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 August 2023; recently added links are in BOLD)

California

• Bakersfield – California Oil Worker
• Organized Labor (San Francisco, 1900-1988)
• Western Worker 

Colorado

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

Georgia

• Savannah, Ga., 1???-19?? – The labor herald
• International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Archives (1889- 1994)

Hawaii

• Honolulu Record

Idaho

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

Illinois

• Daily Worker 13 January 1924 – 28 February 1935 (3484 issues)
• Labor News Review 
• American Appeal 
• Communist 
• Communist 
• Industrial Union Bulletin
• Industrial Worker
• Jewish Labor World – אידישע ארבייטער וועלט
• Knights of Labor  
• Labor Unity
• New Majority
• The Communist 
• The daily worker.  
• The workingman’s advocate

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 (Indianapolis, Marion County; 22 March 1913 – 12 July 1913)
• Indiana Socialist Party Bulletin (Indianapolis, Marion County; 1 October 1911 – 1 September 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)

Kansas

• Topeka – Kansas Labor Review

Kentucky

• Louisville – Ohio valley worker : official paper of the Federated Trades Council of Louisville, Trades and Labor Council of New Albany, Central Labor Union of Jeffersonville 1904-???? 
• Louisville – Ohio valley worker

Louisiana

• Alexandria, La., 1913-1913 – The Lumberjack.
• New Orleans, La., 1913-19?? – The Voice of the people.

Massachusetts

• Worker 
• Voice of Industry 

Maine

• 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?-?)
• Labor Record of Maine (Portland: 1942-1998)
• Maine State Labor News
• Maine Labor Leader

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
• Grand Rapids CIO News
• Grand Valley AFL CIO News
• Grand Valley Labor News
• Work In Progress
• Detroit Sunday Journal
• The Grange Visitor

Minnesota

• Duluth, Minn., 1896-current – The labor world.
• Duluth, Minn. – Labor leader
• Duluth, Minn. – The labor world
• Duluth, Minn. – Truth
• Minneapolis, Minn. – Allarm
• Minneapolis, Minn. – Teamsters Joint Council 32
• Minneapolis, Minn. – The Minneapolis labor review
• St. Paul, Minn. – The St. Paul union advocate
• Labor Review 
• Northwest Organizer
• The Organizer
• St. Paul Union Advocate 

Missouri

• Workers World

Mississippi

• Kilmichael, Miss., 19??-19?? – The new Mississippi Socialist.

Montana

• Butte – The Butte Bystander
• Butte – The Labor World

Nevada

• BMI Newsletters 

North Carolina

• The Charlotte Labor Journal and Dixie Farm News (Charlotte, N.C.)

New York

• New York, N.Y., 1907-1970 – Radnička borba = Workers’ struggle. 
• New York NY Labor Action
• E J Workers Magazine
• E.J. Workers Magazine
• E.J. Workers Review
• 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.
• Dayton, Ohio, 1940-1944 – Dayton union news. [volume]
• Cincinnati – Labor Advocate – 1915-1917
• Cleveland – Americké Dělnické Listy (American Workingmen’s News) – 1918-1941
• Cleveland – Echo : Wochenblatt der Vereinigten Deutschen Socialisten Clevelands – 1911-1920
• Cleveland – Enakopravnost – 1942-1947
• Cleveland – Radnička Borba = Workers’ Struggle – 1941-1946
• Cleveland – Toiler – 1920-1921
• Dayton – Dayton Union News – 1940-1943
• Toledo – Toledo Union Journal – 1942-1951
• Youngstown – Bulletin – 1919-1977
• Akron OH Democrat
• Ohio Socialist 

Oklahoma

• Oklahoma – Oklahoma Labor (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) 1935-1938
• Oklahoma – Oklahoma Labor Unit (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-191?
• Oklahoma – Oklahoma Socialist Bulletin (Oklahoma City, Okla. Terr. [Okla.]) 1906-19??
• Oklahoma – Oklahoma State Labor News (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1906-19??
• Oklahoma – The Labor Review (Oklahoma City [Okla.]) 19??-19??
• Oklahoma – The Labor Signal (Oklahoma City, O.T. [Okla.]) 190?-19??
• Oklahoma – The Union Labor Bulletin (Oklahoma City [Okla.]) 1920-19??

Oregon

• Northwest Labor Press

Pennsylvania

• Pittsburgh – National Labor Tribune
• Pittsburgh – Printer’s Labor Tribune

Tennessee

• Southern Worker 

Texas

• Texas Union Workman (1)
• The Alamoner (1)
• The Houston Labor Journal (61)
• The Tyler Telegraph (1)
• El Cuhamil

Utah

• Utah Labor News

Virginia

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

Washington

• Everett, Wash., 1909-1976 The labor journal. 
• Everett, Wash., 1914-1915 The Washington socialist. 
• Everett, Wash., 1917-1918 The Co-operative news. 
• Hoquiam, Wash., 19??-19?? Southwest Washington labor press.
• The Labor Journal (Everett, Snohomish County, WA — 7 January 1909 – 29 December 1922)
• The Northwest Worker (Everett, Snohomish County, WA — 1 July 1915 – 27 September 1917)
• The Washington Socialist (Everett, Snohomish County, WA — 16 April 1914 – 24 June 1915)
• The Labor Press Project – Pacific Northwest Labor and Radical Newspapers 
• Agitator 
• Puget Sound Chemist 
• Industrial Worker​​

West Virginia

• Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.], 1827-1832 – Virginia free press & farmers’ repository.
• Huntington, W. Va., 1911-1915 – The Socialist and labor star.

Wisconsin

• The Unionist
• Wisconsin Labor Advocate 

Good luck finding articles about your union ancestors!