Historical American Labor and Union Newspapers Online

Union membership was about 15% in the 1930s and peaked at about 35% in the 1950s in the U.S. Currently, union membership is about 10%, even though in the past couple of decades, public-sector union membership has increased.

Unions, labor movements, and workers had specialty newspapers throughout the country. Some of these have been digitized and the links by state are below. Please note that I have excluded subscription databases from the list.
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(Updated March 2023; recently added links are in BOLD)

California

• California Oil Worker
• California Federation of Labor Weekly 
• Western Worker 
• Organized Labor (San Francisco, 1900-1988)

Colorado

• United Labor Bulletin
• Denver, Colo., 1882-1888 – The Labor enquirer. [volume]
• Denver, Colo., 19??-1915 – United labor bulletin.
• Denver, Colo., 1915-19?? – Denver labor bulletin. [volume]
• The Arbitrator
• The Labor Advocate
• The Labor Enquirer
• Trade and Labor

Florida

• Florida Democrat and mechanic’s and workingman’s advocate

Georgia

• Savannah, Ga., 1???-19?? – The labor herald
• International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Archives 

Hawaii

• Honolulu Record 

Idaho

• Idaho Forester 
• Boise, Idaho, 1913-1914 – Idaho labor herald.
• Boise, Idaho, 1914-1917 – The Gem worker and the Idaho labor herald.

Illinois

• Labor News Review 
• Chicago IL Daily Worker
• American Appeal 
• American Appeal
• The Communist 
• Communist 
• Communist 
• Industrial Union Bulletin
• Klan Kourier
• Labor Unity
• New Majority
• The Daily Racing Form
• The Sentinel
• Daily Worker 13 January 1924 – 28 February 1935 (3484 issues)
• Jewish Labor World – אידישע ארבייטער וועלט

Indiana

• Louisville, Ky., 1904-???? – Ohio valley worker : official paper of the Federated Trades Council of Louisville, Trades and Labor Council of New Albany, Central Labor Union of Jeffersonville.
• Freedom’s Banner (Marion, Grant County; 25 June 1910 – 6 August 1910)
• Indiana Socialist Party Bulletin (Indianapolis, Marion County; 1 October 1911 – 1 September 1913)
• Indiana Socialist (Indianapolis, Marion County; 22 March 1913 – 12 July 1913)
• Marion Labor Sentinel (Marion, Grant County; 23 April 1914 – 12 November 1914)
• The Marion Socialist (Marion, Grant County; 20 August 1911 – 27 October 1912)

Iowa

• Des Moines Iowa Unionist (1907 – 1918)
• Iowa Unionist (1906 – 1913)
• Des Moines Iowa Unionist (1907 – 1918)
• Iowa Unionist (1906 – 1913)
• Labor News

Kansas

• Topeka – Kansas Labor Review

Kentucky

• Ohio Valley Worker : Official Paper Of The Federated Trades Council Of Louisville, Trades And Labor Council Of New Albany, Central Labor Union Of Jeffersonville 
• Ohio valley worker – (1904-09-10 – 1904-09-10) (1 issue, 4 Pages)

Louisiana

• The Voice Of The People
• Lumberjack

Maine

• Maine State Labor News
• Maine Labor Leader
• The Mechanic, Farmer and Working-Men’s Advocate (Portland: 1831-?)
• The Farmer’s Friend and Laboring-Man’s Advocate (Kennebunk: 1831-?)
• The Socialist Press (Portland: 1902-?)
• The Maine Socialist (Bath: 1904-?)
• The Maine Comrade (Thomaston: 1909?-?)
• Maine Labor Leader (Portland: 1923?-?)
• The Maine State Labor News (Augusta: 1933- )
• The Maine Issue (Portland: 1976-1978)
• The Pine Tree Progressive (Jefferson: 1997?-?)

Massachusetts

• Worker 
• Voice of Industry 

Michigan

• Labor Journal — Alpena, Alpena County (Mich.) — 3 January 1885 – 26 December 1890
• Michigan Labor Journal — Alpena, Alpena County (Mich.) — 14 June 1884 – 27 December 1884
• Labor Journal
• Michigan Labor Journal
• Detroit Sunday Journal
• The Grange Visitor
• Grand Rapids CIO News
• Grand Valley AFL CIO News
• Grand Valley Labor News
• Work In Progress

Minnesota

• Duluth, Minn., 1896-current – The labor world.
• Duluth, Minn. – Labor leader (5/1/1917 – 10/5/1917)
• Duluth, Minn. – The labor world (1896-04-11 – 12/13/2017) 
• Duluth, Minn. – Truth (10/12/1917 – 12/29/1922)
• Minneapolis, Minn. – Allarm (12/1/1915 – 5/1/1918)
• Minneapolis, Minn. – Mississippi Valley lumberman and manufacturer (1876-08-17 – 1887-08-05)
• Minneapolis, Minn. – Teamsters Joint Council 32 (2/1/2016 – 11/1/2018)
• Minneapolis, Minn. – The Minneapolis labor review (1/22/2016 – 12/22/2017)
• Minneapolis, Minn. – The Mississippi Valley lumberman (1887-08-12 – 4/28/1905)
• Minneapolis; St. Paul – Our side (5/20/1915 – 9/9/1920)
• Red Wing, Minn. – The Grange advance (1873-10-15 – 1877-08-01)
• St. Paul, Minn. – The St. Paul union advocate (1/1/2016 – 12/16/2017)
• Labor Review 
• Northwest Organizer
• St. Paul Union Advocate 
• Minneapolis, Minn. – Teamsters Joint Council 32 (2/1/2016 – 11/1/2019)
• The Organizer

Mississippi

• The New Mississippi Socialist.

Missouri

• Workers World 

Montana

• Butte Bystander 
• Labor World 

Nebraska

• Farmer Labor Herald 

Nevada

• Basic Magnesium, Inc. Newsletters  

New York

• Fighting Worker   
• Daily Worker  
• Labor Action  
• Workers Age Lovestone  
• New York, N.Y., 1907-1970 – Radnička borba = Workers’ struggle. 
• E.J. Workers Review
• E.J. Workers Magazine
• New York City – Daily Worker 1924-1926
• New York City – Workers Age 1932-1940
• New York City – Workers Challenge 1922

Ohio

• Cincinnati, Ohio, 1912-1937 – The labor advocate.
• Cleveland, O. [Ohio], 1911-1920 – Echo : Wochenblatt der Vereinigten Deutschen Socialisten Clevelands.
• Cincinnati – Labor Advocate  – 1915-1917
• Cleveland – Echo : Wochenblatt der Vereinigten Deutschen Socialisten Clevelands  – 1911-1920
• Cleveland – Toiler  – 1920-1921
• Cleveland – Americké Dělnické Listy (American Workingmen’s News) – 1918-1941
• Cleveland – Enakopravnost – 1942-1947
• Cleveland OH Ohio Socialist
• Ohio Socialist 
• Dayton, Ohio, 1940-1944 – Dayton union news. [volume]
• Dayton – Dayton Union News – 1940-1943
• Youngstown – Bulletin – 1919-1977
• Cleveland – Radnička Borba = Workers’ Struggle – 1941-1946

Oklahoma

• The Labor Review – 1
• The Labor Signal – 187
• The Lincoln County Socialist – 2
• Oklahoma Labor Unit – 375
• Oklahoma State Labor News – 123
• The Social Democrat – 43
• The Socialist Antidote Independent – 17
• The Union Labor Bulletin – 1
• Muskogee Labor Amalgamator

Oregon

• Northwest Labor Press

Pennsylvania

• National Labor Tribune 
• Printer’s Labor Tribune  

South Dakota

• Canton, South Dakota, 1890-1890 – The daily Dakota farmers’ leader. [volume] 

Tennessee

• Southern Worker 

Texas

• The Alamoner (1)
• Texas Union Workman (1)
• The Union Review (1)

Virginia

• Richmond, Va., 1885-18?? – The Labor herald.
• Covington Pioneer (Covington, VA, 1981-1982)
• Labor Herald (Richmond, VA, 1886)
• Riverside (Shenandoah Iron Works, VA, 1880)
• Roanoke Labor Journal (Roanoke, VA, 1933-1939)
• Southern Workman (Hampton, VA, 1872-1939)
• Labor Herald (1924 ed.) (Richmond, VA, 1924-1926)
• Richmond Labor Journal (Richmond, VA, 1921-1924)

Washington

• Pacific Fisherman Journal 
• The Washington Socialist 
• Puget Sound Chemist 
• Industrial Worker
• The Northwest worker.
• The Northwest worker
• The labor journal.
• The Labor journal
• The Labor Press Project – Pacific Northwest Labor and Radical Newspapers
• The Washington socialist
• The Washington socialist.
• Agitator 
• Hoquiam, Wash., 19??-19?? Southwest Washington labor press.

West Virginia

• The labor argus.
• The Socialist and labor star.

Wisconsin

• The Unionist
• Wisconsin Labor Advocate 

Wyoming

• Laborette 
• Labor News 
• Wyoming Labor Journal 

Good luck finding articles about your union ancestors!