a list of Labor Day links
let's celebrate unions
Instead of picnicking, reading on a beach, or sitting in traffic today, I’m marking the unofficial start of fall by cleaning my apartment. I’m also thinking about these articles that I compiled for a failed freelance pitch—research that I really enjoyed. I figured I might as well share the fruits of that labor. Happy reading!
The historic Hollywood strike has brought SAG President Fran Drescher into the spotlight, nearly 25 years after her iconic working-class heroine left the small screen. “Before the SAG-AFTRA Strike, 'The Nanny' Taught Us About Not Crossing the Picket Line”, writes the Collider.
Fines don’t cross picket lines! Prevailing media narratives around union actions–like any other subject–can sometimes miss the heart of the matter. “The Freight Rail Labor Dispute Was Never About ‘Sick Days,’” transportation reporter Aaron Gordon explains in Vice.
more coverage + illustration via Vice News/Motherboard Sometimes the history books get it wrong too–at least by omission. Author Gayle Romasanta is rewriting the story of the United Farm Workers. Check out: “Why It Is Important to Know the Story of Filipino-American Larry Itliong,” in Smithsonian Magazine.
this book is sold out! Do you—like me—wonder who said history books might remember from our era? In the meantime, “Meet Christian Smalls and Derrick Palmer, the DIY Duo Behind the Amazon Labor Union’s Guerrilla Bid to Make History,” by Josefa Velazquez at The City.
obligatory inclusion Speaking of a new era, read how the consequences of the pandemic, Gen-Z organizers, and a rich labor history made a recipe for success in: “Why Buffalo Was the Place to Unionize Starbucks First” from the city’s flagship newspaper.
Despite these recent wins and increasingly high-profile organizing efforts, NPR reported 6 months ago that the “Union Boom” is a myth. “The numbers tell a different story,” they say.
While this last article is definitely a bummer, it’s also a reminder that “increasing visibility” is never the end goal, but an important strategy to reach the end goal. (Can you tell I’m deep in communications-planning mode at work?)
In my more optimistic moments, I have some hope that this is just the beginning, and a new wave of workers’ rights is still possible. That feels worth celebrating.
…had to share,
Jaime
p.s. Let me know if you learned anything, and feel free to forward!