Labor Unions

Internet resources guide

Labor unions have benefited greatly from the communications capabilities provided by the Internet: thousands of sites overflow with a wealth of information regarding news, issues and policies of labor unions both regional and global. I've collected some of these resources here, to serve as a starting point for those doing research on labor unions, looking for a specific group, or simply wanting to learn more about the state of unions today.

Directories

Cyber Picket Line - http://www.cf.ac.uk/socsi/union

This site maintains the World Trade Union directory, and is highly recommended as one of the best labor and trade union directories on the Web. According to the site, its purpose is to "assist direct communications between union activists around the world, signpost shortcuts to the huge amount of useful resources available on the net to union activists, and to spice this up with some humour and opinionated commentary."

LaborNet's Directory of Unions on the Internet - http://www.igc.org/igc/ln/resources/unions.html

This site serves as a sort of "who's who" in the land of online labor unions resources. It provides alpha listings of indivduals and labor groups with websites, and gives links to these sites.

Labor Unions Associations - http://www.ipl.org/cgi-bin/ref/aon.out.pl?id=lab1000

The Internet Public Library's directory of labor unions is searchable, and annotations are provided for each of the entries.

Union Resource Network - http://www.unions.org/cgi-bin/miva?urn/index.mv

This site includes news and updates on union issues, as well as providing a directory of unions in the US searchable by state and union name.

Union Ring - http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5202/unionring.html

This is a personal web site based in Canada, covering both United States and Canadian groups. Individuals and groups maintaining their own union websites may add to the listing here.

Workindex - http://workindex.com

Indexes major online resources relating to labor and employment. Sources are arranged according to subject.

Yahoo's Index to Labor Unions - http://dir.yahoo.com/business_and_economy/labor/

Yahoo's directory divides labor resources into categories such as "sweatshops," "child labor" and "employment." As with other Yahoo directories, you may search specific categories by keyword.

General Resources

Between a Rock and a Hard Place - http://americanhistory.si.edu/sweatshops/

Provides an in-depth look at the history of sweatshops in the US, including virtual exhibits of artifacts and documents.

Dunlop Commission - http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/e_archive/gov_reports/default.html?page=dunlop%2Fdunlop

This site features a 1994 report on the future of unions from the US Commission on the Future of Worker-Management Relations.

Labor Arts - http://www.laborarts.org/

This highly interesting site provides a glimpse at the art and artifacts that have sprung from labor movements and from the workers/artists themselves.

Labor Online - http://www.laboronline.com

The site is a portal to a wealth of information and links useful to the worker, including job search services, news, technical assistance and online labor communities.

Labour Start - http://www.labourstart.org

Global in scope, this site provides extensive news, commentary, free email and mailing lists for union workers. It translates into 24 languages, and has some very specific information on labor unions in individual countries around the world.

National Center for Policy Analysis - http://www.ncpa.org/pd/unions/unions.html

This site offers news and commentary on current issues and situations occurring with labor unions throughout the United States. It dissects issues related to specific labor unions (such as teachers, postal workers, etc.) in its "Labor Organizations" section, in addition to supplying information on political activity, productivity and union membership.

Union Label and Service Trades Department - http://www.unionlabel.org/

Homepage of this AFL-CIO division that was founded to encourage consumers to buy American-made products. The site is a great resource for those looking for updates on issues regarding "American-made" products, as it features links to current boycotts and industry developments.

Selected Associations

AFL-CIO - http://www.aflcio.org/home.htm

Homepage of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations, a federation of unions representing more than 13 million workers throughout the United States. This well-organized site is an invaluable resource for learning about unions in the US, and includes news and information sheets on a wide array of labor-related issues.

National Writers Union - http://www.nwu.org/

According to its website, the NWU "is the only labor union that represents freelance writers in all genres, formats, and media." This site provides industry information and facts, news, and addresses issues for writers ranging from freelance poets to technical writers.

Screen Actors Guild - http://www.sag.org

The Screen Actors Guild homepage provides a community for actors to learn about their profession and current issues facing their industry.

Service Employees Internation Union - http://www.seiu.org/political_action/index.cfm

The SEIU represents represents 1.4 million service workers, and focuses on providing information to further the causes of workers in the service sector.

United Farm Workers - http://www.ufw.org

Provides action alerts, news updates, historical information and resources for farmers throughout the US.

United Steelworkers of America - http://www.users.voicenet.com/~enos/

This site is devoted to helping union members learn of the resources available to them on the Internet. It provides numerous links to labor organizations, as well as to sites of general interest to workers.

This pathfinder was created by Meredith Southard, December 1, 2001