Teachers, Hotel Workers, Fast Food Employees and More

January 8, 2019 9:53 AM

“So, this year, American workers decided to use their collective power to improve conditions for themselves and their coworkers in one of the most effective ways possible: refusing to work until their employers met them at least halfway.” 2018 Was The Year Of The Labor Strike. The Punching Out Podcast discusses the changes to the American labor landscape over the past year, and whether workers can hope for better in the future. (1:00:22)
posted by The Whelk (8 comments total)

Can't wait to read this - I always wish I had taken a course on US labor history.
posted by Drowsy Philosopher at 10:25 AM on January 8, 2019 [1 favorite]

Proud to be UNITE HERE!
posted by Unioncat at 11:20 AM on January 8, 2019 [1 favorite]

Drowsy Philosopher, check out  A History of America in Ten Strikes, Loomis, 2018.
posted by clew at 11:25 AM on January 8, 2019 [1 favorite]

(Loomis is a good twitter follow too)
posted by The Whelk at 11:29 AM on January 8, 2019

Erik Loomis' Twitter account is great for learning more about labor history too.
posted by COD at 11:29 AM on January 8, 2019 [1 favorite]

It was inspiring to watch the hotel strikes in Chicago this fall and even better to see the strikes having their intended effect, with most hotels reaching an agreement in a matter of days. Before long there was only one holdout and there are still marchers out front every day, regardless of the weather.
posted by chimpsonfilm at 11:57 AM on January 8, 2019

Right on
posted by The Toad at 2:14 PM on January 8, 2019

It's been heartening to see increased labor successes this year, even if it's probably because people are really starting to feel like their backs are to the wall.
posted by praemunire at 11:05 PM on January 8, 2019 [1 favorite]