About LAW

No region has a more dramatic and consequential labor history than the Pacific Northwest. The Labor Archives of Washington (LAW) was founded in 2010 to preserve and make accessible the records of working people and their unions, documenting the local, national, and international dimensions of the labor movement in this region.

The Labor Archives is a collaborative project of the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies and the University of Washington Libraries. Funding for the Archives comes largely from the labor movement. The contributions of dozens of unions and hundreds of individuals make this possible (see Founders Circle information).

Mission

The goal of the archives is to ensure that Washington State's regional labor heritage is preserved and that current and future generations understand the struggles and accomplishments of organized labor and working people. The archives serves as a center for historical research, ensuring that new generations understand the importance and history of the labor movement and working people in the past and their importance to the future of our state and nation.

Labor Archives Advisory Committee

The Labor Archives is a unit of the Special Collections Division of the University of Washington Libraries. It is guided by an Advisory Board drawn from labor, academic, and community leaders of Washington State.