Catholic Social Action at Work: A Brief History of the Labor Collections at The Catholic University of America

The Catholic University of America (CUA) may seem like an unlikely home for important collections of archival records documenting the labor movement in the United States. By tapping into the sympathies of many priests for the labor movement as well as the devout Catholicism of many union organizers, however, the CUA managed to compile an impressive body of labor records at a time when very few archives were collecting such records. This article explores how different priests and bishops developed and maintained this collection over the years. The history of the collecting of labor records at CUA offers insight into the various internal and external factors that influence collection development practices and acquisition policies over time.