Sam and Gabe sit down to chat with Dr. Francis Ryan, Associate Teaching Professor & Director of Master of Labor and Employment Relations Program, Labor Studies and Employment Relations (LSER) at Rutgers University, to discuss Philadelphia's importance in labor history, and his contributions to the three volume set The Greater Philadelphia Region, Greater Philadelphia and the Nation, and Greater Philadelphia and the World from University of Pennsylvania Press.

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Sam and Gabe sit down to chat with Megan and Claudia of Starbucks Workers United and Sophie of the Philadelphia Democratic Socialists of America who established a strike kitchen to feed and support Starbucks workers as they fight for a first contract. 

Sign the pledge: https://www.nocontractnocoffee.com/ 

More links: https://linktr.ee/phillyDSAlabor

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By 1936, Berkshire Knitting Mills was one of the largest hosiery manufacturers in the world, and the American Federation of Hosiery Workers knew that if they could organize it, they could apply pressure to the entire industry and secure safety, wages, and the 40 hour week for thousands of workers.

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We sit down with historian Lucas R. Clawson to discuss the du Pont family's history of labor relations. 

https://lucasrclawson.com/ 

Originally aired: August 8, 2022.

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When the United Textile Workers of America declared a general textile strike in 1934, the people of Hazleton, Pennsylvania had a choice: would they stand with the textile workers, or the bosses? 

Originally aired: November 30, 2022.

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In the midst of Reaganomics, a budget crisis, and a school board imposing layoffs and school closures, Philadelphia's teachers fight for "the integrity of [their] contract, the contracts of all people, and, in general, honor among people."

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In 1903, all building construction in Philadelphia was brought to a grinding halt when just a few thousand carpenters showed the power of their union. 

Originally aired: February 6, 2023.

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After World War 2, American soldiers came home to low wages and strict bosses. In 1946, 200,000 electrical appliance workers struck in cities across the country with 20,000 in Philadelphia alone. They had just beaten Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, next up was General Electric and Westinghouse. 

Episodes 36-37 originally aired on October 17 and 31, 2022.

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The General Textile Strike in Philadelphia helped set the stage for the very radical hosiery workers who continued to fight throughout the 1920s and into the Great Depression. 

Originally aired: March 8, 2022.

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In 1916, workers at the John B. Stetson hat company in Philadelphia went on strike for better wages and conditions.

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Horseshoeing was a booming industry in Philadelphia back when horses were the primary means of transportation. In 1902, the men and children who did most of the work struck for better wages, hours, and conditions, effectively shutting down the city’s transport network until their demands were met. 

Originally aired: May 30, 2022.

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When cloakmakers in New York struck for union recognition, their comrades in Philly joined in, bolstered by local Jewish anarchists. 

Originally aired: January 9, 2023.

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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/voices

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Philadelphia's municipal workers have had to fight hard for a decent wage and basic benefits. After 3 years of setbacks and wage freezes, in 1986 their struggle pitted thousands of city workers, led by Earl Stout, the larger than life president of AFSCME District Council 33, against Wilson Goode, the city's embattled mayor.

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Farm workers have always been mistreated, but in 1938 the CIO fought to change that at a farm in Morrisville, PA. 

Originally aired: January 23, 2023.

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As the Great Depression raged, 1700 hosiery workers in Lansdale, PA fought for union recognition, standing up to their bosses and the county sheriff. 

Originally aired: October 2, 2023.

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Despite the lingering Great Depression, retail stores in 1938 were starting to bounce back. But when the wealth was not shared with the workers, they decided to go on strike during one of the busiest shopping seasons of the year. 

Originally aired: July 27, 2022.

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As the fine leather industry in Wilmington, Delaware expanded, their workers started organizing with a radical new organization. 

Originally aired: March 1, 2024.

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In 1903, Philadelphia was one of the textile manufacturing centers of the United States, but conditions in the mills were abysmal, with men, women, and children all facing long hours, low wages, and dangerous machinery. With the help of Mother Jones and other labor leaders they marched out in a general strike. 

Originally aired: May 30, 2023.

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By 1941, the Steel Workers Organizing Committee had led successful union drives across most of the US Steel industry. But can they break into Bethlehem Steel when $1 billion in defense contracts are hanging in the balance? 

Originally aired: December 26, 2022.

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Kensington was once described as having "more textile mills within the range of vision than in any other city in the world," and likewise, was a hotbed of labor agitation for decades. In this presentation for the Philadelphia Liberation Center, we briefly covered the region's rich labor history, from the turn of the century to deindustrialization in the 1950s and 60s. 

Recorded live at the Philadelphia Liberation Center on June 21, 2025. 

https://store.phillyliberationcenter.org/

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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/voices

Support the show

www.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/voices

Support the show

www.laborjawn.com

In this special interview episode, Sam and Gabe sit down with Josh MacPhee and Kennedy Block to talk about their new book "Strike While the Needle Is Hot: A Discography of Worker’s Revolt," which documents 80 records that striking workers and their supporters have put out.

Pick up a copy from Common Notions to get 15% off with the code STRIKE15. The first 100 sales will also get a free mixtape of strike songs!

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In a period when Philadelphia's tourism industry was starting to soar, hotel workers' wages were stagnant. They launched a strategically timed strike to fight for a raise, while a rank and file caucus pressured union leadership into action.

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