaries, better working conditions, and greater security for letter carriers and their families. The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) continues its efforts while representing over 300,000 active and retired city letter carriers from 2,500 branches across the country.

Blanche Rinehart Papers

aergas — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 11:03:01 -0400

This collection includes correspondence, drafts and manuscripts relating to Rinehart's biography of Samuel Gompers. Also included are interviews with Mary Anderson, Elizabeth Christman and Mary Erb.

Brendan Sexton Papers

Fri, 11 Sep 2020 09:12:47 -0400

Brendan Sexton held various offices in key labor organizations, including president of the New York Workers Alliance, national secretary of the Workers Defense League, regional director of United Steelworkers of America (USWA), and United Auto Workers (UAW) director of education. He served as a faculty member and advisor on labor education to numerous academic institutions, among them the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Harvard, Princeton and Cornell. Sexton’s papers document his prolific career in the labor movement and the academic community, particularly relating to the UAW Education Department and his research in labor history and labor education.

Tucker P. Smith Collection

srafferty — Thu, 08 Aug 2019 10:14:09 -0400

The Tucker P. Smith Collection is comprised of more than 70 political and labor buttons, primarily from the 1930s and 1940s. Subjects include early UAW Ford organizing and dues, socialist politicians and political groups, World War II, as well as a variety of other unions and events of importance to the labor movement.

Society of Engineering Office Workers Records

kschmeling — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 15:07:37 -0500

The Society of Engineering Office Workers (SEOW), was an organized union surrounding the engineering office workers of the automotive industry. While the organization is no longer operating, its history and relationship with Michigan and the automotive industry still lingers in current union groups.

Collection Spotlight: UAW Local 600 Records

gstrassel — Wed, 15 May 2019 11:41:40 -0400

When I started as the UAW Archivist, one unprocessed collection stood as the clear priority to open to the public: The UAW Local 600 Records. The largest and arguably most influential local in the historic UAW, numerous researchers clamored for the papers since the union deposited them in the archives. read more »

Gallery Announcement: The Industrial Workers of the World Graphic Materials and Artifacts

eclemens — Fri, 01 May 2020 11:58:44 -0400

In celebration of May Day, the Reuther Library is pleased to share a new image gallery: Industrial Workers of the World Graphic Materials and Artifacts. read more »

Tales from the Reuther Library -- We Have a Podcast!

teller — Wed, 23 May 2018 10:29:15 -0400

We are excited to announce the release of our new podcast, Tales from the Reuther Library, in which archivists and researchers at the Reuther Library share stories from our collections about the American labor movement, metropolitan Detroit, and Wayne State University. read more »

[Podcast] And Many More: Celebrating SEIU’s Centennial in the Archives

teller — Thu, 16 Dec 2021 15:57:52 -0500

Reuther Library SEIU archivist Sarah Lebovitz shares highlights from the union’s first 100 years, and explains how its archives at the Reuther Library have supported labor organizing and centennial celebrations. read more »

[Podcast] Labor Legend Harry Bridges and the Pacific Coast Longshore Strike of 1934

teller — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 15:16:15 -0400

In the first of a two-part series, Dr. Robert Cherny explains how the early life of Australian immigrant Harry Bridges prepared him to lead the groundbreaking 1934 Pacific Coast longshoremen’s and maritime workers’ strikes in the United States, later becoming the first president of the powerful International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). read more »

[Podcast] Labor’s End: Automation’s Failed Promise of Freedom

teller — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 16:04:28 -0400

Dr. Jason Resnikoff explains that the rise of automation in the mid-20th century workplace was heralded as a way to free workers from manual labor, but resulted instead in the intensification of human labor and the degradation of workers’ protections and powers. Resnikoff is a core lecturer in the History Department at Columbia University and author of Labor’s End: How the Promise of Automation Degraded Work. read more »

[Podcast] Oil Can Eddie and the Battle for the Steelworkers’ Union

teller — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 22:24:21 -0400

Roger Biles and Mark Rose discuss the legacy of Eddie Sadlowski, a charismatic and progressive Chicago steelworker who, unhappy with the United Steelworker of America’s closed-rank authoritarian leadership and tepid support for rank-and-file members, led a highly visible yet unsuccessful dissident campaign in the contentious election for the USWA’s presidency in 1977. read more »

[Podcast] Talking Archives with AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Elissa McBride

teller — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 08:02:22 -0400

In celebration of the Reuther Library’s 50th anniversary, AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Elissa McBride reflects on the role the union’s history and archives play in current and future labor actions and organizing campaigns. read more »

[Podcast] The Long Deep Grudge: How the Haymarket "Riot" of 1886 Evolved into a Bitter Battle Between the Farm Equipment Workers Union and International Harvester in the Mid-Twentieth Century

teller — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 18:59:49 -0500

Labor historian Dr. Toni Gilpin explores how the McCormick family’s greed and union-busting in the late 19th century set the stage for a bitter battle between the International Harvester corporation and the radical Farm Equipment Workers union in the 1930s and 1940s. read more »