Labor Arts News & Updates

WEEKEND LABOR ARTS CALENDAR


FRI/SAT/SUN: Woody Guthrie's American Song (DC)

SAT: Event Honoring Illinois Coal Miners (IL)

SUN: Labor And Materials Reception (NC)


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

THIS WEEK’S LABOR HERITAGE POWER HOUR

Remembering Dolly, Searching for Scabby

On this week’s Labor Heritage Power Hour, we visit the factory behind Scabby the Rat and explore the history of labor, immigration and solidarity with Eladio Bobadilla. Plus, labor arts news and a tribute to Dolly Parton.

LABOR ARTS NEWS BRIEFS


Chicago History Museum Workers Ratify First Union Contract: Workers at the Chicago History Museum have ratified their first union contract, after what the union representing the workers called “some of the worst anti-union retaliation we’ve seen.” Read more.

Village Theatre Box Office and Front-of-House Workers Unanimously Join IATSE Local 15: 13 Box Office and Front-of-House workers at the Village Theatre’s Issaquah and Everett Washington locations have voted unanimously to join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 15. Read more.

Static Media Workers Win Voluntary Recognition: Staff at the digital publishing company work on brands such as Foodie, Garden Guides, House Digest, Outdoor Guide and more. Read more.

Daily Herald Journalists Announce Formation Of The Daily Herald News Guild: An overwhelming majority of editorial staff announced the establishment of the Daily Herald News Guild to secure competitive wages and pay equity, transparency, and a strong voice in the future of their newsroom. Read more.

What We’re Reading:

Dolly Parton Was a Proud Union Sister

What Happened To North Hollywood’s Star Garden, The Nation’s Only Unionized Strip Club?

LABOR VIDEO OF THE WEEK: 9 to 5: Home Free 
Got labor video? email us at info@laborheritage.org

LABOR SONGS OF THE WEEK: 9 to 5: The King's Guard outside Buckingham Palace (above) Love Raptor (below).

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

LABOR QUOTE OF THE WEEK


“Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” – Dolly Parton


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

LABOR ART OF THE WEEK


At UNITE HERE’s Labor Arts Hall residency, August 28, 2026, Detroit, Michigan. 
photo by Chris Garlock.

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.

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

LABOR LANDMARK OF THE WEEK: A. Philip Randolph Heritage Park & Historical Marker
Jacksonville, FL
A historical marker at Jacksonville’s A. Philip Randolph Heritage Park honors the pioneering labor and civil rights leader who organized the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the nation’s first predominantly Black labor union, in 1925.
Details on the LHF Labor Landmarks Map.

THIS WEEK'S LABOR HISTORY TODAY
Fan the Flames of Discontent: The Little Red Songbook at 117

On this week’s Labor History Today: The IWW’s Little Red Songbook was created to “fan the flames of discontent”—and its songs have carried solidarity into workplaces, union halls, picket lines and jail cells ever since.

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

TODAY'S LABOR HISTORY
1963: The march for jobs and freedom—the Martin Luther King, Jr. "I Have A Dream" speech march—is held in Washington, D.C. with 250,000 participating. 

1987: John Sayles's film “Matewan” about attempts to organise a union by coal miners is released.

Find more labor history in the LHF Labor Arts & Culture Database.

LAST WEEK’S QUIZ: Joyce Miller, a vice president of the Amalgamated Clothing & Textile Workers, became the first female member of the AFL-CIO Executive Council on August 22, 1980.

RECENT NEWSLETTERS
The Little Red Songbook Turns 117 (8/21)
What’s Your Favorite “Little Red Song”? (8/14)
The People's Historian: Dave Zirin on Howard Zinn (8/7)
SF LaborFest Wraps (7/31)
A New "Bread and Roses" Musical? (7/24)
The Labor History of Soccer (7/17)