Sources for the history of the building and construction industry

This article is a plea for changes in the way we tell the history of work in America. The full story of the labor history of the construction industry is not contained in trade union records. To fully understand the context of work and conflict, historians need to look to corporate records, government records, oral histories, and other sources that can provide important documentation of work relations and technological change. If the construction industry is understood as a complex and changing entity, its trade union politics, discrimination, and the political battles surrounding the transformation Of neighborhoods and modern life can become part of the larger story of the dynamic of development rather than merely a story of workplace antagonisms.