Labor Jawn

In 1977, SEPTA workers walked out into a bitter 44 day struggle, leading to a rank and file fight against both the bosses and their own union leadership. Originally aired: August 24, 2022. Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

At Philadelphia's 2025 May Day Rally and March, Gabe and Sam ran around with a microphone to get recordings from union members, organizers, and workers.Each person was asked 4 questions:-Who was the worst boss you've ever had and why? -Are you part of a union? -What does being a union member mean to you?-What was your favorite moment of solidarity that you've witnessed?Submit your story at www.laborjawn.com/voicesSupport the showwww.laborjawn.com

During WW2, to prevent the runaway inflation experienced in the 1st World War, the US Government established the Office of Price Administration to enforce price ceilings and regulate business. But after the war conservative forces started to push for their wholesale removal, the labor movement stepped up to try and prevent another great depression. Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

In March 2021, workers at the Mariposa Food Co-Op in West Philly formed a union with UFCW Local 1776. Today, they're working to build more power in order to make Mariposa into an even better place to work. Originally aired: February 13, 2023.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

Before the United Auto Workers formed in 1935, there had been multiple attempts to organize the industry. In 1933, Ford Workers in Chester, Pennsylvania went out for union recognition, triggering multiple other strikes and actions. Originally aired: November 29, 2023. Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

While private sector employees in Philadelphia had been seeing huge union wins throughout the 1930s, municipal workers were largely left out. This would all change in 1938 when garbage collectors brought the city to a standstill in a weeks long strike. Originally aired: September 5, 2022. Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

In early 1917, workers at sugar refineries in South Philly went on strike for better hours, conditions, and pay. But after weeks of stalemate, poverty, and staggering inflation, the strike turned into a violent clash between workers' families and police. Episodes 28-29 originally aired: June 26, 2022. Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

In Hazleton, Pennsylvania, radical silk workers fought an uphill battle against the bosses, scabs, and even the American Federation of Labor. Originally aired: January 29, 2024. Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

In the midst of the Great Depression, a group of workers at the Hershey Chocolate Company went on a sit down strike for better conditions, wages, and most importantly, union recognition. The ensuing battle pitted worker against worker as a massive riot broke out in what was once considered an oasis of prosperity and peace. Originally aired: April 11, 2022. Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

In 2020, workers at the Philadelphia Museum of Art voted to unionize, but it took 2 years and a 19 day strike for them to get a first contract. Gabe and Sam sit down with Tim Tiebout, Adam Mazieka, and Juliet Vinegra to discuss the history and future of the union. Originally aired: April 3, 2023.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

Workers from the largest non-union hosiery mill in 1930s Philadelphia go on strike. Originally aired: January 11, 2022. Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

In this special interview episode, Sam and Gabe chat with Eli and Alex, organizers with Workers United, who have been building a militant union of cafe, bakery, and coffee roaster workers in Philly. Originally aired: September 18, 2023.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

Originally founded as a secret society of tailors, the Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor eventually grew to become a national labor force of 700,000 workers. Episodes 18-19 originally aired: March 21, 2022. Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

In this special interview episode, Sam and Gabe sit down to discuss the history of zionism, antizionism, and the American labor movement, with writer and activist Alison Glick and lawyer, organizer, and activist Suzanne Adely from Labor for Palestine. Originally aired: November 7, 2023.Donate to Medical Aid for Palestinians: https://www.map.org.uk/Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

After winning their first fight in 1900, Pennsylvania anthracite miners went on strike for the 8 hour day, higher wages, and union recognition. This would lead to one of the first federal mediation committees in US history. Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

By the end of the American War for Independence, soldiers of the Pennsylvania Line had gone for months with little to no pay. Their only recourse left: mutiny against congress. Originally aired: October 4, 2022. Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

Wartime Philly: thousands of white transit workers walk off the job to protest the promotion of eight black employees. Originally aired: January 17, 2022. Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

When prohibition became law in January 1919, it left many questions unanswered. During this uncertainty, bartenders in Philadelphia went out on strike in a political protest. Originally aired: September 19, 2022. Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

In this special interview, Sam and Gabe sit down with Katherine Coker, a former restaurant worker who has been educating and agitating around Philly, teaching people about wage theft and the conditions in the restaurant industry. Originally aired: June 28, 2023. https://linktr.ee/katherinecokerSupport the showwww.laborjawn.com

The 1970s were a turbulent time in American and Philadelphia history. Amidst stagnant wages, inflation, and a new law allowing public sector strikes, Philly school teachers took matters into their own hands fighting the district, mayor, and state. Episodes 44-45 originally aired: March 7 and 20, 2023.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

In 1937, battery workers in Philly fought for higher wages using a brand new strike tactic, triggering a rift among the labor movement in the city. Originally aired: August 7, 2023.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

In this special interview episode, Gabe and Sam talk with Wade Rathke, founder and chief organizer for ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now). Originally aired: April 27, 2023. chieforganizer.orgSupport the showwww.laborjawn.com

After a deadly building collapse in a predominantly black South Philly neighborhood, a coalition of housing advocates, labor leaders, and radicals pressured the city to create the Philadelphia Housing Authority. Originally aired: May 6, 2022.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

In the 1700s, every ship coming into Philadelphia needed a pilot to guide it. But as the wealthy merchant class started to solidify power, they started to clash with the fiercely independent sailors who guided their ships. Originally aired: February 20, 2023. www.andrewjlyter.comSupport the showwww.laborjawn.com

In this special interview episode, Sam and Gabe sit down with Dr. Blair LM Kelley, director of the Center for the Study of the American South at the University of North Carolina, about her new book Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class. Originally aired: July 10, 2023.https://www.profblmkelley.com/Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

Fast food workers across the US strike for better pay and the raising of the minimum wage. We also take time to rant about past jobs and the utter insanity of good ol' American capitalism. Originally aired: February 7, 2022.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

Gabe and Sam celebrate 50 episodes with this special tell-all journey into the past, present, and future of Labor Jawn. Originally aired: June 12, 2023.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

In this special redux version of our Something Radical Happened Here presentation, Gabe Christy discusses Philadelphia's radical Jewish labor history. Recorded on March 9, 2025 at the Spruce Hill Community Association in Philadelphia, PA.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

In 1959, 500,000 Steel Workers across the country went on strike against the three major steel producers in the country. This months long battle involved everything from Cold War tensions to planned communities without mass transit. Originally aired: August 22, 2023.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

800 nurses in Bucks County, PA strike during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally aired: February 28, 2022.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

In a special live recording at La Salle University, Gabe explores the philosophical underpinnings of four of Philadelphia's early radical movements. Special thanks to Professor Joel Garver and his American Philosophy Class for their hospitality.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

In 1790s Philadelphia, things began to change rapidly. One man, John Nicholson, sought to take advantage of these changes and build a modern industrialized factory on the banks of the Schuylkill River. But he kept running into one persistent issue: his workers expected to be paid. Originally aired: May 16, 2022.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

In a special live recording at The Children's Folkshul and Adult Community, Gabe discusses Philadelphia's radical Jewish labor history and Sam performs his rendition of "Arbeter Froyen," a Yiddish poem sung in English. Originally aired: December 11, 2023.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

In 1779, as inflation drove prices of bread and meat sky high, the citizens of Philadelphia took matters into their own hands and rebelled against the wealthy merchant class. Originally aired: September 6, 2023.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

As the postwar inflation threatened the wages of trolley operators, they struck, triggering not just a fight over wages, but a fight over mass transit all together.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

Pennsylvania Militia open fire on civilians and striking railroad workers. Originally aired: January 27, 2022.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

Reading, Pennsylvania's first and only socialist mayor. Originally aired: February 14, 2022.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

The 1805 Cordwainers Strike in Philadelphia was one of the earliest labor actions in American history. Originally aired: December 13, 2021.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

A brief history of the cooperative movement in 19th century Philadelphia. Originally aired: February 22, 2022.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

The first general strike in US history. Originally aired: January 3, 2022.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

In this special interview episode, Sam and Gabe are joined by Will Caverly, author of Tinicum & Eastwick: Environmental Justice and Racial Injustice in Southwest Philadelphia.When plans to overhaul Southwest Philadelphia in the 1950s scheduled both the integrated neighborhood of Eastwick and the ecologically valuable Tinicum marshes to be razed, two grassroots movements took up the cause—battling eminent domain in the name of environmental conservation and economic injustice.Get the book:https://www.brooklinebooks.com/9781955041140/tinicum-and-eastwick/www.willcaverly.comSupport the showwww.laborjawn.com

After years of fighting, political pressure, and organizing, municipal employees take on the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Originally aired: November 13, 2023.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

Listen to our outside-of-Philly bonus episodes at Patreon.com/LaborJawn!Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

The 1909-1910 Shirtwaist Strike in Philadelphia and 15 year old union leader, Bessie Hyman. Originally aired: November 22, 2021.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

After SEPTA officially took over from the defunct Philadelphia Transit Company, Transit Workers United Local 234 had to fight for their next contract, facing opposition from the city, state, and even their own union.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

Only six years after the founding of Pennsylvania, a group of German Quakers drafted the first petition for universal human rights in American history.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

Amidst post-war inflation, a grain shortage, and growing anti-union sentiment, the bakers of Philadelphia marched out on strike to fight for wages, hours, and conditions. Originally aired: December 25, 2023.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

We take a break from our regularly scheduled programming to talk with Alan Fisher, a transit youtuber with an affinity for trains and a passionate distaste for car-centric urban planning. The conversation ranges from the successes and failures of public transportation and how it affects the working class to whether or not Robert Moses was the devil incarnate (citation needed). Originally aired: April 25, 2022.youtube.com/@alanthefishertwitter.com/alanthefisherinstagram.com/alanthefisherSupport the showwww.laborjawn.com

At one of the most industrialized farms in the country, Black and Italian farm workers stood up against violent repression from corrupt policemen, farmer vigilantes, the KKK, and the "Henry Ford of Agriculture," to get fair wages and union recognition.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

Maggie Kuhn dedicated her life to educating women, battling segregation, and supporting workers, but when she was forced into retirement at 65 years old she founded the Gray Panthers to fight for the rights and dignity of older workers. Originally aired: December 27, 2021.Support the showwww.laborjawn.com

In this interview episode, Sam and Gabe sit down with Lindsey and Duncan, two unionists who have been organizing against the construction of a new 76ers arena in Philly's historic Chinatown. Sign the petition: https://noarenaphl.org/ Hearing schedule: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfjcM6Bx3uRcZBGDgTW97_ZJz2Y1wNhZtbptbAYSqWkxDSGKQ/viewform Union member petition: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSePkIe3tUG0YuOCer7eZqVW9DbWsMYbIhmC-GzVTkCSeHwHow/viewformSupport the showwww.laborjawn.com