Labor Events Yearbooks (1915-1939)
These yearbooks provides the most complete account of labor events available for any region of the United States-- a day-by-day database of hundreds of strikes, protests, campaigns, and labor political initiatives occurring in the state of Washington. So far we have yearly coverage of two dramatic eras: (1) 1915 to 1919 and (2) 1930 to 1939.
Historians usually focus on big strikes and famous labor confrontations, but our yearbooks show that there were hundreds of other organizing drives, strikes, and political initiatives undertaken by workers that have been forgotten. Our research has uncovered campaigns by unions of all sorts, white collar and blue collar, large and small, including unions in some surprising job sectors (the Embalmers Union). Some of the most interesting involve workers in the entertainment industry: musicians, theatre workers, projectionists. Women workers struck Seattle's garment factories and organized unions in stores and restaurants. Some of the activities of workers of color also become visible in these yearbooks, especially in the 1930s when Filipino workers created the Cannery Workers and Farm Laborers Union and engaged in a long list of protest actions.
Each year is presented separately. Click the links below to see the full database of events and accompanying news articles and also to read a "labor highlights" report about the year. Most of the information comes from two labor owned weekly newspapers: the Seattle Union Record for the years 1915 to 1919; and the Washington State Labor News, for much of the 1930s. The WSLN is supplemented for a few years by articles from leftwing weekly newspapers (Voice of Action, Commonwealth News, Sunday News, Washington New Dealer).
1915 events database and highlights by Jessica Hutton | ||
1918 events database and highlights by Tanner Dietz | ||
1919 events database and highlights by Amy Smith | ||
1930 events database and highlights by Eunji Lee | ||
1931 events database and highlights by Brandon Letsinger | ||
1932 events database and highlights by Raevynn Leach | ||
1933 events database by Brittany Barrett | ||
1934 events database and highlights by Nick Hamblet and Amanda Higgins | ||
1935 events database and highlights by Andie Erhart | ||
1936 events database by Katherine Edwards and Caitlyn Hamilton | ||
1937 events database and highlights by Nathaniel Bade | ||
1938 events database and highlights by Nick Manos | ||
1939 events database by Brittany Barrett |