Labor Education and
Research Center
We provide education, training, events, and applied research to
working people in Washington State.
Library
The Will Parry Library is a labor and workers rights specialty library that includes books, periodicals, movies, documentaries, pamphlets and zines. There is no charge for borrowing materials and our collection is open to the general public.
Our Library is currently open Tuesday-Thursday, 9am-5pm and by special appointment.
Search Our Catalog
Search our collection using the search box below; after hitting search you will be taken to a new page with the search results. You can go directly to our catalog here.
Materials can be held for pickup at our Georgetown office or mailed to your home or work within Washington State.
Please select the item you'd like to checkout in the catalog, click on "Request this Book" and provide the shipping details in the "Comments" section.
You can also request materials by email to laborcenter@seattlecolleges.edu or call us at 206-934-6671. Orders will be shipped via USPS in 1-2 business days, and a courtesy pre-prepaid return envelope included.
Born in 1920, Will Parry came of age during the Great Depression. He became active in the Communist Party in Washington State as it strove to organize the poor and unemployed, and he played a vital role in the labor movement’s resurgence. After serving in the Coast Guard during World War 2, Parry stuck to his principles when he stood up to the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1954, invoking his constitutional rights when questioned about his work and his political affiliations, losing his job as a result.
He struggled to find work, and was eventually hired by Longview Fibre in Seattle. There, he became a union leader, and was elected by his coworkers to be the lobbyist for their union, the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers. Later in life, he was among the first instructors to bring labor studies to higher education in Washington by teaching at Shoreline Community College. In Will’s retirement, he formed the Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA) and fought to protect and strengthen Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare for all generations.
Will Parry donated his books to the Labor Center when it relocated to South Seattle College’s Georgetown Campus in 2010. His generous donation of 430 volumes almost doubled the size of our library at that time. His collection of books includes some of the greatest studies in labor and working-class history. Each book he donated contains a bookplate with an AP news photo of Will at a 1954 House Committee on Un-American Activities hearing. The pin he’s wearing says “Joe must go”—a statement against Senator Joseph McCarthy.
We at the Labor Center are grateful for Will’s donation to our library, and for his lifetime of leadership in the struggle for social justice. Will passed away on May 13, 2013, at the age of 93.
