RG98. AFL-CIO. Miscellaneous Labor Collections

In December of 1955, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) merged into one entity, the AFL-CIO. This is a collection of AFL-CIO staff oral histories explores the history of the merger including challenges and successes.

Union labels are used to mark products that are union-made and indicate which union manufactured the product. This collection is composed primarily of photographic facsimiles of official union labels and logos of the AFL, CIO, AFL-CIO and many of the federations' affiliated unions. Some folders include textual material that provides anecdotal or historical information about a union label or logo.

The AFL, CIO, and AFL-CIO scrapbooks were created by different departments of the AFL, CIO, AFL-CIO, and affiliated unions. They depict and commemorate various events in labor history, such as conventions, cornerstone ceremonies, and special dinners. Materials within the scrapbooks include newspaper clippings, photographs, and advertisements.

The Vertical Files collection contains information about labor history and labor unions collected and organized by the AFL-CIO Library. Materials cover many topics, events, and people and consist of clippings, reports, press releases, pamphlets, and other miscellaneous sources of information that librarians selected for short term, easy reference in providing information services to the officers and staff of the AFL and the AFL-CIO.