Historical American Labor and Union Newspapers Online

Union membership was about 15% in the 1930's and peaked at about 35% in the 1950's in the U.S.  Currently, union membership is about 10%, even though in the past couple of decades, public sector union membership has increased.

Unions, labor movements and workers had specialty newspapers throughout the country. Some of these have been digitized and the links by state are below. Please note that I have excluded subscription databases from the list.
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(Updated June, 2019; recently added links are in BOLD)

Alabama

• Avondale Sun 

California

• California Oil Worker
• California Federation of Labor Weekly 
• Western Worker 

Colorado

• Labor Advocate 

Florida

• Florida Democrat and mechanic's and workingman's advocate

Georgia

• International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Archives 

Hawaii

• Honolulu Record 
• Ka Palapala 

Idaho

• Idaho Forester 
• Boise, Idaho, 1913-1914 - Idaho labor herald.
• Boise, Idaho, 1914-1917 - The Gem worker and the Idaho labor herald.

Illinois

• Labor News Review 
• Chicago IL Daily Worker
• American Appeal 
• American Appeal
• The Communist 
• Communist 
• Communist 
• Industrial Union Bulletin
• Labor Unity
• New Majority

Indiana

• Louisville, Ky., 1904-???? - Ohio valley worker : official paper of the Federated Trades Council of Louisville, Trades and Labor Council of New Albany, Central Labor Union of Jeffersonville.
• Freedom's Banner (Marion, Grant County; 25 June 1910 - 6 August 1910)
• Indiana Socialist Party Bulletin (Indianapolis, Marion County; 1 October 1911 - 1 September 1913)
• Indiana Socialist (Indianapolis, Marion County; 22 March 1913 - 12 July 1913)
• Marion Labor Sentinel (Marion, Grant County; 23 April 1914 - 12 November 1914)
• The Marion Socialist (Marion, Grant County; 20 August 1911 - 27 October 1912)
• (Elwood) Daily Labor Record (1904-1963)

Iowa

• Des Moines Iowa Unionist (1907 - 1918)
• Iowa Unionist (1906 - 1913)
• Des Moines Leader (1899 - 1902)
• Iowa Unionist (1906 - 1913)
• Labor News
• Iowa Union Farmer

Kentucky

• Ohio Valley Worker : Official Paper Of The Federated Trades Council Of Louisville, Trades And Labor Council Of New Albany, Central Labor Union Of Jeffersonville 
• Ohio valley worker 
• Ohio Valley Worker  

Louisiana

• The Voice Of The People
• Lumberjack

Massachusetts

• Worker 

Michigan

• Labor Journal — Alpena, Alpena County (Mich.) — 3 January 1885 - 26 December 1890
• Michigan Labor Journal — Alpena, Alpena County (Mich.) — 14 June 1884 - 27 December 1884
• Labor Journal
• Michigan Labor Journal
• Detroit Sunday Journal
• Michigan Farm News
• The Grange Visitor

Minnesota

• Minneapolis Labor Review 
• St. Paul Union Advocate 
• The labor world.
• Labor Review 
• Labor leader

Mississippi

• The Mississippi Union advocate and Southern farm and home.
• The New Mississippi Socialist.

Missouri

• Workers World 

Montana

• Butte Bystander 
• Labor World 

Nebraska

• Farmer Labor Herald 

Nevada

• Basic Magnesium, Inc. Newsletters  

New York

• Fighting Worker   
• Daily Worker  
• Labor Action  
• Workers Age Lovestone  
• New York, N.Y., 1907-1970 - Radnička borba = Workers' struggle. 
• E.J. Workers Review
• E.J. Workers Magazine

Ohio

• Cincinnati, Ohio, 1912-1937 - The labor advocate.
• Cleveland, O. [Ohio], 1911-1920 - Echo : Wochenblatt der Vereinigten Deutschen Socialisten Clevelands.
• Cincinnati - Labor Advocate  - 1915-1917
• Cleveland - Echo : Wochenblatt der Vereinigten Deutschen Socialisten Clevelands  - 1911-1920
• Cleveland - Toiler  - 1920-1921
• Cleveland - Americké Dělnické Listy (American Workingmen's News) - 1918-1941 
• Cleveland - Enakopravnost - 1942-1947 
• Cleveland OH Ohio Socialist
• Ohio Socialist 

Oklahoma

• The Labor Review - 1
• The Labor Signal - 187
• The Lincoln County Socialist - 2
• The Oklahoma Farmer and Laborer - 226
• Oklahoma Labor Unit - 375
• Oklahoma State Labor News - 123
• The Social Democrat - 43
• The Socialist Antidote Independent - 17
• The Union Labor Bulletin - 1
• Muskogee Labor Amalgamator

Oregon

• Farmers Union News
• Northwest Labor Press

Pennsylvania

• National Labor Tribune 
• Printer's Labor Tribune  

South Dakota

• Canton, South Dakota, 1890-1890 - The daily Dakota farmers' leader. [volume] 

Tennessee

• Southern Worker 

Texas

• The Alamoner (1) 
• Texas Union Workman (1) 
• The Union Review (1) 

Virginia

• Richmond, Va., 1885-18?? - The Labor herald.
• Labor Herald (Richmond, VA, 1886)
• Riverside (Shenandoah Iron Works, VA, 1880)

Washington

• Pacific Fisherman Journal 
• The Washington Socialist 
• Puget Sound Chemist 
• Industrial Worker
• The Northwest worker. 
• The Northwest worker
• The labor journal. 
• The Labor journal
• The Labor Press Project - Pacific Northwest Labor and Radical Newspapers
• The Washington socialist
• The Washington socialist. 

West Virginia

• The labor argus.
• The Socialist and labor star.

Wisconsin

• Wisconsin Labor Advocate 

Wyoming

• Laborette 
• Labor News 

• Wyoming Labor Journal 

Good luck finding articles about your union ancestors!

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