Labor Heritage Foundation
A nonprofit organization that preserves and advances the cultural traditions of the American labor movement through music, arts, education, publishing, and organizing programs.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Labor Heritage Foundation is a United States nonprofit organization focused on the cultural history and creative practices of the labor movement. Its work treats music, poetry, visual art, theater, photography, film, storytelling, and related forms of expression as tools for preserving labor history and strengthening worker organizing. Rather than operating as a conventional commercial brand, the foundation functions as a cultural institution, program organizer, publisher, archive-oriented organization, and source of practical resources for unions and labor activists. The organization grew out of a gathering convened by labor musician, composer, and educator Joe Glazer in June 1979. Glazer brought together 15 labor musicians at the George Meany Center for Labor Studies in Silver Spring, Maryland, to exchange songs and written compositions and to discuss how music, poetry, chants, and other cultural forms could be used in labor activism. The three-day meeting developed into the Great Labor Arts Exchange, an annual event that became the foundation's principal program. As the idea of a distinct labor culture developed during the early 1980s, Glazer, Joe Uehlein, and Saul Schniderman incorporated the Labor Heritage Foundation in 1984. The foundation was established as the parent organization for the Great Labor Arts Exchange and as a broader vehicle for collecting, interpreting, promoting, and transmitting the cultural heritage of the American labor movement. It is governed by a board of directors, while a full-time executive director position was established in 1986 to manage day-to-day operations. The foundation has shared office space with the AFL-CIO in Washington, D.C. The Great Labor Arts Exchange remains the foundation's most prominent program. Initially centered on musicians and songwriters, the event expanded to include cartooning, painting, film, puppetry, street theater, photography, and other creative disciplines. Participants associated with the exchange have included Pete Seeger, Ralph Fasanella, Earl Dotter, and Chris Llewellyn. The event has continued at the site of the original George Meany Center, a venue later associated with the National Labor College and now known as the Tommy Douglas Conference Center. The foundation also organizes the Conference on Creative Organizing, which gives union staff and worker activists practical instruction in using cultural media during organizing and collective-bargaining campaigns. Its methods may include songs, chants, skits, costumes, food, visual communication, and other forms of collective expression. Through these activities, the foundation presents culture not simply as entertainment or historical documentation, but as a means of building solidarity, communicating demands, and engaging members and communities. Publishing is another major area of activity. The foundation has issued books and pamphlets dealing with labor history, labor songs, photography, poetry, children's activities, short stories, biographies, autobiographies, graphic novels, and collections of graphic art. It has also released a limited number of audio recordings, including song collections and oral histories. In 1996, it created the Labor Culture Consulting and Referral Service, together with a directory of cultural resources intended to help local unions identify artists and arts organizations that could support labor campaigns and educational work. The Labor Heritage Foundation additionally supports regional labor arts festivals and community arts exchanges on an irregular and limited basis. Since 1989, it has presented the Joe Hill Award to recognize individuals whose body of work has made a significant contribution to labor culture. The foundation's continuing identity is therefore rooted in cultural preservation, participatory education, and the practical use of the arts in worker organizing.
History
The Labor Heritage Foundation originated in a June 1979 meeting organized by Joe Glazer at the George Meany Center for Labor Studies in Silver Spring, Maryland. Glazer, a musician, composer, and educator involved in the American labor movement, invited 14 other labor musicians to share compositions and discuss the role of songs, poetry, chants, and related forms of expression in labor activism. The three-day meeting became the foundation for the Great Labor Arts Exchange, an annual gathering that eventually broadened beyond music into multiple artistic disciplines. During the following five years, the participants' understanding of labor culture expanded. The emerging concept emphasized the reciprocal relationship between the labor movement and the arts: artistic work could preserve collective memory and express worker identity, while labor organizations could provide settings in which artists and audiences participated in common civic and political activity. In 1984, Glazer joined with Joe Uehlein and Saul Schniderman to incorporate the Labor Heritage Foundation. The foundation became the organizational parent of the Great Labor Arts Exchange and a vehicle for curating and promoting the cultural heritage of the American labor movement. The foundation is governed by a board of directors. In 1986, it hired its first executive director, creating a full-time role responsible for daily administration and program management. The organization has shared office space with the AFL-CIO in Washington, D.C., reflecting its close relationship with the broader labor movement while remaining a distinct nonprofit institution. The Great Labor Arts Exchange developed into the foundation's largest and best-known program. Its scope came to include cartooning, painting, film, puppetry, street theater, photography, and other forms of creative practice. Participants have included singer Pete Seeger, artist Ralph Fasanella, photographer Earl Dotter, and poet Chris Llewellyn. The event has continued to be associated with the original venue, which later became the National Labor College from 1997 to 2014 and is now the Tommy Douglas Conference Center. Alongside the exchange, the foundation established the Conference on Creative Organizing. This program trains worker activists and union staff to use cultural tools in organizing and collective-bargaining campaigns. Its approach includes music, chants, skits, costumes, food, and other creative methods intended to help participants communicate, build solidarity, and involve members in collective action. Publishing became a third major activity. The foundation has produced books and pamphlets on labor history, songs, photography, poetry, children's activities, short fiction, biographies, autobiographies, graphic novels, and graphic art. It has also issued a limited number of audio recordings, including labor-song collections and oral histories. These materials extend the foundation's preservation role beyond live events and provide resources for educators, unions, researchers, and activists. In 1996, the organization developed the Labor Culture Consulting and Referral Service. The service created a database of artists active in the labor movement and supported publication of a Directory of Cultural Resources, allowing local unions to identify artists and community arts organizations that could assist with campaigns and programs. The foundation has also provided irregular and limited support for regional labor arts festivals and community arts exchanges. The Joe Hill Award, first presented in 1989, became the foundation's principal lifetime-achievement recognition. It honors individuals for a substantial body of work in labor culture. Taken together, the foundation's events, publications, recordings, directories, awards, and educational programs form an institutional network for maintaining the artistic memory of U.S. labor and applying cultural practices to contemporary organizing.
- 1997
Original Great Labor Arts Exchange venue becomes National Labor College
[1]The venue associated with the exchange became the National Labor College, a status it retained until 2014; it is now identified as the Tommy Douglas Conference Center.
- 1996
Labor Culture Consulting and Referral Service developed
[1]The foundation created a cultural-resource database and published a directory to help unions find artists and arts organizations able to support labor activities.
- 1989
Joe Hill Award introduced
[1]The foundation began presenting the Joe Hill Award to recognize individuals for a substantial body of work in labor culture.
- 1986
First executive director appointed
[1]The foundation established its first full-time executive director position to oversee day-to-day operations.
- 1984
Labor Heritage Foundation incorporated
[1]Joe Glazer, Joe Uehlein, and Saul Schniderman incorporated the foundation as the parent organization for the Great Labor Arts Exchange and as a broader institution for preserving and promoting American labor culture.
- 1979
Founding gathering for the Great Labor Arts Exchange
[1]Joe Glazer convened 15 labor musicians at the George Meany Center for Labor Studies to exchange creative work and discuss the use of music and other arts in labor activism. The three-day event became an annual gathering known as the Great Labor Arts Exchange.
Products and positioning
A labor-movement cultural institution that connects artistic expression, historical preservation, and practical organizing education.
Books and pamphlets
Labor-history publications
The foundation publishes educational and documentary materials concerning the history, experience, and culture of the American labor movement. Its subject range includes historical interpretation, worker experience, labor institutions, and creative documentation. These publications support union education, public history, research, and community engagement rather than functioning as conventional commercial products.
Songbooks, poetry, and art collections
Labor-music and creative-arts materials
The foundation has issued materials devoted to labor songs, poetry, photography, visual art, children's activities, short stories, biographies, autobiographies, graphic novels, and collections of graphic work. Together, these publications document the expressive traditions of workers and provide practical material for teaching, performance, and organizing.
Audio media
Audio recordings and oral histories
A limited number of audio recordings have been published, including collections of labor songs and oral histories. These recordings preserve voices and musical traditions associated with the labor movement and complement the foundation's print and live-program work.
Reference directory · 1996
Directory of Cultural Resources
Developed in connection with the Labor Culture Consulting and Referral Service, the directory helps local unions identify artists and community arts organizations that may assist with labor campaigns, educational programs, and cultural activities.
Marketing campaigns
- 1979Great Labor Arts Exchange
United States
An annual labor-arts gathering that began as a meeting of labor musicians and expanded to encompass music, poetry, cartooning, painting, film, puppetry, street theater, photography, and other creative disciplines.
Outcome. It became the Labor Heritage Foundation's largest and most prominent continuing program.
- Conference on Creative Organizing
United States
An annual training program for worker activists and union staff on using songs, chants, skits, costumes, food, and other cultural media in organizing and collective-bargaining campaigns.
Outcome. The program institutionalized the foundation's approach of treating cultural expression as a practical organizing resource.
Sources2 sources
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