Labor Arts News & Updates

THIS WEEK'S LABOR HERITAGE POWER HOUR RADIO SHOW


Songs of Revolution and Protest: All-music special from The Downbeat Music Show (Florence, Oregon), featuring powerful songs of revolution and protest. From historic anthems to contemporary voices of resistance, this hour explores how music has fueled movements, challenged injustice, and sustained working people in the fight for dignity and democracy.

Your contributions power the Power Hour on our home station, WPFW 89.3FM; please give generously here (be sure to select “The Labor Heritage Power Hour” on the dropdown menu)!

WEEKEND LABOR ARTS CALENDAR

FRI: 2026 A. Philip Randolph Gentle Warrior Awards Gala (IL)

FRI: Scandalize My Name: McCarthyism Then & Now! (Virtual)

FRI/SAT/SUN: A Brick and a Bible (MO)

Ongoing: I Don’t Want Your Millions (Billions), Mister (Canada); Made in America (NYC); The Hidden Shift (PA); Deadly Deception (IL)

Baristas vs Billionaires Takes the Lead in Labor Oscars Race

The race is on — and Baristas vs Billionaires has surged into the lead in this year’s Labor Oscars voting.

Each year, the D.C. Labor FilmFest and allied festivals spotlight films that bring workers’ stories to the screen — stories of organizing, courage, conflict, and collective power. This year’s contenders range from frontline struggles in today’s workplaces to powerful explorations of labor history and solidarity.

These films don’t just document the labor movement — they help build it.

There’s still time to influence the outcome. Watch the trailers, discover new films, and vote for the stories you believe deserve the spotlight.

Click here to watch the trailers and cast your vote.

LABOR ARTS NEWS BRIEFS
SAG-AFTRA Slams ‘Blatant Infringement’ in Seedance AI Videos

SAG-AFTRA is joining the industry condemnation of ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, for releasing a new video model that has enabled widespread copyright infringement online.

The performers’ union called the Seedance videos “blatant infringement.” Read more.

What We’re Reading

It’s Been Called the ‘Sistine Chapel of the New Deal.’ Don’t Destroy It.

Judge orders slavery exhibit to be restored after Trump administration removal

The disappearing art gallery in your post office

At a museum for the art of work, these are its masterpieces

LABOR VIDEO OF THE WEEK: SpongeBob Quits the Krusty Krab: Squid on Strike

The Krusty Krab is unfair! Sick of Mr. Krabs and his penny-pinching ways, SpongeBob and Squidward quit their jobs and go on strike! But protesting the Krusty Krab doesn't go as planned...

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

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PICKET SIGN OF THE WEEK
Posted by accoutingforfashion
Got picket sign? email us at info@laborheritage.org

LABOR SONG Of The Week: Picket Line Song: Evan Greer 

LABOR ART OF THE WEEK
Working Blues, by Danielle Stanfill (@thequiltedhand)

“This quilt is made from denim and drop cloth, materials long associated with blue collar work and the endurance of daily work. By incorporating two hand quilting techniques, sashiko-inspired stitching and couching, it draws on our traditions of repair and resilience. The quilt reflects both the physical demands and dignity of labor, transforming humble, utilitarian textiles into a space for reflection on the value of work.”   

On display at QuiltCon in Raleigh, NC; Sent in by Lisa Garlock.  

Got labor art? Send your suggestions to us: info@laborheritage.org

LABOR QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“People keep asking how long we can hold out. The answer: one day longer than Pittston.”

Richard Trumka, president of the United Mine Workers, which struck the Pittston Coal Company in 1989. The union settled the 10-month strike in Virginia, Kentucky and West Virginia on February 20, 1990. Trumka went on to lead the AFL-CIO from 2009 to 2021. 

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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

1908: Rally for unemployed becomes major confrontation in Philadelphia, 18 arrested for demanding jobs.

1917: Thousands of women march to New York’s City Hall demanding relief from exorbitant wartime food prices. Inflation had wiped out any wage gains made by workers, leading to a high level of working class protest during World War I.

1990: United Mine Workers settle 10-month Pittston strike in Virginia, Kentucky and West Virginia.

Striking at Kings

Labor History in 2:00 on the Sons of Vulcan’s 1865 strike, a Labor Jawn conversation with songwriter Mindy Murray about her song “Striking at Kings,” and a return to 1937 Anderson, Indiana, and the violence following the Flint sit-down strike.

LAST WEEK’S QUIZ: President Theodore Roosevelt created the Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903. It was divided into two separate government departments ten years later.

RECENT NEWSLETTERS

Striking At Kings (2/13)

Songs for Minneapolis (2/6)

A Brick and a Bible (1/30)

Minneapolis Solidarity Edition! Bruce, Billy & Friends sing out (1/28)

Murderous billionaires, labor’s racial divide, DC Labor Chorus (1/23)

Elmore Leonard’s Lost Picket Line (1/16)