Podcast appearances and mentions of robert cherny

The murals inside of San Francisco's Coit Tower are a popular tourist destination, but have been a source of contention from their inception. In his new book, “The Coit Tower Murals: New Deal Art and Political Controversy in San Francisco,” San Francisco State professor Robert Cherny chronicles the history of the murals, which were painted in the style of Diego Rivera and depict life in the Bay Area during the 1930s. They were created as part of the New Deal programs that supporting artists following the Great Depression. But controversies sprang up over the murals' perceived pro-Communist imagery and the value of public art. We'll talk with Cherny about the murals and their legacy. Guests: Robert Cherny, professor emeritus of history, San Francisco State University; author of "The Coit Tower Murals: New Deal Art and Political Controversy in San Francisco"

This final episode of Organize the Unorganized is devoted to key lessons of the CIO moment. All of the guests on this program were asked about this basic question, and we try to represent all of their answers on this episode. The negative lessons, points where guests were keen to note the differences between the 30s and the present moment, focused on the changed economic situation and the issue of labor law. The more positive lessons pertained to union democracy, overcoming divisions in the working class, mass organizing, raising expectations, and seizing the moment. Guests in order of appearance: Dorothy Sue Cobble, Professor Emerita of History and Labor Studies at Rutgers University; David Brody, Professor Emeritus of History at UC-Davis; Ruth Milkman, Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the CUNY Graduate Center; Ahmed White, Nicholas Rosenbaum Professor of Law at the University of Colorado-Boulder; Lizabeth Cohen, Howard Mumford Jones Professor of American Studies at Harvard University; Robert Cherny, Professor Emeritus of History at San Francisco State University; Jeremy Brecher, Labor Historian; Nelson Lichtenstein, Professor of History at UC-Santa Barbara; Bryan Palmer, Professor Emeritus of History at Trent University; William P. Jones, Professor of History at the University of Minnesota; Rick Halpern, Professor of American Studies at the University of Toronto; Peter Cole, Professor of History at Western Illinois University; Erik Loomis, Professor of History at the University of Rhode Island; Steve Fraser, Labor Historian Clips in order of appearance: “David Dubinsky speaks at the 25th anniversary celebration of his ILGWU presidency, Madison Square Garden, New York, 1957, Part 2,” David Dubinsky Audio-visual Recordings, Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library, https://rmc.library.cornell.edu/EAD/htmldocs/KCL05780-002av.html (37:32); “Walter Reuther and the UAW,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4n76yNizs8 (38:03); “A Conversation with Harry Bridges,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EFZOj7_1qI (39:31); John L. Lewis, “Industrial Democracy Speech, WEAF,” The John L. Lewis Papers, Wisconsin Historical Society (493A/39) (39:46) Songs in order of appearance: The Union Boys, “Hold the Fort,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj4tNpjr9c4 (12:33); “On the Line,” “Tom Glazer Sings Favorite American Union Songs circa 1948,” United Packinghouse, Food, and Allied Workers Records, 1937-1968, Wisconsin Historical Society (Audio 375A/78), https://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=wiarchives;id=navbarbrowselink;cginame=findaid-idx;cc=wiarchives;view=reslist;subview=standard;didno=uw-whs-mss00118;focusrgn=C02;byte=412854728 (19:07); “We Shall Not Be Moved,” The Original Talking Union and Other Unions Songs with the Almanac Singers with Pete Seeger and Chorus, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3cJ7GVoOdA (27:56); Tracy Newman, “It Could Be a Wonderful World,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-yIs5GICs8 (42:33) Theme music by Drake Tyler.

On this week's episode of Organize the Unorganized, we cover some of the key CIO unions not yet discussed in great detail, including the UE, ILWU, TWOC and PWOC. There were many other unions that formed the CIO - unions in oil, printing, transport, retail - but the four that we're covering on this episode were four of the biggest and most influential that we haven't yet gotten into. Guests in order of appearance: James Young, Professor Emeritus of History at Edinboro University; Robert Cherny, Professor Emeritus of History at San Francisco State University; Peter Cole, Professor of History at Western Illinois University; Erik Loomis, Professor of History at the University of Rhode Island; Steve Fraser, Labor Historian; Rick Halpern, Professor of American Studies at the University of Toronto; David Brody, Professor Emeritus of History at UC-Davis Clips in order of appearance: “A View of the Future: James Matles UE Retirement Speech (Fitzie Introduction),” UE History, https://soundcloud.com/user-141302221/a-view-of-the-future-james-matles-ue-retirement-speech (0:00); Roll the Union On Intro, “Tom Glazer Sings Favorite American Union Songs circa 1948,” United Packinghouse, Food, and Allied Workers Records, 1937-1968, Wisconsin Historical Society (Audio 375A/78), https://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=wiarchives;id=navbarbrowselink;cginame=findaid-idx;cc=wiarchives;view=reslist;subview=standard;didno=uw-whs-mss00118;focusrgn=C02;byte=412854728 (6:47); “The 1934 West Coast waterfront strike | Oregon Experience | OPB,” Oregon Public Broadcasting, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbiI8age-y4 (12:53); “A Conversation with Harry Bridges,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EFZOj7_1qI (18:12, 27:50); Cleophas Williams, “Oral History interview with Harvey Schwartz in 1998,” ILWU Library (22:07); “WDVA, Boyd Patton on the history of the Textile Workers Union of America, 29 June 1952 (Audio 1524A/56),” Wisconsin Historical Society, https://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=wiarchives;cc=wiarchives;type=simple;rgn=Entire%20Finding%20Aid;q1=mine%20workers;view=reslist;sort=freq;didno=uw-whs-us00129a;idno=uw-whs-us00129a;focusrgn=C01;byte=761311434;start=1;size=25;subview=standard (32:34) Quotes in order of appearance: Robert Zieger, The CIO: 1935-1955, p. 74 (28:24) Songs in order of appearance: Pete Seeger, “Roll the Union On,” The Original Talking Union and Other Unions Songs with the Almanac Singers with Pete Seeger and Chorus, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1JWheVR028 (7:04); Arlo Guthrie, “The Ballad of Harry Bridges,” Step by Step: Music from the film, From Wharf Rats to Lords of the Docks, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJDIywPDlPs (17:20); Floyd Jones, “Stockyard Blues,” Chicago Blues, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBdm1vKmyac (37:50) Theme music by Drake Tyler. Quote music is Martin Tallstrom's cover of “Freight Train,” used here with permission: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9LEUMgBkX8.

On the second episode of Organized the Unorganized, we kick things off with an account of the institutional formation of the CIO, and then get to the organization's key personalities. John L. Lewis, the founding president of and driving force behind the CIO, unsurprisingly gets a fair amount of time, and we focus in particular on the reasons for his bold leadership at this decisive moment in history. We also introduce Sidney Hillman, the only other real center of power in the organization besides Lewis in the early CIO, as well as some of the key organizers of the CIO, most of whom hailed from the United Mine Workers of America. Guests, in order of appearance: Melvyn Dubofsky, Professor Emeritus of History and Sociology at Binghamton University; Nelson Lichtenstein, Professor of History at UC-Santa Barbara; Jeremy Brecher, Labor Historian; Erik Loomis, Professor of History at the University of Rhode Island; Steve Fraser, Labor Historian; Lisabeth Cohen, Howard Mumford Jones Professor of American Studies at Harvard University; Ahmed White, Nicholas Rosenbaum Professor of Law at the University of Colorado-Boulder; Robert Cherny, Professor Emeritus of History at San Francisco State University; Dorothy Sue Cobble, Distinguished Professor Emerita of History and Labor Studies at Rutgers University Clips, in order of appearance: John L Lewis, “The Future of Organized Labor” speech, November 28, 1935, in the “John L. Lewis papers, 1879-1969,” Wisconsin Historical Society, 493A/9 (0:00, 19:42); Mike Wallace, “John L. Lewis,” Biography, https://youtu.be/2fwAr3_oHKg?si=cJwo8qZpFAQ0WX0R (8:01); Sidney Hillman, "America's Town meeting -- WJZ & Network - June 14, 1935 -- Mr. Sidney Hillman," Box 1, Folder 2, Sidney and Bessie Hillman Recording Discs, 1935, Collection Number 6225 AV, https://rmc.library.cornell.edu/EAD/htmldocs/KCL06225av.html (26:58); “UAW Audiovisual Collection: 1955 Documentary on the CIO,” Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University Quotes, in order of appearance: William Z. Foster, Misleaders of Labor, p. 133, https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b5111691&seq=139; Robert Zieger, The CIO: 1935-1955, p. 25; Melvyn Dubofsky and Warren van Tine, John L. Lewis: A Biography, p. 163; Walter Reuther and James Carey, introduction to John Brophy, A Miner's Life: An Autobiography, https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Miner_s_Life/LD_tAAAAMAAJ?hl=en Songs, in order of appearance: George Jones, “This is what the union has done,” George Korson Bituminous Songs Collection, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200197194/; Sarah Ogan Gunning, “I'm Goin' to Organize, Baby Mine (part 1),” The Lomax Kentucky Recordings, https://lomaxky.omeka.net/items/show/212; Pete Seeger, “Which Side Are You On?”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XEnTxlBuGo Theme music by Drake Tyler. Quote music is Martin Tallstrom's cover of “Freight Train,” used here with permission: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9LEUMgBkX8.

The first episode of Organize the Unorganized sets the stage for the story of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, first getting into the history of the organization from which it broke off, the American Federation of Labor, and then describing three developments that raised workers' expectations in the lead-up to the founding of the CIO: the broken promises of welfare capitalism, the National Industrial Recovery Act, and the mass strikes of 1934. Interviewees, in order of appearance: Ruth Milkman, Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the CUNY Graduate Center; Robert Cherny, Professor Emeritus of History at San Francisco State University; Ahmed White, Nicholas Rosenbaum Professor of Law at the University of Colorado-Boulder; Dorothy Sue Cobble, Distinguished Professor Emerita of History and Labor Studies at Rutgers University; Nelson Lichtenstein, Professor of History at UC-Santa Barbara; Lizabeth Cohen, Howard Mumford Jones Professor of American Studies at Harvard University; Bryan Palmer, Professor Emeritus of History at Trent University; Steve Fraser, Labor Historian; David Brody, Professor Emeritus of History at UC-Davis; Erik Loomis, Professor of History at the University of Rhode Island; Jeremy Brecher, Labor Historian Songs, in order of appearance: Aunt Molly Jackson, “CIO Union Song,” https://lomaxky.omeka.net/items/show/1352 (7:28); Joe and Esther Zane Gelders, “The Ballad of John Catchings,” https://lomaxky.omeka.net/items/show/197 (23:50); John Greenway, “The Ballad of Bloody Thursday,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWafvcwXCtc (32:08) Clips, in order of appearance: John L. Lewis speech, from Mike Wallace's Biography, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fwAr3_oHKg&t=384s (0:00); AFL vs. CIO split in 1935, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IsJZAknuIQ (11:51); David Dubinsky speech, from “ILGWU. David Dubinsky Audio-visual Recordings: Collection Number: 5780/002 AV,” Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Box 2, Folder 10, “David Dubinsky—United Auto Worker Convention, Atlantic City, New Jersey, regarding racketeering” (18:49); “1934 United States Labor Disputes and Strikes newsreel archival footage,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIaLk-LKlqI (25:33); “San Francisco General Strike, 1934 - Part 2,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaccCzN7WLc (29:45); “Farrell Dobbs Speaks! Teamster Battles of the 1930s: Part 1,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLr45LwsqGI&t=1462s (41:46) Theme music by Drake Tyler.

There have been many moments of labor upsurge in America: the influx of members into the Knights of Labor in 1886, the dramatic growth of unions during and after World War I, and the great wave of public sector unionism in the 1960s and ‘70s. But none matches the period of the 1930s and ‘40s, when millions of workers unionized under the aegis of the great labor federation, the Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO. If we're looking to get millions of private-sector workers into the labor movement today, there's no better example than the ascendant period of the CIO.In Organize the Unorganized, a podcast produced by the Center for Work & Democracy at Arizona State University and Jacobin, author Benjamin Y. Fong tells the story of the CIO with the help of prominent labor historians, including Nelson Lichtenstein, Dorothy Sue Cobble, Steve Fraser, Erik Loomis, Jeremy Brecher, Robert Cherny, Lizabeth Cohen, David Brody, Melvyn Dubofsky, and others. The multi-part series begins with a short history of the organization from which the CIO broke off, the American Federation of Labor, and explores central causes for the CIO's founding: the broken promises of welfare capitalism, the National Industrial Recovery Act, and the mass strikes of 1934.Organize the Unorganized will be available weekly here on Jacobin Radio starting January 9. Subscribe and join us as we explore the rise, importance, and legacy of this crucial labor federation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There have been many moments of labor upsurge in America, including the influx of members into the Knights of Labor in 1886, the dramatic growth of unions during and in the immediate aftermath of World War I, and the great public sector unionism surge of the 1960s and 70s, but none matches the scale of the 1930s, when millions of workers were unionized under the aegis of the great labor federation, the Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO. If we're looking to get millions of private-sector workers into the labor movement, there's really one time to look to, and that is the ascendant period of the CIO. In Organize the Unorganized, a forthcoming podcast from the Center for Work & Democracy at Arizona State University and Jacobin Magazine, we'll be telling the story of the CIO through the voices of prominent labor historians, including Jeremy Brecher, Robert Cherny, Dorothy Sue Cobble, Lizabeth Cohen, David Brody, Melvyn Dubofsky, Steve Fraser, Rick Halpern, William P. Jones, Nelson Lichtenstein, Erik Loomis, Ruth Milkman, Daniel Nelson, Bryan Palmer, Lisa Phillips, Ahmed White, and Jim Young. These interviews have been spliced together into an account of the rise, importance, and legacy of the CIO. In addition to being released on soundcloud.com/organizetheunorganized, these episodes will also be released on Jacobin magazine's podcast feed. Jacobin will also be publishing the individual interview transcriptions while the podcast is running.

In the second of a two-part series, Dr. Robert Cherny recounts how immigrant Harry Bridges successfully led the powerful International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) for four decades beginning in the 1930s, even as his militant unionism and association with communists placed him at odds with the American government during the Cold War and at … Continue reading Labor Radical Harry Bridges and the Cold War Ire of the US Government

In the first of a two-part series, Dr. Robert Cherny explains how the early life of Australian immigrant Harry Bridges prepared him to lead the groundbreaking 1934 Pacific Coast longshoremen's and maritime workers' strikes in the United States, later becoming the first president of the powerful International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). Cherny is professor … Continue reading Labor Legend Harry Bridges and the Pacific Coast Longshore Strike of 1934

Is there such a thing as philosophy of labor? Find out this week on the Heartland Labor Forum for a lively discussion with retired AFSCME member Richard Mellor. Then, Harry […] The post Worker Philosophy – Philosophy of Work and Robert Cherny: Harry Bridges; Labor Radical, Labor Legend appeared first on KKFI.

In this episode we speak with retired professor of history Robert Cherny and discuss his book Harry Bridges: Labor Radical, Labor Legend. Dr. Cherny's book covers the life and times of Harry Bridges from a new perspective while still keeping the history of the ILWU and its rank and file in perspective. In this conversation we touch on everything from Bridges' early life to his later years and as much as we could fit in between. You can find Dr. Cherny's book here: https://rb.gy/cqk8e

Robert Cherny lives in San Francisco. His book Harry Bridges: Labor Radical, Labor Legend is about the longtime and often controversial president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. It came out in January, 2023.

On this week’s show: Robert Cherny on Victor Arnautoff, the Russian-born artist who reigned as San Francisco's leading mural painter during the New Deal era. The San Francisco Board of Education voted this week to paint over one of his most famous murals. (Click here to sign the petition to save the mural: https://www.change.org/p/san-francisco-board-of-education-prevent-the-removal-of-victor-arnautoff-s-mural-from-george-washington-high-school?cs_tk=AnAxHEYYo0ktAjzyHF0AAXicyyvNyQEABF8BvHQ90GnBhshHppqH0GRmpmI%3D&utm_campaign=4389edb2b31944b6baa35276239bd0f1&utm_medium=email&utm_source=petition_signer_receipt&utm_term=cs) Interviews by Patrick Dixon and Allan Wierdak. Ford Hunger March, Pam Parker, from the jazz opera "Forgotten: The Murder at the Ford Rouge Plant," music and lyrics by Steve Jones. www.forgottenshow.net Questions, comments or suggestions welcome, and to find out how you can be a part of Labor History Today, email us at LaborHistoryToday@gmail.com Labor History Today is produced by Union City Radio and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor. Produced & engineered by Chris Garlock and Patrick Dixon.

Best remembered today for his work as a muralist, the Russian-American artist Victor Arnautoff lived a life worthy of Hollywood. In Victor Arnautoff and the Politics of Art (University of Illinois Press, 2017), Robert Cherny details the both range of Arnautoff’s activities and how the views born of those experiences influenced his work. Born in Russia, Arnautoff’s service as a cavalry officer for the anticommunist White forces in the Russian Civil War forced him to abandon his homeland for an involuntary exile, first in China, then in the United States. Long interested in a career as an artist, his studies of art in San Francisco during the 1920s led to a two-year period working for the famous Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. Returning to San Francisco during the depth of the Great Depression, Arnautoff quickly emerged as one of the greatest talents on the regional art scene, with works that championed the working man and criticized the brutalities of capitalism. Arnautoff’s embrace of Communism by the end of the 1930s and his association with Soviet consular officials both during and after World War II brought increasing attention from the U.S. government during the postwar “Red Scare” era, with their monitoring of his activities ending only with his return to the Soviet Union in 1957. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Best remembered today for his work as a muralist, the Russian-American artist Victor Arnautoff lived a life worthy of Hollywood. In Victor Arnautoff and the Politics of Art (University of Illinois Press, 2017), Robert Cherny details the both range of Arnautoff’s activities and how the views born of those experiences influenced his work. Born in Russia, Arnautoff’s service as a cavalry officer for the anticommunist White forces in the Russian Civil War forced him to abandon his homeland for an involuntary exile, first in China, then in the United States. Long interested in a career as an artist, his studies of art in San Francisco during the 1920s led to a two-year period working for the famous Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. Returning to San Francisco during the depth of the Great Depression, Arnautoff quickly emerged as one of the greatest talents on the regional art scene, with works that championed the working man and criticized the brutalities of capitalism. Arnautoff’s embrace of Communism by the end of the 1930s and his association with Soviet consular officials both during and after World War II brought increasing attention from the U.S. government during the postwar “Red Scare” era, with their monitoring of his activities ending only with his return to the Soviet Union in 1957. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Best remembered today for his work as a muralist, the Russian-American artist Victor Arnautoff lived a life worthy of Hollywood. In Victor Arnautoff and the Politics of Art (University of Illinois Press, 2017), Robert Cherny details the both range of Arnautoff’s activities and how the views born of those experiences influenced his work. Born in Russia, Arnautoff’s service as a cavalry officer for the anticommunist White forces in the Russian Civil War forced him to abandon his homeland for an involuntary exile, first in China, then in the United States. Long interested in a career as an artist, his studies of art in San Francisco during the 1920s led to a two-year period working for the famous Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. Returning to San Francisco during the depth of the Great Depression, Arnautoff quickly emerged as one of the greatest talents on the regional art scene, with works that championed the working man and criticized the brutalities of capitalism. Arnautoff’s embrace of Communism by the end of the 1930s and his association with Soviet consular officials both during and after World War II brought increasing attention from the U.S. government during the postwar “Red Scare” era, with their monitoring of his activities ending only with his return to the Soviet Union in 1957. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Best remembered today for his work as a muralist, the Russian-American artist Victor Arnautoff lived a life worthy of Hollywood. In Victor Arnautoff and the Politics of Art (University of Illinois Press, 2017), Robert Cherny details the both range of Arnautoff’s activities and how the views born of those experiences influenced his work. Born in Russia, Arnautoff’s service as a cavalry officer for the anticommunist White forces in the Russian Civil War forced him to abandon his homeland for an involuntary exile, first in China, then in the United States. Long interested in a career as an artist, his studies of art in San Francisco during the 1920s led to a two-year period working for the famous Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. Returning to San Francisco during the depth of the Great Depression, Arnautoff quickly emerged as one of the greatest talents on the regional art scene, with works that championed the working man and criticized the brutalities of capitalism. Arnautoff’s embrace of Communism by the end of the 1930s and his association with Soviet consular officials both during and after World War II brought increasing attention from the U.S. government during the postwar “Red Scare” era, with their monitoring of his activities ending only with his return to the Soviet Union in 1957. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Best remembered today for his work as a muralist, the Russian-American artist Victor Arnautoff lived a life worthy of Hollywood. In Victor Arnautoff and the Politics of Art (University of Illinois Press, 2017), Robert Cherny details the both range of Arnautoff’s activities and how the views born of those experiences influenced his work. Born in Russia, Arnautoff’s service as a cavalry officer for the anticommunist White forces in the Russian Civil War forced him to abandon his homeland for an involuntary exile, first in China, then in the United States. Long interested in a career as an artist, his studies of art in San Francisco during the 1920s led to a two-year period working for the famous Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. Returning to San Francisco during the depth of the Great Depression, Arnautoff quickly emerged as one of the greatest talents on the regional art scene, with works that championed the working man and criticized the brutalities of capitalism. Arnautoff’s embrace of Communism by the end of the 1930s and his association with Soviet consular officials both during and after World War II brought increasing attention from the U.S. government during the postwar “Red Scare” era, with their monitoring of his activities ending only with his return to the Soviet Union in 1957. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Best remembered today for his work as a muralist, the Russian-American artist Victor Arnautoff lived a life worthy of Hollywood. In Victor Arnautoff and the Politics of Art (University of Illinois Press, 2017), Robert Cherny details the both range of Arnautoff’s activities and how the views born of those experiences... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices