About this Guide
The University of Connecticut’s Archives & Special Collections holds many collections related to research topics on labor history in Connecticut. This guide provides a curated selection of published materials, manuscript collections, and digitized materials available in the CTDA. The guide is meant to provide a starting point for research into labor history in UConn's Archives & Special Collections--it is not a comprehensive listing of all materials related to these topics held by the UConn Archives & Special Collections.
Several pages of this guide draw from previous work done by Archives & Special Collections staff and student workers presented through Collection Spotlights hosted on the Archives & Special Collections blog. These posts are linked throughout the guide, and can provide you with additional information and resources on the topics covered on the guide.
About the Connecicut Labor History Collections
The labor history collections document the activities of workers and labor unions in Connecticut in the twentieth century. The collecting area holds collections of mainly three distinct groups: the personal papers of labor activists, most of whom were active in the mid-20th century, including Dominic Badolato, Henry Becker, Roger Borrup; labor unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO of workers at the state’s Pratt & Whitney or Hamilton Sunstrand plants; and labor councils, particularly the State Labor Council and the Greater Hartford Labor Council. Other collections include the records of the university’s Labor Education Center and two AFSCME related groups. The focus is almost solely on workers and labor unions in Connecticut in the 20th century.
- Browse all Connecticut Labor History CollectionsBrowse all finding aids for collections related to the Connecticut Labor History collecting area in UConn Archives & Special Collections.
Related Resources
- 25 for 25: Women Workers in Connecticut's Heavy Industry
This video highlights women workers at the Ansonia Brass and Copper Company in September 1899, from a set of photographic prints in the American Brass Company Records, held in UConn's Archives & Special Collections.
The Industrial Revolution transformed the process of producing goods from small, locally based home production to large-scale machine production of goods for a wide market. Connecticut was at the forefront of this transition in many industries, particularly with the manufacture of brass, focused in the Naugatuck Valley in the western part of the state. By the end of the 19th century the industry depended on immigrant workers from eastern and southern Europe, who filled this need for labor despite the dangers of working in harsh factory conditions.
10 Tips for Navigating Archival Research
Top 10 tips citation
The 10 tips for Navigating Archival Research slides were originally created by Melica Stinnett in 2022 for the Archives & Special Collections blog.
