Starting Points on the Internet
- Institute for Research on Labor and Employment Library (UC Berkeley) - Reference and Research SupportThe IRLE Library has research guides to online & print resources related to globalization, immigration, labor culture, and U.S. unions.
- Research Guide for the Labor Union Leaders & ActivistsThis research guide contains an extensive collection of web sites related to collective bargaining, labor law, and other labor topics.
- Research: Catherwood Library (ILR School, Cornell University)The Catherwood Library, the research library of the ILR School, has a number of research guides available here, including the practitioner-oriented Labor Unions and the Internet and Human Resources and the Internet.
- Labor & Employment Studies Guides (School of Management and Labor Relations, Rutgers, the State Univ. of New Jersey)Resource and research guides, like this one.
- National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)The National Labor Relations Board is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1935 to administer the National Labor Relations Act, the primary law governing relations between unions and employers in the private sector. The statute guarantees the right of employees to organize and to bargain collectively with their employers or to refrain from all such activity.
- U.S. Department of LaborThis is a huge web site. You can find FAQ’s and full text of laws & regulations on wages and hours, workplace safety & health, retirement & health benefits, union membership, plus information on regulations that affect hiring and termination practices. DOL full-text publications include the Occupational Outlook Handbook (see below) and the Monthly Labor Review. To find what you need, use the audience-oriented portals (left-hand of homepage) or the A – Z topic index.
- United Association for Labor Education (UALE)UALE is a new, united organization of labor educators. Click on "Member Organizations" to see listing of labor education programs from universities and colleges, labor unions. and community organizations.
Labor Unions - General Reference
Bollen, Peter. Great Labor Quotations: Sourcebook and Reader. Red Eye Press, Inc., 2000. Not comprehensive, but a fun and useful resource, especially for union newsletters and speechwriting.
Doherty, Robert. Industrial and Labor Relations Terms: A Glossary. Ithaca: ILR Press, 1989. Concise definitions and historical background for 300 words, phrases, and acronyms frequently used in the labor world.
Gifford, Court, ed. Directory of U.S. Labor Organizations. Wash, D.C.: Bureau of National Affairs, annual. Addresses, telephone numbers, names of major officers of major U.S. unions, state federations, and listings of locals by state (but minus addresses & phone numbers). Statistical appendix includes BLS & AFL-CIO membership data.
Jacobs, Eva E., ed. Handbook of U.S. Labor Statistics. Lanham, MD: Bernan Press, annual. A collection of current and historical data tables derived from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Historical Encyclopedia of American Labor (2 vol.), ed. by Robert E. Weir and James P. Hanlan.Greenwood Press, 2004. A good reference book for your public or school library.
Murray, R. Emmett. Lexicon of Labor: More Than 500 Key Terms, Biographical Sketches, and Historical Insights Concerning Labor in America, Rev. and updated ed. New Press, 2010. An inexpensive all-in-one labor reference book.