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:: Thursday, July 03, 2008 ::

I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night... - By Tony Long, North Beach Examiner
Unionism is a dirty word to a lot of people these days, even in San Francisco, which not so long ago used to be one of the strongest union towns in the country. I work with kids half my age who have only a vague idea of what a labor union is. Many don't realize, or care, that the things they take for granted in the workplace -- medical benefits, vacation, a living wage -- are theirs today because of battles fought and won by organized labor years ago.

But in the age of Reagan-Bush free-market economics, the bosses are at it again, slashing payroll, offshoring jobs, chiseling on benefits, and demanding more, more, more while they choke on profit. Which gives the 15th LaborFest, the city's annual celebration of working people, an added sense of urgency. Between July 5 -- LaborFest always starts on July 5 to commemorate the anniversary of Bloody Thursday in 1934, a defining moment in American trade unionism -- and July 31, labor's contributions to the human commonwealth will be told through the mediums of art, music and theater.

Events are planned all over town (for the full roster, check here), but here's what's happening within walking distance of North Beach this month:

posted 6:52 AM :: reference link :: 0 comments ::

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