Last year’s Labor Day post was about the history of Labor Day. This year, I thought I would highlight sources that can be used to learn more about American labor and issues affecting the workplace.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121209210413im_/http://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/files/2011/09/float.jpg)
Woman on float of the Women's Auxiliary Typographical Union. Labor Day parade, New York, New York. September 6, 1909.
The U.S. Department of Labor has a long history of publishing information. The Labor Bulletin began in 1913 and the Monthly Labor Review has been published since 1915. These publications cover a multitude of topics reported from various department agencies, such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Here are just a few of the interesting things you can research:
- The history of labor in the U.S. from 1833-1933.
- The wages and working conditions in textile factories, paper mills, or the pottery industry.
- The number of people injured or killed on the job.
- The number of workers in the U.S. who were on strikes, lockouts, or work stoppages–even in a particular industry.
- Working conditions for women and children in the early 20th century.
- A wage chronology of General Motors.
- The unemployment rate in the years after World War II.
I have used this publication to answer many reference questions and I am still amazed by all the topics covered and how useful this title is for researchers. Check out the index to see for yourself.
September 5, 2011 at 11:59 am
I think the apricion of large factories and industrialization in the course of history had big problems but gave grades solution to the population explosion.