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This Week’s Prompt: Strikes Start Writing

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Strikes

In 1935 the Roosevelt administration and Congress established that “… employees shall have the right to engage in strikes and other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining…” In 1980 the Reagan administration defied federal law by forcing striking air-traffic controllers back to work. Since then strikes and the unions that organize them have been under fire. After 40 years of labor-relations drought, the unions are coming on strong. Have you ever walked a labor union picket line? Have you ever crossed a picket line? What has your strike experience been like? Think about Strikes and share forward!

Crossing the Picket Line

by Laurie Levy

I was raised in Michigan during the era when Walter Reuther advocated for workers’ rights, universal health care, public [...]

by Khati Hendry

Imagine being in that stadium with thousands of other university students and faculty, all roused up, politically aware, [...]

by Dana Susan Lehrman

In September 1968 I was a new minted school librarian working in a New York City public high school when my union, the [...]

by Betsy Pfau

I come from Detroit. My family was in the automotive industry. My great uncle, Meyer Prentis (Uncle Meyer) was the Treasurer [...]

You Say You Want a Revolution

by Suzy

A companion piece to Khati's story entitled 1969.

Past Stories You May Have Missed

Protected: My Father’s Advice, In Brief (Reprise)

by John Shutkin

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Prompted By What My Father Told Me

June 14, 2017

It Doesn’t Have a Name Yet

by John Zussman

We wore multiple hats because we had to, but we also thought we could do anything and no one was there to tell us we couldn’t.

Prompted By Theater

August 3, 2017

Strikes

In 1935 the Roosevelt administration and Congress established that “… employees shall have the right to engage in strikes and other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining…” In 1980 the Reagan administration defied federal law by forcing striking air-traffic controllers back to work. Since then strikes and the unions that organize them have been under fire. After 40 years of labor-relations drought, the unions are coming on strong. Have you ever walked a labor union picket line? Have you ever crossed a picket line? What has your strike experience been like? Think about Strikes and share forward!