Internet Resources

Included below are just some of the online resources that look at organized labor. It does not include links to the specific unions which are included in other sections of this guide or links to research collections also found in another part of this guide.

African-American's Rights External
This is an online exhibit from the University of Maryland which holds many records from the AFL-CIO.
African Americans and the American Labor Movement
This is from the Federal Records and African American History (Summer 1997, Vol. 29, No. 2)
Civil Rights and the Labor Movement: A Historical Overview External
This is an article from the Teamsters and has good citations.
Colored Conventions Project External
This project features hundreds of primary sources from the conventions movement. There are minutes, proceedings, newspaper articles, speeches, letters, transcripts, and images. One example is the Proceedings of the Colored National Labor convention : held in Washington, D.C., on December 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th, 1869.
Department of Labor (History)
This is the history area of the Department's web page and contains resources like links to the archived website for the agency back to 2009, information about previous Secretaries, the listing for the Labor Hall of Honor, deeper dives into particular labor topics, and links to the historical resources from the various bureaus. Lastly, the Annals of the Department includes History of the Department of Labor, 1913-1988 a short history of the Department of Labor was created for the 75th anniversary of the Department in 1988 and can provide not just an overview of the agency but a look at labor and labor relations since 1913. Chapter 1: Start-up of the Department and World War I, 1913-1921
Chapter 2: The 1920s and the Start of the Depression, 1921-1933
Chapter 3: The Department in the New Deal and World War II, 1933-1945
Chapter 4: Post-war Era and Korean War Mobilization, 1945-1953
Chapter 5: Eisenhower Administration, 1953-1961
Chapter 6: Eras of the New Frontier and the Great Society, 1961-1969
Chapter 7: Nixon and Ford Administrations, 1969-1977
Chapter 8: Carter Administration, 1977-1981
Chapter 9: Reagan Administration, 1981-1988
Employment & Labor Law: A Beginner's Guide (Law Library of Congress)
This guide provides an overview of secondary and primary sources related to Employment and Labor Law, such as discrimination, harassment, compensation, and unionization.
ILO Research Repository (International Labor Organization) External
This repository contains contains around 20,000 publications predominantly after the year 2000 incuding reports, major publications, research studies, journal articles from the International Labour Review and International Journal of Labour Research , working papers, etc.
IWW History Project (University of Washington) External
The IWW was founded in Chicago in 1905 as a competitor to the AFL, this project is focused on the first twenty years of the organization.
Labor History Organizations External
Links to research, and education organizations.
Labor Union Research for the Labor Relations Community (Rutgers University) External
This is a guide created by the librarians at Rutgers University and contains a variety of resources.
Labor Unions and the Internet (Cornell) External
This is a guide from librarians at Cornell and was created for members of labor unions and worker organizations, as well as others interested in the labor movement.
List of Labor Unions External
This is an extensive list of labor unions in the United States.
Mapping American Social Movements (University of Washington) External
This is a project at the University of Washington directed by Professor James Gregory. There are 120 interactive maps, charts, and data tables looking a various social movements including labor, civil rights, suffrage, etc. It is a free resource that displays interactive maps related to many social movements that have influenced America since the late 19th century including:
Knights of Labor
Industrial Workers of the World Activity (1905-1920)
UFW strikes, boycotts, campaigns (1965-1975)
Labor and Radical Press: History and Geography (1880-1980)
CIO Unions History and Geography
Monthly Labor Review
This is a publication from the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics that has been published since 1915. It includes articles on all aspects of working Americans. There are articles online prior to 1980, but most content on the BLS website starts in 1980. However, the St. Louis Federal Reserve's FRASER project External has older editions online as well.
Strategic Organizing Center (SOC) External
This organization was created in September 2005 as Change to Win Federation. It is a coalition of North American labor unions to act as an alternative to the AFL–CIO. Members include: International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Service Employees International Union, United Farm Workers, and Communications Workers of America.
UC Berkeley Labor Center External
This is a public service and outreach program of the UC Berkeley Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (formerly the Institute of Industrial Relations). Founded in 1964, the Labor Center conducts research on issues related to labor and employment.
Union Search
This is a searchable database of unions from the Department of Labor's Office of Labor-Management Standard. Search is by name, location, or financial information.
Worker.gov
This was created by the U.S. Department of Labor to provide information about workers’ rights and common workplace concerns.

Agencies & Organizations

Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) External
The IWW (sometimes referred to as Wobblies) was founded in 1905 and is a organization that is open to workers from all industries and companies.
International Labor Organization (ILO) External
The ILO was created in 1919, as part of the Treaty of Versailles. Its constitution was drafted by the Labour Commission, chaired by Samuel Gompers and today it brings together governments, employers and workers from the member states
National Labor Relations Board
The NLRB is an independent agency charged with responsibilities for enforcing U.S. labor law in relation to collective bargaining and unfair labor practices. NLRB's online archives now includes all Board Decisions and news releases since 1935.
Office of Labor-Management Standards
This is the public documents site of the U.S. Department of Labor. People can search for and view reports filed by unions, union officers and employees, employers, and labor relations consultants beginning in 2000.
Wirtz Labor Library (U.S. Department of Labor)
The library contains contains more than 3,000 union periodicals, newspaper of more than 60 national unions, as well as the James Taylor Collection of valuable and historical materials.
United States Department of Labor
This is a website for the Department of Labor. It encompasses issues though many of its bureaus like: Bureau of International Labor Affairs, Employees' Compensation Appeals Board, Mine Safety & Health Administration, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Office of Labor-Management Standards, the Women's Bureau, etc.
World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) External
The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) was established in Paris on 3 October 1945 and is a federation of trade unions.

Statistics

Bureau of Labor Statistics - U.S. Department of Labor
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is the agency responsible for many of the labor related statistics related to employment, workplace industries, strikes/lockouts including:
Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: (JOLTS) is a program that produces data on job openings, hires, and separations Employment and Worker Characteristics (from Current Population Survey)
Employment Projections
Union Membership (from Current Population Survey)
Work Stoppages (from Current Population Survey)
Data and Statistical Sources: Labor and Employment External
This is a guide from librarians at Cornell specifically related to labor data.
ILO Stat External
This is the interface for the statistics data gathered by the International Labor Organization. There are country profiles, but data generally covers the areas of labor supply, working conditions, poverty and inequality, competitiveness, industrial relations, and selected groups (migrants, youth, women, volunteers). It also does collect data related to special topics like COVID, sustainable development, child labor, and unpaid work.
UNdata External
This is the data system of the United Nations and contains data in all areas including labor-related topics.
Union Membership, Coverage, and Earnings from the Current Population Survey External
This site includes data on private and public sector labor union membership, coverage, and density estimates compiled from the monthly household Current Population Survey (CPS). It was constructed by Barry Hirsch (Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University), David Macpherson (Department of Economics, Trinity University), and William Even (Department of Economics, Miami University) and is updated annually.

Collective Bargaining Agreements

Collective Bargaining Agreements File (U.S. Department of Labor)
This is an online listing of Private and Public Sector Agreements (CBAs) which are available from the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) Online Public Disclosure Room.
Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (eScholarship, Berkeley) External
This the website for the Labor Contracts Repository (Closed, contract dates:1987-2004) and contains records from around the country.
Kheel Center - Collective Bargaining Agreements (Cornell University) External
See also Collective Bargaining Agreements on Microfilm External
Unions involved in the exercise were the following; International Molers' Union of North America; Textile Workers Union of America; International Stereotypers and Electrotypers Union; International Union of Machinists and Blacksmiths of the U.S.A. ; United Mine Workers of America ; Bakery and Confectionery Workers' International Union of America; United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America; Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics & Allied Workers International Union; Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America; Bricklayers, Masons and Plasterers International Union of America; AFL-CIO, Building and Construction Trades Dept.; AFL, Railway Employees Dept.; AFL, Metal Trades Dept.; International Brotherhood of Firemen and Oilers; Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen; Brotherhood of Railway, Airline, and Steamship Clerks, Freight Handlers, Express, and Station Employees; National Union of marine Cooks and Stewards; Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers; Railroad yardmasters of North America; Screen Actors Guild; AFL-CIO; International Union of Operating Engineers; United Hatters, Cap, and Millinery Workers International Union; International Printing Pressmen and Assistants' Union of North America; Railway Labor Executives Association; United Steelworkers of America; Steel Workers Organizing Committee; International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union; Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America; Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers of America; Retail Clerks International Association; Amalgamated Association of Street, Electric Railway and Motor Coach Employees of America; IBEW; United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America; United Packinghouse, Food, and Allied Workers; United Assoc. of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry; International Brotherhood of Bookbinders; American Communication Assoc.; International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, Machine & Furniture Workers; Hotel & Restaurant Employees and Bartenders International Union; United Cement, Lime, Gypsum, and Allied Workers International Union; Harlem Labor Union; and Working Women's Protective Union (New York, N.Y.)
See also the Labor Unions and the Internet guide provides a listing External of other collective bargaining agreement collections.
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 1) External
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 2) External
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 3) External
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 4) External
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 6) External
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 7) External
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 8) External
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 9) External
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 10) External
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 11) External
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 12) External
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 13) External
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 14) External
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 15) External
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 16) External
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 17) External
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 18) External
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 19) External
OLMS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 20) External
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 21) External (digital)
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 22) External (microfilm)
BLS Collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (Part 23) External
Major Collective Bargaining Agreements External
This is part of the St. Louis Federal Reserve's FRASER project and much of what is listed comes from the Department of Labor's Labor Bulletin and is focused on 1964-1982.
United Farm Workers (UFW) Contracts External
This project was to create a searchable and browseable collection of California UFW collective bargaining agreements

Educational Resources

These resources have been designed for K-12 teachers and educators. Many sites contain resources as well as lesson plans.

Change in Early 20th Century America: Doing the Decades
This is a Lesson Plan developed by Library of Congress staff to help teachers effectively use primary sources from the Library's vast digital collections in their teaching.
Labor History - Teachers Corner External
This is a collection of links to various labor history educational resoruces.
Labor History in the Classroom External
This was created by the Labor and Working Class History Association and contains a number of resources for those teaching and studying labor history and "Teaching Labor’s Story" which features a few targeted lesson plans like "Clara Lemlich, “The Inside Story of a Shirtwaist Factory” 1912" and "UAW-CIO song, 1942."
Labor Matters External
This lesson plan was created by the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance program.
Labor Unions and Working Conditions: United We Stand
This lesson plan was developed by Library staff to help teachers effectively use primary sources from the Library's digital collections.
Labor Unions During the Great Depression and New Deal
This collection of classroom materials contain a brief collection of links to primary sources within the Library's collection.
Lesson plan: Role of labor unions today and in the past External
This is a resource created by PBS aimed at teachers.
Primary Source Learning: Labor External
Barat Education Foundation is a consortium member of the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program and contains links to Library of Congress labor related resources.
Teaching Labor in the Schools [PDF, 126 KB] External
This resource was created by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and is a general resource for teachers interesting in teaching labor topics.

Organized Labor Since the 19th Century: A Research Guide

Internet Resources

Agencies & Organizations

Statistics

Collective Bargaining Agreements

Educational Resources