On the Line is a network of union members and leaders who cover, analyze, and draw lessons from the struggles of workers across the country to build a fighting labor movement. Although the vast majority of workers in the U.S. remain unorganized, union popularity is at its highest since 1965. One of the key drivers of this popularity is a groundswell of interest from a new generation of young workers who are looking to the labor movement as a vehicle to fight against an increasingly bleak future. A labor movement that is content with business as usual will not realize the opportunities of this moment. Instead, we need unions that articulate not only our demands for better pay and working conditions, but can advance our broader political aspirations as a working class. Building a movement that can advance the hopes and dreams of all workers won't be achieved by creating perfect structures and processes in unions that become more marginal with each passing year. It will only be achieved by organizing at a scale and fighting with an intensity that we have not seen in decades.
This is the kind of labor movement that we need.
Our future is on the line.
All content for On the Line is the property of On the Line and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
On the Line is a network of union members and leaders who cover, analyze, and draw lessons from the struggles of workers across the country to build a fighting labor movement. Although the vast majority of workers in the U.S. remain unorganized, union popularity is at its highest since 1965. One of the key drivers of this popularity is a groundswell of interest from a new generation of young workers who are looking to the labor movement as a vehicle to fight against an increasingly bleak future. A labor movement that is content with business as usual will not realize the opportunities of this moment. Instead, we need unions that articulate not only our demands for better pay and working conditions, but can advance our broader political aspirations as a working class. Building a movement that can advance the hopes and dreams of all workers won't be achieved by creating perfect structures and processes in unions that become more marginal with each passing year. It will only be achieved by organizing at a scale and fighting with an intensity that we have not seen in decades.
This is the kind of labor movement that we need.
Our future is on the line.
Episode 22: Gene Bruskin Part 1: Immigrant Workers Fight and Win
On the Line
1 hour 34 minutes
9 months ago
Episode 22: Gene Bruskin Part 1: Immigrant Workers Fight and Win
Gene Bruskin, a long-time union organizer and anti-war activist sits down with our producer Jeff Rosenberg to share the powerful stories of immigrant workers organizing for justice on the job and in their communities. Gene Bruskin was the Campaign Director of Justice @ Smithfield, an effort to organize the over 5,000 workers who were employed at the largest pork processing plant in the world. We talk with Gene specifically about the historic victory at Smithfield Foods in North Carolina and what could be considered his precursor: helping the largely immigrant Harvard laundry workers form their union in the 1980s. As the attacks on immigrant workers ramp up, we must shine a light on the stories that can serve as inspiration for a broad fight-back. This is the first part of a two-part series with Gene Bruskin.
On the Line
On the Line is a network of union members and leaders who cover, analyze, and draw lessons from the struggles of workers across the country to build a fighting labor movement. Although the vast majority of workers in the U.S. remain unorganized, union popularity is at its highest since 1965. One of the key drivers of this popularity is a groundswell of interest from a new generation of young workers who are looking to the labor movement as a vehicle to fight against an increasingly bleak future. A labor movement that is content with business as usual will not realize the opportunities of this moment. Instead, we need unions that articulate not only our demands for better pay and working conditions, but can advance our broader political aspirations as a working class. Building a movement that can advance the hopes and dreams of all workers won't be achieved by creating perfect structures and processes in unions that become more marginal with each passing year. It will only be achieved by organizing at a scale and fighting with an intensity that we have not seen in decades.
This is the kind of labor movement that we need.
Our future is on the line.
