Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Reuther Library Reading Room will be closing at noon today, Friday March 6th.

If you need assistance this afternoon, submit your questions to reutherreference@wayne.edu. Thanks!

The Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs is now accepting applications for the 2026 Sam Fishman Research Travel Grant. The program provides research grants of up to $1,000 to support faculty, students, independent researchers, and union members to defray travel, lodging, food, and other costs to conduct research in the Reuther's extensive labor collections. The award is named in honor of Sam Fishman, a former UAW and Michigan AFL-CIO leader and grants are only given in support of projects relating to labor history.

Applications are due March 30, 2026.

For more information, please visit our Scholarships page.

The Reuther Library is very excited to announce the opening of the UAW Local 1975 Records . Hailing from Ypsilanti (that’s pronounced “ip·suh·lan·tee”), UAW Local 1975 (also known as UAW/TOP Local 1975) is a labor union representing clerical workers at Eastern Michigan University (EMU).  read more »

As the devastation of the Great Depression spread throughout Detroit, increased lay-offs and financial instability among Ford Motor Company workers led to an atmosphere of despair that reached an apex in 1932. These workers were among those who marched to Ford’s River Rouge Industrial Complex in Dearborn, Michigan on March 7, 1932. This event, famously known as the Hunger March, was orchestrated by members of Detroit’s Unemployed Councils, who had been helping unemployed workers fight evictions and seek relief from charitable agencies.  read more »