The Bellingham Central Labor Council was established in 1891 as a representative body for members of organized trades and craft unions in Whatcom County. Records at the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies document Council activities and concerns in relation to local and national issues affecting labor between 1924 and 1976.

Administrative and corporate records include articles of incorporation, and minute books spanning the period 1924 to 1961. Minutes books document the attitudes and actions of the Council and its Executive Committee in relation to changing local economic, social and political conditions, including resolutions in support of political candidates and legislation, attempts to mediate between different groups of labor and employers, and the use of boycotts as a form of collective action. The collection also contains minutes from the Bellingham Union Card and Label League, an auxiliary body of the Council, over the span of roughly three years. Minutes and correspondence dated 1926-1975 further reflects the concerns and grievances of specific trade groups and union locals in Whatcom County, and the processes through which these were addressed. Financial records include a small number of financial reports, statements and stock records dated between 1936 and 1962.

The collection contains a small amount of materials pertaining to the activities and interests of the Council and other local labor groups, including union statements and resolutions, and campaign materials for candidates running for state or congressional office in 1960. Reference material collected by the Bellingham Central Labor Council comprises published copies of labor-related congressional bills, transcripts and reports produced by the US Department of Labor, Washington State Labor Council and other union bodies.