The Labor Journal Archive

The Labor Journal was the official paper of the Everett Trades Council, the Central Labor Council of Everett, and the local chapter of the American Federation of Labor (AFL). Originally published in 1891 as an annual newsletter, the Labor Journal quickly became the vehicle for Progressive politics and labor news in Everett and the surrounding region. In 1905, future Washington state senator, John E. Campbell became business manager of the Journal, partnering with editor and part-owner Ernest P. Marsh. By 1909, the duo published the paper weekly and kept union members and the general public informed about labor issues and perspectives. Many saw the Journal as an alternative to the daily and weekly papers which were often unsympathetic to the interest of workers. By focusing on issues relevant to local unions, the Journal enjoyed a readership in the thousands. Campbell was elected state senator in 1912 and authored the eight-hour workday bill for Washington women. Marsh became president of the Washington State Federation of Labor in 1913, an office he held until 1918. In 1917, Marsh was appointed by Woodrow Wilson to the President’s Mediation Commission, a body which he directed from 1943 to 1949.

The Labor Journal enjoyed success until 1978 when the paper’s control board ruled that it should solicit advertising only from businesses with union employees. Advertising revenues fell, and, according to Jack Morgan of the Everett Herald, this ruling resulted in the resignation of the Labor Journal’s editor and an ad salesman. Both were from the Meatcutters Local 151 of Everett, and after leaving the newspaper they soon launched a short-lived union publication called the Journal. The control board of the Labor Journal complained that the similarity of the two titles confused readers and advertisers, resulting in decreased circulation for the paper. Because of confusion over its name or possibly due to increasing competition from union newsletters, the Labor Journal ceased publication in October 1978. It was, nonetheless, the last and longest-running weekly labor journal in Washington State.