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Seeking Partners for New "Bread and Roses" Musical
The 1912 Lawrence textile strike has inspired countless works over the past century. Now it's inspiring Roses Too!, a new sung-through musical by former SEIU writer Peter Pieragostini. As the project moves toward its next stage, Pieragostini is seeking collaborators—including theater artists, educators, labor studies programs, unions, and arts organizations—to help develop the work through workshops and a staged reading. If your organization is interested in exploring a partnership, contact info@laborheritage.org and we'll connect you. Read more here.
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Letter to the Editor: Remembering "Union Maid"
“Listening to my late friend Anne Feeney sing Union Maid (7/17 LHF newsletter Labor Song of the Week) brought a tear to my eye and awakened a memory or two,” writes Glenn Plummer. “I was a pre- or early teenager when I snuck into the Derry Borough High School auditorium where a meeting of the members of the United Electrical workers union, employed at the local Derry Westinghouse plant, had gathered. I hid down behind the last row of seats and listened. The speakers spoke a language that made sense to my young mind. And it was on that occasion that I first heard Union Maid sung, led by a group I'm thinking was called the Westinghouse Chorus. (I could be wrong about that but the rest is clear.) While it is known that the UE had Communist influence in its leadership at the time, and I had heard the word whispered when it was thought that I wasn't listening or paying attention, I was impressed by what I heard. But more than anything I remember hearing Union Maid. I'm thinking that this all took place in the mid to late late 1940s.... I'm not certain. Thanks for the memory.”
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THIS WEEK'S LABOR HERITAGE POWER HOUR RADIO SHOWCulture Is Organizing: Live from the Labor Radio Podcast Weekly
This week, the Labor Heritage Power Hour presents a special edition adapted from the Labor Radio Podcast Weekly, featuring extended excerpts from two outstanding shows from the Labor Radio Podcast Network. Chris Garlock and Harold Phillips join The Solidarity Report to discuss labor storytelling, arts and culture, and building the Labor Radio Podcast Network, while Continent of Resistance explores how movements create cultures of solidarity through democratic organizing, relationships, and collective care. Plus, latest Labor Arts News Briefs and Labor History in 2:00.
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LABOR ARTS NEWS BRIEFS
Half Price Books Workers in Minnesota Join UFCW: Workers at Half Price Books in Apple Valley voted to become the fifth unionized Half Price Books store in Minnesota and the tenth nationwide. Read more.
Pennsylvania Library Workers Win Union Election: Workers at the Upper Darby Township & Sellers Memorial Free Public Library in Pennsylvania won their union with AFSCME Council 13, marking a victory for library workers seeking a stronger voice on the job and a brighter future for the communities they serve. Read more.
Italian Trade Union Announces Labor Dispute Over Severe Heat in Venice Museums: The Unione Sindacale di Base (USB), a major trade union organization based in Italy, has formally announced a labor dispute over dangerous conditions for museum workers in Venice. Labor conditions, the group says, have grown perilous due to extreme heat—both in the area in general and within the museums themselves—and strike action being taken is now a possibility. Read more.
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LABOR VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Dave Rovics on The Power of Culture in Social Movements
Dave was invited to be a speaker for one of the regular online gatherings of the Baltimore Ethical Society. “The subject I chose to hold forth on was the power of culture in social movements.”
Watch here.
Got labor video? email us at info@laborheritage.org
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PICKET SIGN OF THE WEEK
David Yao, Vice President of the Greater Seattle Area APWU Local sent us this photo of “My Red Card for the Bad Boss sign at the Embassy Suites picket line, seen by thousands of fans right outside the World Cup match in Seattle July 6 , (which) did get positive feedback from some of them.” UNITE HERE Local 8 members at the Hilton Embassy Suites have been on strike since June 18. Photo: UNITE HERE Local 8.
Read more in Labor Notes.
Got a picket sign? Email us: info@laborheritage.org
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LABOR SONG OF THE WEEK: Twin Cities Labor Chorus at the 2026 AFL-CIO Convention
“We felt good about the original and traditional songs we sang about Minnesota labor history and the more recent Minnesota ‘experience’ with the ICE Invasion!“ reports Louise Sundin.
Got a Labor song? Email us: info@laborheritage.org
| | LABOR LANDMARK OF THE WEEK
John Mitchell Monument, Scranton, PA: Honors UMWA President John Mitchell, who led Pennsylvania anthracite miners in an industry-wide strike in 1900 for higher wages and better working conditions. LHF Executive Director Chris Garlock stopped by for a visit earlier this week while on a road trip through the area.
Details on the LHF Labor Landmarks Map. | | Forward the LHF newsletter to friends, family, colleagues and help us reach our goal of 10,000 readers! 👉 Subscribe free | | |
The People's Game, The People's Strike
As Spain and Argentina meet in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, Labor History Today looks beyond the action on the pitch to explore soccer's deep roots in working-class communities and labor struggles.
Simon Sapper traces the history of "the people's game," James Cheney revisits the story of immigrant women textile workers who launched a spontaneous strike that drew support from the Industrial Workers of the World and became a landmark in labor history, and Labor History In Two remembers the 1969 Charleston Hospital Workers Strike.
| | Like this newsletter? Help us spread labor art by passing it along! | | CLICK HERE for our complete labor arts calendar; look for our Labor Arts Calendar edition on Monday | | |
TODAY'S LABOR HISTORY
1968: The United Auto Workers and the Teamsters form the Alliance for Labor Action. The ALA's agenda included support of the civil rights movement and opposition to the war in Viet Nam.
2009: The U.S. minimum wage rises to $7.25 per hour, up from $6.55. It has remained at that level ever since.
2019: Around 400 ferry workers in Ketchikan Alaska go out on strike (photo) as part of a contract dispute during the busiest time of year.
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| Which two unions launched the Alliance for Labor Action in 1968? | | | | LAST WEEK'S QUIZ: On July 19, 1940, an amendment to the 1939 Hatch Act, a federal law whose main provision prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity, was amended to also cover state and local employees whose salaries include any federal funds. | | |
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!).
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