Automobile, Shipbuilding & Logistics Unions

image taken from an elevated position in a factory facility for airplanes with a long row of airplanes being worked on

Miscellaneous collection of photographs of aircraft production. Double assembly line, 1943. Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information photograph collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

in the backgroun four large ships are in different stages of construction surrounded by scaffolding loomed over over by crane while the foreground shows construction materials

National Photo Company. Shipways, Virginia Shipbuilding Corp,1917. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Bernard Gotfryd, photographer. General Motors, assembly line (Linden, New Jersey). Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

This page covers unions that represent auto workers, people who work in ports, etc. The histories of these organizations are complicated, so this overview is very abbreviated and only intended to provide a few pertinent facts and names to provide a bit of context and additional avenues of research. There are names that have not been included, but we have tried to include some of the larger organizations and provide dates and history, as well as some of the most notable organization names or events as ways to search for additional books, articles, and other resources. When appropriate, we have included a few individuals of note, searching on people is another way to research the union and its activities which can be important when it comes to researching older and lesser known unions and events.

Many of the organizations also published their own magazines and newsletters, so if you are looking to research the activities of any specific union, search the union name either as a keyword or as an author.

United Auto Workers (UAW)

The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, otherwise known as the UAW, was founded in 1935. Over their history there have been many strikes, but the Flint sit-down from December 29, 1936 to February 1937 is one of the most well-known. There have also been an number of leaders, but Walter Reuther is one of the most prominent.

International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT)

Founded in 1903 and often referred to as the Teamsters or the Teamsters Union, the organization traces its history back to the late 1880s when the American Federation of Labor organized some Teamsters into the Team Drivers' International Union (TDIU). Some members of this group broke away and formed the Teamsters Union, now called the IBT. It currently represents members in both the public and private sectors and was involved in a number of street railway strikes. In the post war years, the Teamsters struggled with a connection to organized crime and from 1957-1960 Congress investigated the union through the United States Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in Labor and Management (McClellan Committee) who released their final report in 1960. This investigation led to the passage of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (also known as the Landrum-Griffin Act) in 1959. Presidents of note include Daniel J. Tobin, James R. Hoffa, and Frank Fitzsimmons. Below are a number of unions and divisions of note whose history is connected to the Teamsters.

Teamsters (Support Serv. & Waste Management--Solid Waste and Recycling Division): This division currently represents Teamsters and works with SEIU campaigns like Justice for Sanitation Workers at Republic/Allied Waste.
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET): This organization was founded in 1863 as the Brotherhood of the Footboard. Notable presidents include Warren Stanford Stone and Alvanley Johnston. In 2004, it became part of the Rail Conference of IBT.
Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (BMWE): Founded in 1887, it became Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division of the IBT (BMWED) in 2004.

Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers of America (IUMSWA)

The IUMSWA existed between 1934 and 1988. Membership grew particularly around World War II, but gradually declined until 1988 when it merged with the International Association of Machinists.

United Transportation Union (UTU)

The union was founded in 1969 and dissolved in 2014. It was the merger of several unions including: Order of Railway Conductors, Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (founded as Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen in 1883), Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen (founded in 1873 as the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen), and Switchmen's Union of North America (founded in 1894). Is now SMART, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers.

International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART)

The history of the union traces through the combination of several unions most specifically the Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association (SMWIA) and the United Transportation Union (UTU) which merged in 2011. Both of those unions have predecessor organizations so there are a number of names that are part of the history of SMART including: Order of Railroad Conductors and Brakemen (ORC&B was Order of Railway Conductors); Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen & Enginemen (BLF&E); Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (BRT); Switchmen’s Union of North America (SUNA); Tin, Sheet Iron, and Cornice Workers’ International Association (later Amalgamated Sheet Metal Worker’s International Association (IA); Sheet Metal Workers’ International Alliance; and Coppersmith’s International Union. There are two parts of the union to note: the Transportation Div. (SMART-TD) and the Yardmasters Dept. (SMART-TD-YDM).

The Unions Today

If you are looking to research the current activities of any of the organizations union, websites and articles are going to be your best resources.

Below are the web pages that represent the organizations mentioned above. Union websites often included links to their organizations publication or publications. For example, the UAW's Solidarity has been published since 1957. There are more general resources related to labor history that may include discussions related to the above organizations on the Internet Resources page. Additionally, the Research Collections page will include links to research institutions that contain significant labor related material.

Print Resources

The following materials link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to digital content are provided when available. Many of the labor organizations published their own magazines targeted at members so to find them search on the union name.

American Vanguard : the United Auto Workers During the Reuther Years, 1935-1970 by John Barnard
Call Number: HD6515.A82 I584 2004
ISBN: 0814329470
Published/Created: 2004-01-31
Geared toward general readers and scholars alike, this book presents the history of the United Auto Workers - one of America's most significant worker's organizations - from its origins through its period of greatest impact. - Description from the publisher
The International Teamster : official magazine, International Brotherhood, Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen & Helpers of America
Call Number: HD6350.A76 I5
Holdings: 1953-2009
This title continues International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America. Official magazine and is continued by New Teamster.
Investigation of improper activities in the labor or management field. Hearings before the Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor or Management Field, Eighty-fifth Congress, first session [--Eighty-sixth Congress, first session] by United States. Congress. Senate. Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor or Management Field
Call Number: KF26.5 .I37 1957
Published/Created: 1957-60
Available online from the Hathi Trust External
This was a select committee created by the United States Senate in January 1957 and dissolved in March 1960 that was directed to study the extent of criminal/improper practices in the field of labor-management relations or in groups of employees or employers.
The Teamsters by Steven Brill
Call Number: HD6515.T3 B74
ISBN: 0671227718
Published/Created: 1978-10-19
This is a book about the Teamsters and does have a focus on one of its presidents Jimmy Hoffa, though other important individuals and issues are investigate.
The UAW by Frank Goeddeke, Jr.; Marick F. Masters
Call Number: HD6515.A82
ISBN: 9781003111610
Published/Created: 2021-03-17
This title is available on-site via Stacks.
This book analyzes the multi-faceted scandal that has tarnished the reputation of the United Auto Workers (UAW), an iconic union revered for its commitment to union democracy and ethical practices, showing what went wrong to lead the spread of corruption and how to remedy it. Masters and Goeddeke provide a historical context of the rise and decline of the UAW, leading to "a culture of corruption" and resulting in the indictment or conviction of 15 union and corporate officials for the misuse of tens of millions of dollars. The book evaluates the various proposed reforms of the UAW's financial practices and ethical standards, including the possibility of a government takeover. It raises questions about the wisdom of such a takeover, based on the problems associated with the government takeover of the Teamsters. The authors recommend that the UAW convene a special constitutional convention to consider reforms in governance and hiring practices. Providing a clear depiction of this scandal and the UAW's systemic flaws, and suggesting potential remedies, this book will appeal to the tens of thousands of union officers and members keenly interested in the state of labor and an iconic union, their corporate counterparts in management, academics, students, and journalists in the fields of business and society, employee relations, law, labor relations, and management. - Description from the publisher
United Automobile Worker
Call Number: HD6350.A8 U6
Published/Created: 1936-1956
This title is also on Microfilm. This became Solidarity in 1957. New issues from 2019 are available via the UAW website.

Library of Congress Digital Resources

The resources here are specific to the Library of Congress. Some may only be available on-site.

Chicago Teamsters’ Strike of 1905: Topics in Chronicling America
This guide from the staff in Newspapers & Current Periodicals includes articles and search strategies related to a strike by Teamsters in 1905.
Chronicling America, Historic American Newspapers
Historic American newspapers selected and contributed by state partners in the National Digital Newspaper Program. You can do an Advanced search on the names of individual unions or people as well as events like strikes and lockouts.
Digital Image Collections
Find photographs and prints in the Library of Congress collection by doing an Advanced search on the names of individual unions or people as well as events like strikes and lockouts, picket, picketing, strikes, union, union workers, workers, industrial workers, specific strikes, names of people involved. You can also search on union names or the names of union presidents. The photo collections also include images related to congressional activity as well as images of people working.
The Flint, Michigan, Sit-Down Strike
This is an entry in Business Reference's This Month in Business History guide about a strike at General Motors once called "the strike heard round the world." This was the first major labor dispute in the U.S. auto industry that ended after General Motors signed a contract with the United Auto Workers Union on February 11, 1937.
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW)
This is an archive of the IAMAW website from 2001 and is part of the Library's Public Policy Topics Web Archive. Some content may be under embargo.
International Brotherhood of Teamsters
This is an archive of the Teamsters website from 2002 and is part of the Library's Public Policy Topics Web Archive. Some content may be under embargo.
International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (United Automobile Workers - UAW)
This is an archive of the UAW website from 2001 and is part of the Library's Public Policy Topics Web Archive. Some content may be under embargo.
International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental, and Reinforcing Iron Workers (IW)
This is an archive of the IW website from 2002 and is part of the Library's Web Archive. Some content may be under embargo. Full online access to this resource is only available at the Library of Congress.
This is a union in the United States and Canada, which represents, trains and protects primarily construction workers, as well as shipbuilding and metal fabrication employees.
Walter P. Reuther, Labor Leader, Born
Reuther was leader of the UAW and Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and helped to merge the CIO with the AFL that became the AFL-CIO. There are source for those studying Reuther.

Organized Labor Since the 19th Century: A Research Guide