Seattle Union Record--Voice of the Labor Movement

The Seattle Union Record was founded in 1900 by the Western Central Labor Union, the predecessor to the Seattle Central Labor Council. Originally published as a weekly, in 1918 it became the first daily newspaper to be owned and operated by local labor. The newspaper covered labor strikes and boycotts, meetings of locals, national and international affairs and even had a section devoted to working class women’s organizations. At the height of its popularity, the Union Record had over 100,000 subscribers. From 1900-1912 the paper's editor was Gordon Rice; from 1912 through the end of the paper's run in 1928, Harry B. Ault was the editor-in-chief. Ault presided over the Union Record during the Seattle General Strike of 1919. The paper initially made the decision to go out on strike with other Seattle laborers. After stopping publication for one day (February 7, 1919), however, Ault regretted his decision to strike. The next day the newspaper was up and running and continued publication throughout the entirety of the strike. The newspaper served as a tool for communicating the progress of the strike and maintaining unity throughout the city. .-Arkady DeRoest. (Here is the site today). Address: 600 Union St