Call for papers

Workers, Unions, and the Role of Government

October 15-17, 2026
Wayne State University

The North American Labor History Conference, held annually since 1979 and now biennial, is holding its forty-second meeting, October 15-17, 2026, on the theme of Workers, Unions, and the Role of Government. What is the role of the State—federal, state, or local governments—in regulating or controlling the workplace, the community, and the larger society? This is one of the central questions that recent elections and political movements have raised. Further, what is the relationship between private rights and public responsibilities, and how should governments balance between and among interest groups? What role does the government have to protect or support its citizens; what, if any, are the parameters of or guardrails for its actions? As labor scholars, historians, activists, archivists, and union members, we meet to consider the relationship of the labor movement and of working people to governance and the expectations, rights, and responsibilities of workers and their institutions in countries around the globe. A subtheme for this conference will be communication and labor. With the rise of mis- and dis-information as media issues, and the parallel rise with diverse multi-media platforms, labor unions and worker organizations have reasons to expand channels of communication.

For its 2026 conference, the NALHC Program Committee issues a call inviting panels, workshops, roundtable sessions, and papers that either discuss the role of government and the state in the workplace and among workers and their organizations, or address labor communication in that process. We hope to see proposals that discuss labor and national or local states and within the labor movement; labor communication and public education on the issues of labor; the connections between labor and worker organization and channels of communication in legacy and social media; and labor and current government trends. We hope to see a broad representation both of U.S. and North American papers as well as those with a focus on comparative, international, or global subjects. Other topics are also welcome.

Proposals for complete sessions should include a 1-2 page session description, including paper summaries, and a one-page cv for each participant. Proposals for individual presentations should include a one-paragraph abstract and a one-page cv.

Submissions should be sent as a single PDF file by March 31, 2026, to NALHC@wayne.edu.

For inquiries, write Professor Elizabeth Faue, Director, Labor@Wayne, Wayne State University, at ad5247@wayne.edu.