These are useful sources of quick and ready reference such as the first strike in the U.S., chronologies, and directories. I am continuing to look for state directories similar to the one for New York, but without much success. Help would be greatly appreciated. The call numbers reflect those in the Tamiment Library and may not be applicable to your local library.
HD 8055 A5 A42 v.1-3 American Federation of Labor. American Federation of Labor: History, Encyclopedia, Reference Book. Washington, D.C.: AFL, 1919-60. 3 volumes in four. Official publications of the AFL, these volumes contain a great deal of useful but often hard to find information. Clearly intended to serve as a reference for labor leaders, they also provide common information like tables of weights and measures. The first volume (1919) contains no table of contents and begins with a long historical account of the AFL. Among other information provided is: AFL organizers by state (pp. 49-514), treaties, and descriptions of unions. Volume II (1924) also begins with an historical essay and lacks a table of contents. Volume III (1960, in two parts) begins with a nice series of photographs and a foreword but again lacks a table of contents. Luckily each volume has its own index. This has been reprinted by Greenwood Press (ISBN for the set: 0837195683) in 1977.
HD 8059 A5 v.1-13 The American Labor Year Book. New York City: Rand School of Social Science, 1916-1932. The yearbooks were prepared by the Department of Labor Research at the Rand School (the Tamiment Library is the successor to the school) to meet the needs of the labor movement. "[T]his volume represents the first attempt in this country to establish a reliable chronicle of the aims, struggles and achievements of labor throughout the world." (from the introduction by Morris Hillquit, p. 7). This guide provides detailed information on every aspect of the labor and socialist movements. Many of the essays are signed by major labor and socialist leaders. In 1916 it was divided into five parts, by 1931 it had grown to 15 parts. All the volumes have their own index. An invaluable source of information on the labor and socialist movements. Available on microfilm as part of Socialist Collections in the Tamiment Library. Ann Arbor: UMI.
HD 6504 D576 Directory of labor organizations in New York State. Albany: Division of Research and Statistics, New York State Dept. of Labor, 1950-1971; followed by Directory of employee organizations in New York State. New York: Division of Research and Statistics, State of New York, Dept. of Labor, 1976-1982; and now Directory of Labor Unions and Employee Organizations in New York State. New York: State of New York, Dept. of Labor, 1984-. The current volume is 1990 and is obviously out of date. Divided into four sections: national, international, and statewide organizations; delegate organizations; local organizations in the private sector; local organizations in the public sector. The last two sections are further divided by district. It includes an index of officers and a geographical index.
HD 6504 A15 Directory of Labor Unions in the United States, 1947-1953; followed by Directory of National and International Labor Unions in the United States, 1955-1970; and then Directory of National Unions and Employee Associations, 1971-1979. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Published by the Department of Labor for several decades, these directories provide easy access to a wealth of information on unions and employee associations. The last directory, published in 1980, also has historical data on union and association membership by state. The directory is divided into five sections: structure; national unions, professional and employee associations; annual developments; union and association membership; and finally, functions and activities. Indexes of organizations, officers, and officials are also provided. Privatized, this title now appears as the Directory of U.S. Labor Organizations.
HD 6504 D64 Directory of U.S. Labor Organizations. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of National Affairs, 1982-. A biennial publication, this is the privatized successor to directory published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A standard directory listing of unions including those not affiliated with the AFL-CIO. Its primary utility is in finding addresses and telephone numbers rather than descriptive information about the activities of unions. Part I serves as a brief explanatory introduction, which also includes two useful charts: the structure of the AFL-CIO and the AFL-CIO Executive Council. Part II is a directory to the AFL-CIO, associated organizations, regional directors, state federations, and the various central labor councils (arranged by state). Part III is a listing of "labor organizations," including organizations such as the Directors Guild, Christian Labor Association, and Major League Baseball Players Association (none of these are affiliated with the AFL-CIO). Appendices provide AFL-CIO membership data and selected data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There are three indexes: unions by abbreviation; unions by common name; and officers. Unfortunately there are no indexes by industry or field of organizing, such as publishing, education, etc. It cannot be stressed enough that this information is often inaccurate because of the publication schedule. For example, the 1994-95 volume the United Mine Workers of America are listed as not being members of the AFL-CIO even though Richard Trumka, recent past president of the UMW, is the current secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO. Another admonition is that organizations are listed under the initial keyword of the name without a cross-listing. Thus the United Mine Workers appear under Mine Workers rather than United Mine Workers.
HD 6504 F55 1984 First Facts of American Labor. New York: Holmes & Meier, 1984. Edited by Philip S. Foner, this begins by pointing out the difficulty of determining many first facts about American labor. Arranged alphabetically from A--Y (must not be any Z first facts!) it also includes a useful index. Foner's first cited strike is 1619 at Jamestown. Unfortunately there are no sources given.
HD 5324 L32 1990 Labor Conflict in the United States. An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland, 1990. Edited by Ronald L. Filipelli, this encyclopedia provides 254 signed entries by scholars on major labor disputes involving the use of force, not limited to strikes or lockouts. Racial and ethnic conflict are included when competition for employment, a strike, or a union, were involved as in the San Francisco Anti-Chinese Riots of 1877. There is also an entry on slave rebellions. Each narrative entry provides a grasp of the "issues, events, personalities, and outcomes" and includes a brief bibliography. A labor history chronology, a glossary of terms, and a selected general bibliography are also included. This very useful work.
HD 8072 L253 Labor Fact Book. New York: International Publishers, v. 1-17; 1931-1965. Prepared by the Labor Research Association and published by the CPUSA, these books provide information on a wide range of labor related issues. Economic Statistics are provided in all the volumes, as well as trade union information. Scope of coverage varies over the years reflecting the changing political concerns. For instance, the first volume has a section devoted to farmers, which eventually disappears, while the last volume has a sections on civil rights and liberties. A reprint edition was published in 1972 by Oriole Editions in New York but this too is out of print. The reprint has a separate volume with an index to the set.
HD 6508 L234 Labor Unions. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1977. ISBN: 0837189381. Edited by Gary Fink, this volume provides excellent signed, historical sketches with suggestions for further reading on more than 200 unions and labor federations in the United States. The criteria for inclusion were "longevity, historical significance, size and economic power, and the influence." Thus the scope is not limited to AFL-CIO affiliates or to unions in existence when the volume was written. Useful appendices include national affiliations, chronology, union genealogies, executive leadership from the founding, and a glossary. Unions are listed under the first keyword of the organizational name, dropping words like Brotherhood or United. There is an index to names of individuals and organizations at the end. This provides an extremely important source of information.
HD 8072.5 P37 1983 Paradis, Adrian A. and Grace D. Paradis. The Labor Almanac. Littleton: Libraries Unlimited, 1983. Organized into eight sections: labor history chronology, national labor organizations, prominent labor leaders (both living and deceased), principal legislation and executive orders, federal and state agencies concerned with labor relations, sources of information, glossary of terms, and an index are provided. One of the best sources for concise information, especially on labor legislation and events.
HD 6508 P42 1963 Peterson, Florence. American Labor Unions, What They Are and How They Work. Second, revised edition. New York: Harper, 1963. The fact that the book has gone through three editions and been translated into more than a dozen languages demonstrates its utility. "The purpose of this volume is to describe how labor unions, as organisms, perform their functions and conduct their daily affairs." It is divided into five sections: growth of the American labor movement, structure and internal government, unions and the law, unions and employers, and "off-the-job activities." There is a glossary of labor terms, a directory of unions, and an index.
HD 6508 P43 Peterson, Florence. Handbook of Labor Unions. Washington, D.C.: American Council on Public Affairs, 1944. This guide provides basic directory information: name and address (including a brief history), affiliations, membership as of 1943, number of locals, territorial coverage, official journal, trade jurisdiction, governance, apprentice information, financial information including dues of both the international and its locals, benefits, agreements, strikes, and union labels. An index provides access by trades, i.e. actors, engineers, etc.
HD 8072 R53 U. S. Union Sourcebook. West Orange, N.J.: IRDIS, 1985. This directory provides membership, financial, and other data from the years 1897-1983. Divided into seven sections: overview, 1982-84 events, membership tables, finances, governance and structure, directory of labor organizations, and state and international union Statistics. An series appendices provide additional membership information. Produced using an old computer typeface, it can be difficult to read: it certainly looks more like a statistician's product rather than a printer's. Still, the information is useful and easy to find here.