Welcome

The North American Labor History Conference is a nationally-recognized conference exploring the past, present, and future of the labor movement in the Americas.

Established in 1979 by Philip P. Mason, the founder and first director of the Walter P. Reuther Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, it grew from a small regional conference to the major labor conference in the country.  The NALHC showcased an entire generation of labor scholars with cutting-edge research and gave budding graduate students their start not to mention serving as the launching pad for the Labor and Working-Class History Association (LAWCHA). 

Having run continuously from 1979 as an annual conference, we began a biennial schedule in 2018 in recognition of everyone's tightening travel budgets.  NALHC returned following a long-term pandemic pause in 2024, and we are very much looking forward to its continued return.

In 2026 the NALHC three-day conference will return on its biennial schedule, hosted by Labor@Wayne and the Reuther Archives at Wayne State University, from October 15th - 17th.  Elizabeth Faue, long-time coordinator of the conference and current director of Labor@Wayne, will lead the team planning for this vital conference. We encourage scholars, students, activists, archivists and union members to submit proposals.