The items below are the proceedings and publications of primarily AFL-CIO affiliated unions and an extremely important guide to labor archives. The call numbers reflect those in the Tamiment Library and may not be applicable to your local library.
FILM *American Labor Unions' Constitutions and Proceedings, 1836-. Ann Arbor: University Microfilms International, 1983-. Given the diffusion of materials and the sad fact that the records of many defunct unions perished with the unions that created them, this is an extremely complete series. Entries are arranged alphabetically within twenty-two (loose) industry groups. Each entry is under the most recent official union name, and lists the union's affiliations, variant names, a brief chronology, and other basic information including referrals to related unions as well as mergers and successions (if material is available for the related unions). The entries are then divided into constitutions, proceedings, officers reports, and related documents. An index by union name and initials helps the user find the proper entry. The set, originally produced by another microfilm publisher, is now in microfiche as are the irregular supplements that bring it up to date. (Currently covering 1986-1990). This is a fundamental primary source for basic research.
HD 8055 A6 F55 Fink, Gary M. State Labor Proceedings: A Bibliography of the AFL, CIO, and AFL-CIO Proceedings, 1884-1974, Held in the AFL-CIO Library. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1975. ISBN: 0837182786 A useful guide to the holdings of state federations now held by the George Meany Archives Library. An introduction explains the history and functions of state federations. Part I provides a capsule history and chronology of each state labor federation, (except Hawaii), with references. The District of Columbia is included with Maryland. Annotations are not exhaustive, but are intended to serve as samples of the type of materials included that go beyond proceedings. Part II is a bibliography of all the publications included in Part I.
Z 7164 L1 N14 Woodbridge, Mark E., compiler. American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations Pamphlets, 1889-1955: A Bibliography and Subject Index to the Pamphlets Held in the AFL-CIO Library. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1977. ISBN: 0837196868. The collections of the AFL-CIO Library are now at the George Meany Archives Library. This is a useful guide with unannotated bibliographical entries arranged under the AFL (including the CIO after 1955) and then the CIO by date. A list of undated pamphlets comes after the chronological listing as does a selected list of foreign language pamphlets. There is a subject index. The AFL series lacks the years 1895, 1896, 1898, and 1902; the CIO series lacks 1948.
Z 7164 L1 L28 1992 Leab, Daniel J. and Philip P. Mason, eds. Labor History Archives in the United States: A Guide for Researching and Teaching. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1992. A revised and expanded compilation of lists that appeared in Labor History, this guide provides the essential information on forty libraries, archives and historical societies in the United States. An introductory essay by Philip Mason, former Director of Wayne State University's Walter P. Reuther Library of Labor and Urban Affairs, provides an important discussion on collections. The signed listings are arranged by region, beginning with New England and going west. The entries do not follow a standard format but each essay contains information about important holdings, access, and contact information. An integrated index provides access by subject, personal name, union, and institution.
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