This paper aims to evaluate the role played by industry, work and social movements in São Bernardo do Campo’s official cultural heritage preservation. It consists on part of an ongoing master’s research in FAU-USP (Architecture and Urbanism School in Universidade São Paulo, Brasil) which aims to analyze municipal public policies for cultural heritage preservation as a social process starred by specific agents within institutionalized agencies related to the State. As a case study it takes the Municipal Council for Historic and Cultural Heritage of São Bernardo do Campo – COMPAHC-SBC. Located midway between Port of Santos and the city of São Paulo, Brasil, the strategic position of the city has encouraged a huge industrialization process during the entire 20th century. Its climax has came in the 50’s when President Juscelino Kubitschek issued the “Plano de Metas” (Plan of Goals) which made São Bernardo the main stage of consumer goods industry, specially carmakers. From the 70’s to the 80’s, the huge mass of workers who moved to São Bernardo in search of jobs formed strong labour unions and starred a significant social movement which most important expression is the Brazilian Laborers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores). This paper aims to evaluate the role played (or not) by the memories of industry, work and workers in the city’s cultural heritage preservation policies. To do so, the selection process of buildings listed by COMPAHC-SBC as well as the council’s registers relater do work and industry will be put under perspective. More than that will also be put in perspective the agents involved in cultural heritage preservation as well as the instruments used to preserve those buildings such as listing or inventorying. This multi angled approach is put into practice to make it possible to evaluate how and why industrial heritage is or is not preserved in São Bernardo do Campo. The case of São Bernardo do Campo will also be situated in the wider discussion of preservation policies in Brasil specially those related to industrial heritage. This way, federal and state policies and practices will be taken into account as well as the development of industrial heritage as a preservation typology in the country. On the other hand, other preservation initiatives in post industrial cities all over the world will be taken in comparison in order to deepen and better situate the analysis on the industrial heritage of São Bernardo do Campo.