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Editor’s Note: In our constant effort to serve labor arts fans better, we’ve tweaked the LHF website again this week, which now showcases top upcoming events, and features a selection from our new Union Shop, along with our Facebook feed. Check it out and let us know what you think!  - Chris

“Solidarity” mural saved in Chicago

The iconic “Solidarity” mural removed from the old UE Hall in Chicago earlier this year will shine again. The Chicago Public Art Group (CPAG) announced on October 21 they had received funding to support the mural’s preservation. The restored mural will be displayed at the headquarters of the Chicago Teachers Union, with some smaller sections relocated to the Chicago offices of In These Times; the work is expected to be completed at the end of 2025. “As the first mural done for a trade union by our generation, it keeps alive stories that need to be told,” said artist John Weber, who created the mural with Jose Guerrero. “The mural is well worth preserving as an important part of the public art history of Chicago.”

Huzzah! ‘Drunk Shakespeare’ cast and crew OK first contract

Actors’ Equity Association and Brass Jar Productions have ratified the first union contract covering actors, stage managers, servers, bartenders and bar managers who are part of the popular show “Drunk Shakespeare” and its seasonal companion production “Drunk Dracula.” In “Drunk Shakespeare” performances, one of five actors has five shots of whiskey and then attempts to perform a major role in a Shakespearean play. The new agreement establishes important practices around workplace safety, job definitions, terms of employment and job security so performers and crew can continue to entertain audiences around the country. Drunk Shakespeare United members will now accrue health benefits, vacation and sick leave—with many workers seeing wage increases and better income stability. “Huzzah! Seeing Drunk Shakespeare United ratify their first union contract is thrilling!” said Equity President Brooke Shields.

- AFL-CIO Daily Brief

Mark your calendars for 2026 Labor Notes Conference/Great Labor Arts Exchange!

Some 4,700 workers joined the Labor Notes 2024 Conference/GLAE in April, sharing – in workshops and the arts -- their successes on the picket line, the shop floor, and at the union hall. Save the date to join us again in 2026, in Chicago from June 12 to 14! 

NOTE: The Labor Notes/GLAE is every other year; LHF’s Great Labor Arts Exchange takes place annually and the 2025 edition is scheduled for June 20-22, 2025 in Silver Spring, Maryland; be among the first to know by signing up here.

CLICK HERE to listen to the show!

Still Lives of Workers in Motion: photographers Leslie Grant and Jeffrey Skemp discuss their photo exhibit in St Paul, Minnesota, which explores labor through a visual focus on members of the Amalgamated Transit Workers Union Local 1005 and Metro Transit employees; plus, William Trent Pancoast’s “Road to Matewan” and Mine Workers president Cecil Roberts shares his favorite labor song.

NOTE: Photos from “Archive in Motion: The ATU Workers of Metro Transit” – on display at the East Side Freedom Library, in St. Paul, MN through mid-November -- are also included in the Rochester Community and Technical College gallery exhibit in Rochester, MN.

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LABOR VIDEO OF THE WEEK

All the Voting Women

The Coalition of Labor Union Women “wants every woman and femme to vote in the General Election and every election. Our members are helping to Get Out The Vote nationwide. Join us, as we make our voices heard at the ballot box to protect our rights, including women's rights, reproductive rights and all our civil rights.” 

PICKET SIGN OF THE WEEK

@animationguild 10/24: Hundreds of #Animation Guild members just delivered a petition to #Netflix executives to show how serious they are about reaching a fair deal in #Union negotiations with the #AMPTP! #StandWithAnimation

LABOR QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"JD Vance is a scab just like anybody else who crosses a picket line."

NewsGuild President Jon Schleuss, after Vance published an op-ed on Thursday in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where the strike by NewsGuild members just entered its third year. Read more here.

LABOR ART OF THE WEEK

The Pacific Northwest Labor History Association Labor History Calendar serves as an essential educational resource that highlights significant events and milestones in the labor movement throughout the Pacific Northwest. “By engaging with this calendar, you contribute to a greater understanding of our collective history and the ongoing struggle for workers' rights. Together, we can foster awareness and appreciation for the legacy of labor activism in our communities.” Details/order here.

CLICK HERE for our complete labor arts calendar; look for our Labor Arts Calendar edition on Monday

The Whistle at Eaton Falls

Friday, October 25, 2024, 7:30 PM until 9:06 PM

Dryden Theatre, 900 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607

UNION: A Documentary

October 25, 7:30 PM; October 26, 2024, 7:30 PM; October 27, 2024, 4:30 PM; Sunday, October 27, 2024, 7:30 PM

South Seattle College Georgetown Campus, 6737 Corson Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98108

Meet the Artist: Archives in Motion with Leslie Grant and Jeffrey Skemp

Saturday, October 26, 2024, 1:00 PM until 4:00 PM

East Side Freedom Library, 1105 Greenbrier Street, Saint Paul, MN 55106

LABOR HISTORY TODAY

October 25, 1990: The Tribune Co. begins a brutal five-month-long lockout at the New York Daily News, part of an effort to bust the newspaper’s unions

LABOR HISTORY TODAY PODCAST
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW!

LABOR HISTORY TODAY: “The Union’s Inspiration”: The Pittsburgh Labor Choir’s Tom Hoffman and Kira Yeversky lead a master class in the history of labor songs in their inspirational session at this year’s Reuther-Pollack Labor History Symposium, recorded with a live – and enthusiastically singing – audience.

LABOR HISTORY QUIZ OF THE WEEK
The 1949 Great Hawaiian Dock Strike involved which of these issues?
Wage parity with mainland dockworkers
Unionbusting by Hawaii’s Big 5 employers
Red-baiting and statehood
All of the above

LAST WEEK’S QUIZ: The "Shoemakers of Boston" - the first labor organization in what would later become the United States - was authorized by the Massachusetts Bay Colony on October 18, 1648

"The worker must have bread, but she must have roses, too."

Please CLICK HERE NOW to pledge your financial support to our 2024 program, which includes our annual Solidarity Forever Award, the Great Labor Arts Exchange, the DC Labor FilmFest and much more (check out our website for details!).

Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. 

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