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Equity ends 8-month strike, returns to “making magic”
The National Council of Actors’ Equity Association (Equity) voted last week to ratify a new five-year Development Agreement with The Broadway League, ending an eight-month strike against early-stage development work. “Today is a day to celebrate the hard work of Equity’s team in getting us back into the rehearsal halls and making some magic,” said Equity Negotiating Team Chair Stephen Bogardus in a press release. “The talent and commitment our members bring to their work is vital in transporting what’s on paper to the stage, and Development work sessions are a crucial step in that process. This was a long strike, but it was worth it. I know our members are looking forward to digging into the work we love doing while being more fairly compensated for that labor.”
- AFL-CIO Daily Brief
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Bruskin shares labor musicals
Saying “I am a big believer in the power of culture -- music, theater, dance and more -- as key to building our social justice movements,” former labor organizer Gene Bruskin is making his three labor musicals -- Pray for the Dead, The Moment Was Now and The Return of John Brown available in various forms and formats for use, distribution, performance and sharing. “Culture can teach, entertain and inspire,” Bruskin adds. “As Bertholt Brecht said, ‘Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.’”
For more info, email Gene at genebruskin@gmail.com or call 202-297-0198.
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ICYMI: The Communist Folk Singers Who Shaped Bob Dylan (Jacobin)
Before Bob Dylan was Bob Dylan, he was a disciple of Woody Guthrie. But Guthrie and his contemporaries were more than folk singers — they were blacklisted radicals, shaping American music while staring down the Red Scare. By Taylor Dorrell.
A 1941 photo shows Woody Guthrie (far left) and Pete Seeger (second from right) performing with the Almanac Singers. (Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images)
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As Seen in Labor Notes
Recommended Event: The 2025 Great Labor Arts Exchange
The 2025 Great Labor Arts Exchange (GLAE) celebrates labor arts, including music, poetry, visual arts and more, and serves as a vibrant gathering for activists and artists dedicated to promoting workers' culture and heritage. This event will take place from June 20 to 22 in Silver Spring, Maryland, just outside Washington, DC. Participants can look forward to a variety of workshops, performances, and exhibits that highlight the rich traditions of labor arts. The GLAE provides a platform for sharing creative expressions that inspire and unite the labor movement.
When: June 20 to 22
Where: Silver Spring, Maryland, just outside Washington, DC
REGISTER HERE
photo: GLAE workshop at the 2024 Labor Notes conference; photo by Chris Garlock
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Like this newsletter? Help us spread labor art by passing it along! | |
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The Picket Line - Red Dust
“The Picket Line is a new song for union organizing,” writes AFM Local 6’s Don Santina. “The Amazon Labor Union in NYC told me they played it during their December strike. Solidarity forever.” The song was also featured on this week’s Labor Heritage Power Hour radio show.
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Count on Me - Bruno Mars
Dedicated to every hard-working federal worker out there standing up and standing together in solidarity. | |
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“We will always stand with those who fight for us. ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of the billionaire/employer class is if for the working class/labor to do nothing.’ We refuse to bow!”
Teamsters Local 623, posted March 6
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Irish trade union leader James Connolly banner at Áras Uí Chonghaile, the James Connolly Centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland; these traditional banners, carried on poles, are often featured in labour marches and demonstrations. photographed by Chris Garlock on March 5, 2025. | |
CLICK HERE for our complete labor arts calendar; look for our Labor Arts Calendar edition on Monday | |
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March 7, 1932
3,000 unemployed auto workers, led by the Communist Party of America, braved the cold in Dearborn, Mich. to demand jobs and relief from Henry Ford. The marchers got too close to the gate and were gassed. After re-grouping, they were sprayed with water and shot at. Four men died immediately, 60 were wounded.
NOTE: This event will be commemorated tomorrow, Saturday, March 8, at Honor the Ford Hunger Marchers, starting at 10a in Detroit, MI.
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On this week’s Labor History Today: A visit to the Northern Ireland city of Derry and a search for the real Factory Girls.
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| Which March 8, 1908 event was the basis for International Women’s Day? | | | |
LAST WEEK’S QUIZ: On Feb. 29, 1940, Screen Actors Guild member Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American to win an Academy Award, honored for her portrayal of “Mammy” in “Gone with the Wind”. | |
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"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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