Labor Arts News & Updates

WEEKEND LABOR ARTS CALENDAR


FRI: Book Talk: Legalized Inequalities (NY & Virtual)

FRI: Love Songs from the Liberation Wars (NC)

SAT/SUN: Seattle Labor Chorus (WA)

SUN: Mother Jones Birthday Party (IL)

Ongoing Events

Got a Labor event? Email us: info@laborheritage.org

THIS WEEK'S LABOR HERITAGE POWER HOUR RADIO SHOW


Fighting and Dying for Billionaires: This week on the Labor Heritage Power Hour: a preview of the DC Labor FilmFest, opening May 1, featuring American Dream, Harlan County USA and Steal This Story, Please with Amy Goodman. Plus, labor arts news, a visit to Ralph Chaplin’s gravesite in Tacoma, a look at musicians building community in Portland, Magpie’s Canton 1918 inspired by Eugene V. Debs, Dave Rovics on Fighting and Dying for Billionaires, a Labor History in 2:00 tribute to Hazel Dickens, and a preview of a new Labor History Today conversation on “Resisting Trumpism.”

Art Residency for Union Members—Apply by May 15

UNITE HERE is launching a new Detroit-based art residency for union members, prioritizing new voices and non-professional artists. The four-week program includes a $4,000 stipend and brings together workers from across unions to build creativity and solidarity.

Apply by May 15: details here.

#Peoples250: Share Your Story of Workers’ History

A new social media campaign, #Peoples250, is lifting up labor and working-class history as the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary. Through short videos on TikTok, YouTube and more, the project invites workers, students and historians to share stories of struggle, solidarity and change—past and present. Learn more and how to participate here.

Celebrate Democracy Now!’s 30th at DC Labor FilmFest

Celebrate 30 years of Democracy Now! on May 2 at AFI Silver with a noontime screening of Steal This Story, Please! and a discussion with Amy Goodman. A VIP luncheon with the filmmakers follows. Details and tickets here.

LABOR ARTS NEWS BRIEFS


CWA Canada Game Workers Reach Settlement With Ubisoft

Last week, members of the Game and Media Workers Guild of Canada (CWA Canada Local 30111) ended a months-long battle with game developer Ubisoft over its decision to shutter its operation in Halifax, Nova Scotia shortly after workers there organized their union. Read more.

Oregon Public Media Workers Win First Union Contract with SAG-AFTRA

The content creators at Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) and KMHD Jazz Radio, represented by SAG-AFTRA, have reached a tentative agreement with OPB, the non-profit public media organization, after nearly two years of negotiation. Read more.
Reports from CWA Newsletter & SAG-AFTRA

WHAT WE’RE READING

Guerrilla art is flourishing in Trump’s Washington

Miners are back on strike: 'I lost everything last time. I won't go back this time until it's sorted'

LABOR VIDEO OF THE WEEK: American Worker: The Labor to Belong

Filmmaker and union organizer Thien Kim (TK) Dinh is raising funds to complete American Worker, a new documentary exploring who counts as an American worker—and why it matters. The Seed&Spark campaign runs through April 30 and is close to its goal; you can help by donating, following, and sharing.

Click here to learn more and support the campaign.


Got labor video? email us at info@laborheritage.org

NEW FEATURE!

Labor Cartoon Of The Week

This cartoon is provided by our friends at Funny Times, America's Funniest Newspaper. Sign up for their free cartoon-of-the-week newsletter here.

LABOR ART OF THE WEEK 

Harvard Graduate Students Union-UAW (HGSU-UAW) Local 5118 members have begun an open-ended work stoppage as university administrators continue to refuse to settle a fair contract.

Got labor art? Email us: info@laborheritage.org

LABOR SONG OF THE WEEK: Hope - Carsie Blanton


Got a Labor song? Email us: info@laborheritage.org

LABOR QUOTE OF THE WEEK: 
“We’re unleashing the working-class creativity desperately needed for our times.”


Union Hall Arts Residency, from the UNITE HERE Education and Support Fund; details here. Deadline to apply: May 15, 2026.

Got a labor quote? Email us: info@laborheritage.org

LABOR LANDMARK OF THE WEEK: The gravesite of Ralph Chaplin in Tacoma WA marks the resting place of one of labor’s most enduring cultural voices. As the author of “Solidarity Forever,” Chaplin helped give working people a unifying anthem that continues to inspire movements for dignity, fairness, and collective power more than a century later. The Pierce County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO holds an annual gravesite memorial on the morning of Labor Day.

Details on the LHF Labor Landmarks Map.

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From Haymarket to May Day 2026

Labor Express Radio previews May Day 2026 in Chicago. From the 1886 fight for the eight-hour day to today’s call for an “economic blackout,” organizers are mobilizing for what could be a major test of workers’ power. Find out more about May Day activities at maydaystrong.org

Music: We Have Fed You All for a Thousand Years by George Mann.

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

TODAY'S LABOR HISTORY
1944: Montgomery Ward defies an NLRB ruling and is taken over by the US government.

1999: The International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union halts shipping on the West Coast in solidarity with Mumia Abu-Jamal.

LAST WEEK’S QUIZ: The Trade Union Act legalized unions in Canada on April 18, 1872 as result of Toronto Typographical Union Strike.

RECENT NEWSLETTERS
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Songs, Strikes, and Sounds of Solidarity (4/10)

Springsteen Takes On Trump; Midler Sings Guthrie (4/3)
The Singing TradesWoman (3/27)

Women of Labor: Songs, Art & History (3/13)

Workers Celebrate Int’l Women’s Day (3/6)