Labor Arts News & Updates

From the Editor’s Desk

“This issue (9/25) of the LHF is superb,” writes James from JASE Media Service. “It is chock-full of varied, labor-related pieces. I am still working my way through it. I especially enjoyed the labor films and podcasts.”

Letters like this remind us why LHF—and this newsletter—exists. Like you, we believe in the power of labor arts to inspire us, sustain us and connect us. A song, a film or a story can bring workers’ experiences to life—and give us the energy to keep going.

You help make that happen. Your tips introduce us to artists and projects we might otherwise miss. Your comments tell us what’s connecting with you. So keep them coming—we’d love to hear what’s moved you, what we’ve missed and what you’d like to see next!



-Chris

WEEKEND LABOR ARTS CALENDAR


Sat: Concert to Celebrate Mother Jones, Miners Day, and the Union Miners Cemetery (IL)

Sun: AFT Book Club: A Conversation with Jason Reynolds (Virtual)

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

THIS WEEK’S LABOR HERITAGE POWER HOUR 


Night Shifts, Mine Strikes and Workers on Stage

Clifford Thompson honors his postal-worker mother in Ma at the Post Office, and the Labor Memory Project traces coalfield solidarity. Plus, Bread & Roses Missouri’s Workers’ Opera turns organizing struggles into art.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

LABOR ARTS NEWS BRIEFS

Cleveland Orchestra Musicians Win Strike

This year’s strike was the first time members have been on the picket line for more than one day since 1980. Read more.

Casa Bonita To Face The NLRB

"The NLRB's complaint should be a wakeup call for the employer,” says Actors’ Equity’s General Counsel. Read more.

Whitney Union Times Strike Date Ahead of Major Lichtenstein Retrospective

“It’s not that we want to strike… We’d rather be working and doing our j jobs but our wages are untenable for making ends meet in New York City.” Read more.

Brooklyn Museum and American Folk Art Museum Unions Reach Tentative Agreements

The proposals have not yet been revealed, though the unions have been mobilizing for a wage floor of around $71,000. Read more.

Daily Herald Journalists Vote To Form Union

The union is now planning to poll its members to determine contract conditions and schedule bargaining sessions. Read more.

Apple Studios Visual Effects Workers Secure First IATSE Contract

The contract establishes minimum rates, minimum-hour guarantees, pay for all hours worked, and overtime protections. Read more.

WHAT WE’RE READING: Philadelphia Orchestra Musicians Protect Their Hearing and Their Craft

LABOR VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Folk singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie ("This Land is Your Land", "Union Maid" and hundreds of others) died of Huntington's disease in New York on October 3, 1967 at the age of 55.


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

PICKET SIGN OF THE WEEK - Keep Your Greed Off The Weed

Greenlight Dispensary workers in Springfield, MO who were fired earlier this month have been protesting for more than a week. Workers say their firing came after they met to unionize. (photo: The Missouri Independent.)


Got a creative picket sign to share? email us at info@laborheritage.org

LABOR SONG OF THE WEEK: Preacher And The Slave - BADiTUDES

​A great punk version of the Joe Hill classic; just added to our new Labor Arts & Culture Database!

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

LABOR ART OF THE WEEK: Ma At The Post Office

Artist and writer Clifford Thompson created a 25-panel tribute to the mother who supported him and his grandmother by working nights at the post office in Washington, DC. This is just one panel - see the entire work here.

Clifford takes us through the piece panel-by-panel on this week's Labor Heritage Power Hour

LABOR QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I came into this room with all these people who are from all walks of life, and we come together, and we made these, really beautiful, pieces. Really funny, creative pieces. Beautiful and kinda sad, but like hopeful pieces as well. And it just made me realize how important doing theater and art is.”

Iana Rain, one of the performers in the 2026 Workers’ Opera in St Louis, Missouri. Hear her on this week's Labor Heritage Power Hour.  

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

LABOR LANDMARK OF THE WEEK 
Labor Plaza, San Antonio Texas

Labor Plaza is a public art tribute to the labor movement in San Antonio, honoring the contributions and sacrifices of labor leaders throughout the city's history. The plaza was previously the site of the Samuel Gompers statue, which commemorated the founding president of the American Federation of Labor who passed away in San Antonio in 1924. The statue was removed in 2019 due to deterioration.

Details on the LHF Labor Landmarks Map.

THIS WEEK'S LABOR HISTORY TODAY
“Working History” Is Back on the Job



On Labor History Today: What can labor history teach us about the present—and the possibility of change? In this episode, we share excerpts from the relaunch of the Working History podcast. Beth English talks with historians Sarah McNamara, Julie Greene, Eileen Boris, and Mae Ngai about the many kinds of work and workers that belong in labor history, from immigrant and domestic workers to the people who built the Panama Canal. Plus, Rick Smith tells the story of Shays’ Rebellion on Labor History in 2:00.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

TODAY'S LABOR HISTORY

1934: The American Federation of Labor officially endorses the campaign for a six hour day and five day workweek.

1949: 500,000 CIO steel workers join 400,000 coal miners already on strike. They close down the nation’s foundries, steel and iron mills and demand pensions, better wages and working conditions.

2007: Starbucks Workers Union baristas in East Grand Rapids MI, organized by the Wobblies, win their grievances after the National Labor Relations Board cites the company for labor law violations (including threats against union activists.)

2010: Union members, progressives and others rally in Washington DC  under the Banner of One Nation Working Together. They demand “good jobs, equal justice, and quality education for all.”  Crowd estimates range from tens of thousands to 200,000.

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

LAST WEEK’S QUIZ: Born September 26, 1874, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, photographer and sociologist Lewis Hine spent a decade documenting child labor for the National Child Labor Committee, helping fuel the fight to end it in American industry.

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