Houston, We Have a Labor Dispute (Encore)

Houston, We Have a Labor Dispute (Encore)

Author: laborhistorytoday July 13, 2025 Duration: 18:12
For decades, rumors have circulated about a strike in space. The story goes that in 1973, the three astronauts on the Skylab 4 mission took an unplanned day off to protest ground controls management style, and the job action resulted in improved working conditions. It's a great story, but according to crew member Ed Gibson, that's not exactly what happened. Reporter Meagan Day says the real story is still a testament to the potential of strikes — or even just the threat of strikes — to shift the balance of power in the workplace. She wrote about it in Jacobin and brings us her report today. MULTIVERSE composed & produced by SutheeComposer.And on this week’s Labor History in 2:00…The year was 1969. That was the day hospital workers in Charleston, South Carolina won union recognition.This episode originally aired on July 18, 2021. Produced by Chris Garlock. To contribute a labor history item, email laborhistorytoday@gmail.com Labor History Today is produced by the Metro Washington Council’s Union City Radio and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor at Georgetown University. #LaborRadioPod #History #WorkingClass #ClassStruggle @GeorgetownKILWP #LaborHistory @UMDMLA @ILLaborHistory @jacobin @meaganmday

Behind every weekend, every safety regulation, and every paycheck that feels fair, there's a story-often a forgotten one. Labor History Today digs into those stories, moving beyond dry dates and names to recover the voices and confrontations that built the world we work in. Each episode connects a pivotal moment from the past, like the fight for an eight-hour day or the rise of a major union, directly to the conversations happening on picket lines and in break rooms right now. You'll hear about the strategies that succeeded, the personalities that led the charge, and the setbacks that reshaped movements. This isn't just a history podcast; it's a deep look at how understanding the battles for worker rights, from centuries ago to just decades past, provides essential context for today's struggles over wages, conditions, and dignity. Tune in for a grounded, narrative-driven exploration of how yesterday's strikes, protests, and organizing victories continue to fuel the demand for a more just tomorrow.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Labor History Today
Podcast Episodes
Derry’s Missing Factory Girls [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:29
On Labor History Today: A visit to the Northern Ireland city of Derry and a search for the real Factory Girls. On this week’s Labor History in Two: Jefferson Outlaws the Slave Trade; Greyhound Bus Drivers StrikeQuestions…
The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:26
As Black History Month comes to a close, the On the Line podcast marks the occasion with a fascinating look back at the history of train sleeping car porters, almost all of whom were Black. It's a story that has only rec…
Black labor in Richmond (Encore) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:10
For 150 years, Richmond's place in history has been as "the capital of the Confederacy." But this label hides a much richer and more complex history. On today’s show, originally aired on Feb. 20, 2022, we hear from Peter…
Grit and Working-Class Solidarity [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:35
On Labor History Today: Grit and Working-Class Solidarity: B.C. Workers Respond to the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike. The On the Line: Stories of BC Workers podcast reports on “A time of unsurpassed working-class consciou…
The 1917 “Bath Riots” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:11
On Labor History Today: The 1917 “Bath Riots”. The story of Carmelita Torres, the "Latina Rosa Parks," and the so-called “Bath Riots” on the U.S.-Mexico border in 1917. On Labor History in Two: auto workers sit down and…
MLK in Memphis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:51
On this week's Labor Heritage Power Hour: MLK in Memphis; “We Will Not Be Turned Around”, Part 3 of AFSCME’s I AM STORY podcast about the 1968 sanitation workers’ strike. Questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome,…
Remembering Ludlow but Forgetting Columbine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:00
On this week’s Labor History Today: While historians have written prolifically about the 1914 Ludlow Massacre, there has been a lack of attention to the Columbine Massacre in which police shot and killed six striking coa…
Battle of the Eureka Stockade [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:49
On this week’s Labor History Today: Battle of the Eureka Stockade. Australia’s history closely tracks American history; the subjugation of indigenous people is the most obvious parallel, and the battles for basic worker…
At Sword’s Point [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:33
American labor unions have seen an incredible resurgence in recent years, which, suggests public historian Tom Goldscheider, “begs the question: why were they in decline in the first place?” In "At Sword’s Point", Tom re…
Christmas in Mansfield [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:27
Joe Jencks is a 25-year veteran of the international folk circuit, an award-winning songwriter, and a celebrated vocalist based in Chicago. Merging conservatory training with his Irish roots and working-class upbringing,…