Founded in 1921, it served as an informational clearinghouse for labor education organizing forums around the country and assisting local programs.
[citation needed] WEB received financial, political, and consultative support from American Federation of Labor (AFL) leaders, including Samuel Gompers, William Green, and Matthew Woll, making it "the unofficial educational arm" of the AFL.
"[4] In 1951, WEB formally integrated into the AFL (and later, after the merger with the Congress of Industrial Organizations, the AFL–CIO) as its Education Department.
[citation needed] In 2003, the AFL-CIO transferred the duties and programs of the Education Department to the George Meany Center-National Labor College.
In 1922, WEB's second national convention listed the following as "trade union colleges, study classes, and workers' educational enterprises":