Labor Arts News & Updates

WEEKEND LABOR ARTS CALENDAR

Fri/Sat/Sun: The Workers Unite Film Festival (NY)

Fri/Sat/Sun: Woody Sez: The Life & Music of Woody Guthrie (DC)

Fri: Rochester Labor Film Series: Seeds (NY)

Sat: Working Memory: A Conversation on Labor Journalism, Art & Music (PA)

Sat: Power in Motion (DC)

Got a labor arts or history event? Email us: info@laborheritage.org

CLICK HERE to listen to the Labor Heritage Power Hour

Workers Take the Screen at #WUFF15

Who pays the price for next-day delivery? How safe is a Hollywood set? What does it take to organize 350,000 UPS workers? The 15th Workers Unite Film Festival brings those questions—and the people living them—to Cinema Village in New York City, October 23–29, with special events through November 10.

Opening weekend kicks off tonight, featuring Undeliverable, an inside look at Amazon’s delivery contractor system, and Safe Sets: Dying to Work in the Film Industry, both Friday with filmmaker Q&As. Saturday brings Appalachian women’s fight against the Mountain Valley Pipeline in A Beast Touch the Mountain and Daniel Ellsberg’s nuclear warning in An Ordinary Insanity. On Sunday, Who Moves America follows UPS Teamsters building solidarity for a historic contract fight.

See the schedule and get tickets. For group rates and screening partnerships, contact melanie@workersuniteff.org.

THIS WEEK’S LABOR HERITAGE POWER HOUR

Woody Sez!

On this week's Labor Heritage Power Hour: David Lutken brings Woody Sez to life, Andrew Tilson previews the 2026 Workers Unite Film Festival, Leith Kahl on the story behind “Alexander Laidlaw’s Goodly News” and Chris Garlock visits Rivera’s Detroit murals.

LABOR ARTS NEWS BRIEFS

‘Human Made, Human Paid’: Musicians Union Demands AI Protections: The American Federation of Musicians is restarting negotiations on the Sound Recording Labor Agreement and has launched a new advocacy campaign. Read more.

‘Elsbeth’ Production Assistants File For Union Election: Their goal is to join LiUNA Local 724, which has partnered with grassroots organization Production Assistants United. Read more.

Spokesman-Review Union Rejects Plan To Keep Editor As Nonprofit Takeover Looms: Newsroom workers have raised alarm about alleged retaliation, ethical breaches and whether the editor is fit to lead. Read more.

Writers Guild East Inks Deal With AI-Shielding Software Company: The union will offer Cloak to its members for free and to non-members who register their scripts with the union for an additional $10. Read more.

WHAT WE’RE READING: All Work Is Women’s Work Recovers The Forgotten History Of Amsterdam’s Seamstresses

Bringing Union Power to the Neighborhood: The Amphi Women and Girls Union

Over Labor Day weekend, around 80 residents gathered in Tucson's Amphi neighborhood to transform a dangerous intersection into a colorful public art installation. The installation, titled Amphi Bloom, was the culmination of months of organizing by the Amphi Women and Girls Union (AWGU) in partnership with Living Streets Alliance. But the project represents more than a neighborhood beautification effort. It demonstrates how the principles of organized labor can extend beyond the workplace and into the communities where working people live. Read more.

Elinor Clark

LABOR VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Tom Morello rocks the house with This Land is Your Land at AFSCME’s 47th International Convention in August in Chicago, Illinois.
Got labor video? email us at info@laborheritage.org

PICKET SIGN OF THE WEEK

In SEIU Local 1000’s first strike in its 44-year history, the largest union in California state government held a one-day strike this week, drawing thousands of workers off the job. It’s pressing Gov. Gavin Newsom for raises and more flexibility to work from home. Read more and see more creative signs here.
Got a creative picket sign to share? email us at info@laborheritage.org

LABOR SONG OF THE WEEK: Want a Voice on the Job

Produced by the Tobacco Workers International Union (TWIU) Local 351 in Winston-Salem during the 1960s. According to Gemini, “While an exact release or composition date for the record is not explicitly documented in public records, it was created by union organizers Homer Cole and Johnny Porter as part of their efforts to unionize the workforce at the R. J. Reynolds tobacco plants. The song served as a labor organizing tool during that era of intense union activity in the region.” A Discogs listing identifies the flip side as “We Will Not Be Fooled”.

Know more about this record or the musicians behind it? We’d love to hear from you: info@laborheritage.org

Elinor Clark

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

LABOR ART OF THE WEEK

Brand-new from Mary Tremonte; 5-color risograph print on cardstock, signed on reverse and available now from our friends at JustSeeds, along with lots more great labor art.

LABOR QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“What Woody was calling on people to do was to educate themselves and to look around and, within that, to see that the way out of any jam is to depend upon each other.”

David Lutken, one of the creators and stars of Woody Sez, running at Washington’s Dupont Underground through Sunday. Hear our interview with him on this week’s Labor Heritage Power Hour.

Check out LHF’s Labor Arts and Culture Database for more labor quotes like this!

LABOR LANDMARK OF THE WEEK

The Phillips Disaster of 1989 Memorial

Pasadena, Texas

This memorial honors Phillips Petroleum Company workers killed in an explosion, October 23, 1989. The event killed 23 employees and injured 314. OSHA would find the company at fault in the following investigation.

Details on the LHF Labor Landmarks Map.

CLICK HERE to listen to the Labor History Today podcast

THIS WEEK'S LABOR HISTORY TODAY

No Equal Justice (Encore)

On this week's Labor History Today: LHT producer and host Chris Garlock toured the Reuther Library Archives last week with archivist and Tales from the Reuther Library host Dan Golodner; we'll share that tour in an upcoming episode of LHT. Meanwhile, here's one from our own archives...From the Tales from the Reuther Library podcast. Peter Hammer describes the legal and civil rights legacy of George W. Crockett Jr., a Black lawyer who fought racism and defended constitutional rights in landmark cases from the 1940s through the 1960s.

TODAY'S LABOR HISTORY

1901: A general strike breaks out in Rosario, Argentina in response to the police killing of anarchist migrant worker Cosme Budislavich during a sugar refinery strike.

1903: New York City police raid a meeting at Murray Hill Lyceum on the subject of "Trade Unionism and the General Strike" and arrest British anarchist and labor leader John Turner. When Turner asks officers why he is being arrested, they respond that it is for violation of "alien labor laws". He is subsequently detained on Ellis Island and deported.

1989: An explosion and fire at Phillips Petroleum refinery in Pasadena, Texas (photo) kills 23 and injures 314 (Photo: Steve Eukert / Houston Chronicle.)

Remembering Jack Metzgar,
Who Made Working-Class Stories Matter

Jack Metzgar, the labor educator and historian whose work celebrated working-class culture and the power of solidarity, died October 15 at his home in Oak Park, Illinois. He was 82.

A son of Johnstown’s steelworker community, Metzgar brought that experience to his acclaimed Striking Steel: Solidarity Remembered. He taught generations of adult learners, helped build the field of Working-Class Studies, and gave labor activists a platform as longtime editor of Labor Research Review. “Jack was such a gifted editor, helping labor activists best express themselves,” recalled colleague Greg LeRoy.

A wake will be held October 30, 1–4 p.m., at Zimmerman-Harnett Funeral Home in Forest Park, Illinois, followed by dinner at Jimmy’s Place. The family welcomes memorial donations to the Working-Class Studies Association. Read more.

NOTE: We’ll feature our 2021 interview with Jack on this week’s Labor History Today podcast.

LABOR HISTORY QUIZ OF THE WEEK

Which city saw 20,000 Black and white workers join a general strike in 1892?

Chicago

New Orleans

Memphis

Pittsburgh

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

LAST WEEK’S QUIZ: The Salt of the Earth strike by the mostly Mexican-American members of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers Union Local 890 began on October 17, 1950 in Bayard, N.M. Strikers' wives walked picket lines for seven months when their men were enjoined during the 14-month strike against the New Jersey Zinc Co. A great movie, see it!

SUPPORT LABOR ARTS!

Please CLICK HERE NOW to pledge your financial support to our 2026 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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