Labor History Today

The Memorial Day Massacre (Encore)

Joe McCartin, Ben Blake and Julie Greene remember the 1937 Memorial Day Massacre, when police opened fire on striking steelworkers at Republic Steel in South Chicago, killing ten and wounding more than 160. Patrick Dixon interviews Tom Sito on the 1941 strike by animators against Walt Disney. Sito, a well-known American animator (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Lion King, Shrek and many more), animation historian and teacher, is the author of “Drawing the Line: The Untold Story of the Animation Unions from Bosko to Bart Simpson.”And in this week’s Labor History Object of the Week we take a look at a United Farm Worker banner commemorating the 1965 strike against grape growers in California. The banner is part of the exhibit “For Liberty, Justice, And Equality: Unions Making History In America” at the George Meany Labor Archives at the University of Maryland College Park campus. Plus we’ve got music by Joe Glazer, the Eureka's, Willie Sordill and Joan Baez. Originally released May 27, 2018Questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome, and to find out how you can be a part of Labor History Today, email us at LaborHistoryToday@gmail.com
Labor History Today is produced by the Labor Heritage Foundation and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor.
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“The Black Wobbly” gets a mural

A mural celebrating Ben Fletcher – “The Black Wobbly” – was unveiled in Philadelphia on May 18; check out our audio postcard.On this week’s Labor History in Two: Remembering C.L.R. James
Questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome, and to find out how you can be a part of Labor History Today, email us at LaborHistoryToday@gmail.com
Labor History Today is produced by the Labor Heritage Foundation and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor.
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The 1938 Crisfield Crab Pickers Strike

Before last Friday, to know about the 1938 crab pickers strike in Crisfield, Maryland, you had to know about it. This is the story of so many worker struggles in this country; hard-fought fights that unlike other battles – the Civil War, for example – have virtually no monuments or plaques, no visitor centers. But now, on Crisfield Highway, Maryland Route 413, there’s an official state historical marker that commemorates the 1938 strike by 600 crab pickers, mostly Black women. On today’s show we bring you an audio postcard from the marker’s unveiling. Next Saturday, May 18, there will be another unveiling, this one in Philadelphia, of a new mural celebrating Ben Fletcher, one of the most influential working-class unionists, revolutionaries, and organizers in all of U.S. history. We talk with historian Peter Cole, author of Ben Fletcher: The Life and Times of a Black Wobbly, whose work inspired the mural. On this week’s Labor History in Two: The first day of the 1894 Pullman Strike.Other links:Hurricane Hazel demonstrates her world-record crab-picking skills1938 Crab Pickers Strike photosMay 18 Ben Fletcher Mural Dedication
Questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome, and to find out how you can be a part of Labor History Today, email us at LaborHistoryToday@gmail.com
Labor History Today is produced by the Labor Heritage Foundation and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor.
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“I'm taking pictures of the history of today”

In 1946, as part of a strike-ending agreement negotiated between the Department of the Interior and the United Mine Workers of America, photographer Russell Lee went into coal communities located in remote areas across the United States, documenting miners in 13 states. Photographs from this federal project have rarely been studied or exhibited—until now. "Power & Light: Russell Lee's Coal Survey" is on view now at the National Archives here in Washington, DC. On Friday, I toured the exhibit with photojournalist Earl Dotter, known as the “American Worker’s Poet Laureate,” and sat down with him afterwards to get his thoughts and reflections. Later in the show, the R.J. Phillips Band pays tribute to another great social photographer, Jacob Riis, born on May 3, 1849. On this week’s Labor History in Two: The Battle of Harlan.
Questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome, and to find out how you can be a part of Labor History Today, email us at LaborHistoryToday@gmail.com
Labor History Today is produced by the Labor Heritage Foundation and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor.
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“UAW’s Southern Gamble” pays off

To call the April 19 vote by Volkswagen AG workers in Tennessee to unionize historic may be a bit of an understatement. Not only was it the first foreign-owned auto plant in the South to organize, the vote was a mind-blowing 2,628-985, or 73% in favor. The win by the United Auto Workers came after decades of losses as plant after plant opened across the South. On today’s show, Dr. Stephen Silvia explains how foreign automotive companies whose workers had strong unions in their home countries followed an American playbook to stifle organizing efforts in the United States.Silvia is a professor in the School of International Service at American University and author of The UAW’s Southern Gamble: Organizing Workers at Foreign-Owned Vehicle Plants.He talked with Dan Golodner on the Tales from the Reuther Library podcast. On this week’s Labor History in Two: OSHA goes into effect.
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Labor History Today is produced by the Labor Heritage Foundation and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor.
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The Return of John Brown

Abolitionist John Brown is mistaken for a Black Lives Matter activist in Gene Bruskin’s latest labor musical, and a tour guide keeps Black worker history alive.Excerpted from the Labor Heritage Power Hour radio show.Questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome, and to find out how you can be a part of Labor History Today, email us at LaborHistoryToday@gmail.com
Labor History Today is produced by the Labor Heritage Foundation and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor.
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The ’34 Toledo Auto-Lite strike

The 1934 Toledo Auto-Lite strike is one of the three most important in U.S. history, yet it’s largely unknown; why? Plus: CBTU president Terry Melvin on why the AFL-CIO’s Gompers Room was renamed the Solidarity Room. On this week’s Labor History in Two: Debs goes to prison.
Questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome, and to find out how you can be a part of Labor History Today, email us at LaborHistoryToday@gmail.com
Labor History Today is produced by the Labor Heritage Foundation and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor.
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Trumka remembers Pittston

On the 35th anniversary of the Pittston Coal strike, we revisit our 2019 interview with Richard Trumka about the historic strike.On this week’s Labor History in Two: The Upper Big Branch mine disaster.Questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome, and to find out how you can be a part of Labor History Today, email us at LaborHistoryToday@gmail.com
Labor History Today is produced by the Labor Heritage Foundation and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor.
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