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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has had a long and varied industrial history out of which rose, among other things, the first labor party, U.S. President Zachary Taylor's scientific management, and labor activist William H. Sylvis' brand of modern trade unionism. Indeed, at least one labor historian has suggested that Philadelphia was the headquarters of the trade union movement in the 19th century. During the past year, the Urban Archives of Temple University at Pennsylvania, has been involved in a project to survey and acquire business and labor records relating to the city. As a result, the Archives have added several significant collections to its previous holdings. Perhaps the largest labor collection in the Urban Archives is that of the Upholsterers' International Union (UIU), covering the period from 1937 to 1976. The papers comprise approximately 175 linear feet and, while unprocessed, some sections are available for easy access. In particular, the extensive minutes of the Executive Board are a valuable source, containing the actions and correspondence of the board on every UIU resolution, dating from Sal Hoffman's election as president in 1937.

The Ohio Historical Society, during the period 1975 to 1979, conducted the Ohio Labor History Project. The project was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Ohio American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations and also enjoyed the sponsorship of the Ohio Network of American History Research Centers and the Labor Education and Research Service of the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. The purpose of the project was to locate, inventory, acquire, and preserve labor union records and the personal papers of Ohio trade unionists, as well as to conduct oral history interviews. Since 1979, the effort to preserve Ohio's labor heritage has continued as a major component of the Society's Manuscripts Department. In 1980 the Society published a bibliographic guide to the sources identified and collected by the project. This publication, "Guide to Primary Sources in Ohio Labor History," describes 207 collections housed at each of the eight network centers, eighty-seven additional collections in Ohio union offices, eighty oral history interviews, and ninety-five titles of labor-related publications.