Labor and Working-Class History Association (LAWCHA) is an organization of labor union-friendly and radical-left “historians, labor educators, and working-class activists” involved in the study of and advocacy for the labor union movement and working-class organizing. It is housed within Duke University. ¹

About

The Labor and Working-Class History Association (LAWCHA) is comprised of teachers, students, and political activists who work together to promote left-of-center labor union-aligned activities through online publications and political conferences. ²

LAWCHA is funded by membership dues from subscribers. “Contributing” members pay $85 annually while “Regular” members pay $50 with a “Reduced” annual rate of $25. Members of LAWCHA receive a one-year subscription to the magazine Labor: Studies in Working-Class History and access to online publication LaborOnline. ³

Activities

Conferences

In 2017, Labor and Working-Class History Association held its annual conference called “Scales of Struggle: Communities, Movements and Global Connections.” The conference hosted discussions on “The $15 Minimum Wage in SEA-TAC and Seattle: Origins and Impact,” and “Struggling with the State: Farmworker Activism and the Promises and Perils of Government Policy.” The conference hosted between 300 and 400 scholars. ⁴

In 2019, LAWCHA held its annual conference at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The theme of the conference was “Workers on the Move, Workers’ Movements.” ⁵

Publications

LAWCHA is associated with the Duke University Press journal Labor: Studies in Working-Class History in the Americas” (also known by the short title Labor). Labor is the official journal of LAWCHA. ⁶

University Associations

Since 2007, LAWCHA has been housed at Duke University’s Sanford Institute for Public Policy. Duke University serves as LAWCHA’s administrative headquarters and provides website management. ⁷

The “Taft Labor History Award” is sponsored by the Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) School at Cornell University with assistance from LAWCHA. ⁸

People

Professor Leon Fink is the editor of the Labor journal. Labor is housed at Georgetown University Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and Working Poor. ⁹

As of 2019, the president of LAWCHA was Julie Greene of the University of Maryland. ¹⁰

James Gregory, a professor at the University of Washington, is the past president of LAWCHA. ¹¹ Professor Gregory is the author of a collaborative history project called Mapping American Social Movements through the 20^th Century. ¹²

Gregory is also the author of History of Communist Party in Washington State. ¹³ Gregory is the director of the Communism in Washington State History and Memory Project at the University of Washington. ¹⁴

1. “Labor and Working Class History Association: AHA.” Accessed June 15, 2020. https://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/affiliated-societies/labor-and-working-class-history-association.
2. McCartin, Joseph A. “Why Are There Now 2 Journals Devoted to Labor History?” History News Network. Accessed May 17, 2020. https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/4896.
3. “LAWCHA 2019 Conference.” Workers on the Move Workers Movement. Labor and Working Class History Association, 2019. http://www.lawcha.org/wp-content/uploads/LAWCHAProgram_Draft06.pdf.
4. Kelley, Peter. “’Scales of Struggle’: Historians of Labor, Working Class to Convene at UW.” UW News. University of Washington, June 7, 2017. https://www.washington.edu/news/2017/06/07/scales-of-struggle-historians-of-labor-working-class-to-convene-at-uw/.
5. Association, Working-Class Studies. “CFP ~ 2019 LAWCHA Conference.” WORKING-CLASS STUDIES ASSOCIATION, August 30, 2018. https://wcstudiesassociation.wordpress.com/2018/09/17/cfp-2019-lawcha-conference/.
6. McCartin, Joseph A. “Why Are There Now 2 Journals Devoted to Labor History?” History News Network. Accessed May 18, 2020. https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/4896.
7. Letwin, Dan. “The LAWCHA Watch.” Labor. Duke University Press, September 1, 2007. https://read.dukeupress.edu/labor/article-abstract/4/3/5/15123/The-LAWCHA-Watch?redirectedFrom=fulltext.
8. “Taft Labor History Award.” Taft Labor History Award | Social History Portal. Accessed May 18, 2020. https://socialhistoryportal.org/news/articles/111032.
9. “About Us.” Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor. Accessed May 18, 2020. http://lwp.georgetown.edu/labor-studies-in-working-class-history/.
10. “LAWCHA 2019 Conference.” Workers on the Move Workers Movement. Labor and Working Class History Association, 2019. http://www.lawcha.org/wp-content/uploads/LAWCHAProgram_Draft06.pdf.
11. Mirfendereski, Taylor. “What Is May Day?” king5.com, April 30, 2017. https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/what-is-may-day/281-435393398.
12. Kelley, Peter. “History Meets Geography: James Gregory’s Collaborative Digital Project Tracks Key 20th Century Social Movements.” UW News. University of Washington, December 14, 2015. https://www.washington.edu/news/2015/12/14/history-meets-geography-james-gregorys-collaborative-digital-project-tracks-key-20th-century-social-movements/.
13. Gregory, James N. “History of Communist Party in Washington State: Introduction.” Communist Party in Washington State History. University of Washington. Accessed May 18, 2020. https://depts.washington.edu/labhist/cpproject/gregory.shtml.
14. “About the Project.” Communism in Washington State: About. Accessed May 18, 2020. https://depts.washington.edu/labhist/cpproject/about.shtml.