Madison Labor History Mural Project

Work is underway on a Madison labor history mural inside the entrance to the Madison Labor Temple, 1602 S. Park St, on the south end of the building. Work on the project began as Madison celebrated its Sesquicentenial, or 150th anniversary, in 2006. A committee composed of artists, labor and community members organized a number of public events during 2006 to gain broad participation in the effort while pursuing funding from community arts grants and from area labor organizations. Read more about the project...

Meet the Artist, Marcus Nickel!

New! Madison Labor History DVD now available

Support the Madison Labor History Mural Project with a contribution of at least $25 and receive this free DVD! Madison Labor: Building a City, Building a Movement includes The Early Years (30 min.), originally produced in slide/tape and videotape formats in 1985. The video was digitally remastered to assist in public discussions to determine scenes being depicted in the mural. Also included on the DVD is Madison: A Union City, 1985-2005, which brings Madison’s labor history up to date (15 minutes, plus a 3 minute slide show). Contributions are tax deductible. Make checks payable to the Labor Education and Training Center and mail to: Labor History Mural Project c/o South Central Federation of Labor, 1602 S. Park St. #228, Madison WI 53715.

Visit the Photo Gallery

A Photo Gallery is also available with pictures of notable labor activities and events from Madison's past. Click here: (Page 1) (Page 2) (Page 3) (Page 4) Examples of some labor murals in downtown Chicago are also available here. And don't miss the other Madison labor history resources available on this website below.

Madison Labor:
Building a City, Building a Movement

Organized labor has a rich history in Madison dating back to the late 1800s. That history is documented on these pages in four chapters and as downloadable pdf files – and in video.

Madison Labor: Building a City, Building a Movement was originally published in Union Labor News in May, 1993. The occasion marked the 100th anniversary of the South Central Federation of Labor which was founded in 1893 as the Federated Trades Council.

Written by Dexter Arnold, then-managing editor of Union Labor News and assistant to the SCFL president, the one hundred year history was based on research Arnold had done for a video produced in 1985 with funding in part from the Wisconsin Humanities Committee. The most recent chapter, A Union City, covering the period 1993-2005 was written by Jim Cavanaugh, president of the South Central Federation of Labor.

Chapter One: The Early Years (1893 - 1929) PDF file here (1.3MB).

Chapter Two: Organizng a Broader, Stronger Movement (1930 - 1940) PDF file here (1.1MB).

Chapter Three: Progress and Empty Promises (1941 - 1993) PDF file here (1MB).

Chapter Four: A Union City (1993 - 2005) PDF file here (60KB).