No, seriously.

Rick Smith of the Rick Smith Radio Show interviewed me about blogging.

And Rick Rocks:

Rick grew up in a housing project on the West Side of Cleveland, OH. He was literally poor whitey in the hood. SNIP Rick is currently a 19 year member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and Vice-President of the International Labor Communications Association, www.ilcaonline.org.

There's more on the flip

I'm just amazed at how much I have in common with this guy, all the way to getting drunk on the same college campus probably during the same years!! Here's more of Rick's Rocky-ness!!

When John Kerry lost in 2004 Rick realized that he had to do more. So on Labor Day weekend 2005 Rick began his radio journey. United for Progress was born out of frustration and optimism as a vehicle to add balance to the conservative controlled airwaves. 2008 looks to be a very positive year and the Rick Smith Show will be on the front lines.

Kind of cool, huh? Well, there's more, you see I was a bad, bad girl...


Here's the thing, I couldn't stick to the script. The script being blogging. That was the topic, but talking about blogging when I'm not actually blogging, ugh. Instead, I decided I wanted to talk about a recent diary I posted on DKos, a rescued diary, thank you very much.

I was able to talk about women in the labor movement, women like Mandy from Ohio and how she's now driving a dump truck and getting steady apprenticeship work through her union. And why is she getting steadier work now? Well there was this little thing called the Stimulus Bill. She's working a Shovel Ready Project. As a single mom with two little girls, that steady pay check is important, very important. But what I love about Mandy's story is that she'd been working at a Good Year service center and had been promised that she'd be able to get certified to be a mechanic. She kept working there, watching as her male counter parts hired after her just kept getting promoted or trained and she couldn't. So, she applied for the apprenticeship program and although it was hard at first to make ends meet during the first part of the apprenticeship, she's now got steadier work, makes more than she did at Good Year and is moving up the ranks, toward a journeyman level.

I also got to talk about how the Employee Free Choice act will have a greater impact on women in the labor force than it will on men. My point on this piece was that women make different choices when we take a job. It might be because we're thinking about the hours, getting kids to school or trying to figure out a way to be home to make dinner. We simply think differently about working and how to work than our male counterparts.

That's when Rick made an excellent point. In a union, everyone knows what everyone else makes. You see, it's part of the contract. But women outside of unions don't get this break, take the story about Mandy. She discovered after the fact, that men hired after she was were getting paid more. When waited tables, male servers made more than we did. My mom always said it's because people think they're raising a family and need a higher wage. But so are we.

So, if you get a minute, check out the audio file. I'd love to hear what everyone has to say. And, if I'm on again, what do you think I should talk about? Keep in mind, I'm pretty labor and women focused, but I really would like some new ideas. Who knows where those thoughts could lead me?

And, in case you missed it at the top, here's the audio file again:
Rick Smith Radio Show

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The Center for Economic and Policy Research released a report in early December on the earning power of women in unions. Feministing summarized it like this:

The report...found that unionized women workers earned 11.2 percent more than their non-union peers and that women in unions were more likely to have health insurance and a pension plan.

I know, this is not surprising news. But what if you thought about this study a little differently? What if instead of focusing on the difference in earning power between women able to unionize and those not, we focused more on making it possible for all workers to choose a union?

For those of you who don't know (and let's face it there might be a few here), the ability for workers to decide on a union is really held in the hands of employers. Employers who often intimidate, fire and harass anyone who's signed a card because they want to be represented by a union.

Well, Monday, on the Hill,

...the National Council of Women’s Organizations hosted a congressional briefing for members of Congress, their staff, the press and the public. The goal of the briefing was for attendees to learn more about the Employee Free Choice Act and the difference its passage would make for women workers. The panelists highlighted the key difference that union membership makes for women and stressed the urgent need for reformed labor laws that will make it easier for workers to form their union.

I was especially interested in the focus not only on women, but on how the Employee Free Choice Act will have a dramatic impact on women. Again, from the Teamsters:

The panelists noted that women make up 45 percent of the union work force in the United States, and if the pace of growth continues, women will be the majority of the unionized work force in the United States by the year 2020. Union membership narrows the wage gap and increases the probability that women will have access to health insurance coverage.

So this got me to thinkin'. Women make up 45% of unionized workers. But what about the rest of the work force? How are women fairing in the economy? According to the Daily Toreador, women are doing pretty good, so to speak:

The economic recession led to many job losses, but mainly for men, said Mitra Toossi, a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projections economist.

About 82 percent of job losses belong to men, she said, and the percentage of women who lose their jobs hasn't changed much since the recession began.

snip

Many women who work support families, Toossi said, and women with families are more likely to take jobs that do not require many hours and have little, if any, benefits.

Okay, so this got me really thinking now, specifically about the opposition to Employee Free Choice. It's as if the men in the room, the well thinking, well positioned men; who own businesses; who look like Rick Berman or work at Edleman PR; the men who join country clubs and head to the Senate to represent other men at the Chamber of Commerce, it's as if they are telling me and women like me and my mother that unions are for men, we women shouldn't worry our pretty little heads about it. And yet, the largest group of workers who would be affected by this legislation would be women.

Katie Jordan, president of the Chicago Coalition of Labor Union Women told the World that passing the Free Choice act would assist working women demand equal pay for equal work.

“Women without unions are on the lowest economic totem pole and do not have the equal opportunity to talk to their bosses about increasing their wages,” said Jordan. Too many families today are not in unions and struggle to pay their mortgages, added Jordan.

“It’s the workers who make the products and keep companies alive,” said Jordan. “People need to get paid for what they’re worth and feel free to join unions without being harassed,” she said.

Years ago, I sat through a presentation in college about the ad industry and changes in the ad industry as women entered the workforce. The oddest thing about it, were the images of women portrayed as girls, in pig tails for women's colognes or my favorite the Enjoli woman. If you're in your 30's you likely also remember, but for the rest of you, let me shine some light:

Christina: I can put the wash on the line, feed the kids, get dressed, pass out the kisses and get to work by 5 to 9.
'Cause I'm a Woman, Enjoli!

(Announcer): Charles of The Ritz Creates Enjoli. The New 8 Hour Perfume for The 24 Hour Woman.

Christina: I can bring home the Bacon!
Chorus: Enjoli.
Christina: Fry it up in a Pan!
Chorus: Enjoli.
Christina: And Never, Never, Never let you forget You're a Man!
'Cause I'm a Woman!
Chorus: Enjoli!

Images of women, even when shown to somehow have some power ultimately come down to what she does for a man. I know, the Rush Limbaugh or Bill O'Reilly concept of what women are good for, but my bigger issue here is how these very concerned men see empowerment of women as a risk to our society. Passing the Employee Free Choice Act at this time, they claim, would send us into a deeper recession. That the system we have now is good enough.

Again, from the Teamsters:

“Union issues are women’s issues,” Choudhry said.

On a more global scale, Heath pointed to the myth that unions destroy competitiveness, noting that in many European countries, employers pay skilled union workers high wages to produce high quality products that compete in the marketplace. Heath noted that compared to other developed nations, the United States has some of the most restrictive labor laws and the least equitable distribution of productivity gains throughout the population.

Noting that women still earn, on average, 78 cents to the dollar of men’s earnings, Rosenblatt spoke on the critical need for the Employee Free Choice Act in order for women and men to gain rights at work to form a union and bargain collectively for gains.

I know how folks feel about union issues here, they are often dropped in favor of issues relating to the environment or energy. But what I'd like to ask you to do today, is to look around. Look at the mothers, sisters, daughters and friends and think about what they do on a daily basis to feed and clothe their families. And think, for just a minute how much better they could do it if they just had the ability to choose for themselves to unionize or not to unionize.

Clearly, many people do get the impact the Employee Free Choice Act will have on women, and it's profound. I for one am especially appreciative of my former union (International Brotherhood of Teamsters) for getting the word out on women and the Employee Free Choice Act. Seems like the right time for the rest of us now, too.

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No, it's true. It's been studied and it's not surprising. But have you ever thought about how the Employee Free Choice Act could make an even greater difference in the lives of women? I have. Having the ability as a worker to choose to sign a card and be recognized or sign a card and hold an election, well, let's just say it's profound. And I'm not the only one thinking about it, either!!

There is no doubt about it. Union membership makes a critical difference in the lives of women. With the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, more women – and as a result, their families – would have greater opportunities and access to a living wage, health care, retirement and job security.

This union difference for women was the topic of conversation on Capitol Hill today, where the National Council of Women’s Organizations hosted a congressional briefing for members of Congress, their staff, the press and the public. The goal of the briefing was for attendees to learn more about the Employee Free Choice Act and the difference its passage would make for women workers. The panelists highlighted the key difference that union membership makes for women and stressed the urgent need for reformed labor laws that will make it easier for workers to form their union. The distinguished panelists included:

Rachna Choudhry, Policy and Advocacy Manager, National Partnership for Women & Families
Ariane Hegewisch, Study Director, Institute for Women’s Policy Research
Carol Rosenblatt, Executive Director, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Amy Swanson, Grassroots Lobbyist, Service Employees International Union
Tiffany Heath, National Coalition Organizer, Voice at Work, AFL-CIO

The panelists noted that women make up 45 percent of the union work force in the United States, and if the pace of growth continues, women will be the majority of the unionized work force in the United States by the year 2020. Union membership narrows the wage gap and increases the probability that women will have access to health insurance coverage.

“Union issues are women’s issues,” Choudhry said.

On a more global scale, Heath pointed to the myth that unions destroy competitiveness, noting that in many European countries, employers pay skilled union workers high wages to produce high quality products that compete in the marketplace. Heath noted that compared to other developed nations, the United States has some of the most restrictive labor laws and the least equitable distribution of productivity gains throughout the population.

Noting that women still earn, on average, 78 cents to the dollar of men’s earnings, Rosenblatt spoke on the critical need for the Employee Free Choice Act in order for women and men to gain rights at work to form a union and bargain collectively for gains.

The need for the Employee Free Choice Act was also a major topic of conversation, gaining much attention at the sixth annual Teamsters Organizers Conference this weekend, where women workers and organizers talked about the urgent need for the Employee Free Choice Act.

“The Employee Free Choice Act would lessen the fear, because the intimidation factor is there. Workers are afraid of losing their jobs in this economy,” said Vangie Moreno, a Teamsters International Union organizer, who meets with hundreds of workers on a regular basis. “The workers I’ve worked to organize have mainly been women, single and divorced, who have children and are the sole breadwinners of the household. The Employee Free Choice Act would give them the choice to form a union to provide a better life for themselves and their families.”

Clearly, many others get it, including the Teamsters. Nice to see my old union pulling for women.

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I think we've only ever posted 1 other job announcement, but this one was too good to not post. It's all about women working with women. If you're a frequent reader of this blog you know that we're huge fans of the work that groups like Hard Hatted Women do in Cleveland. Well, here's your opportunity to take one step forward and help another woman up...

Language Arts Instructor (Part Time 15-20 hours weekly)



Education: Bachelor (BA, BS, etc.)
Location: Washington, District of Columbia, 20001, United States
Posted by: Washington Area Women in the Trades
Type: Part time
Language(s): English
Job posted on: July 17, 2008
Area of Focus: Education and Academia, Job Training and Workplace Issues, Women's Issues
Salary: Negotiable
Last day to apply: August 18, 2008
Last updated: July 21, 2008



Description:
RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide ABE and pre-GED instructions that increase students' reading and math skills, and prepare students for Non-traditional apprenticeship examinations.
• Submit weekly lesson plans for approval by the lead instructor
• Adhere to established curriculum; identify and report to Project Director any need for changes to address students’ learning styles.
• Follow established instructional guidelines, and methods that measure students' progress.
• Other related duties as assigned
Additional Qualifications:
1. Experience working with adults in an academic setting.
2. A BA Degree or currently enrolled in an institution of higher education with a minimum one (1) year experience in adult education/tutoring.
3. Understanding of the adult education, life skills, and non-traditional career concepts.
4. Understanding of the psychological and social challenges faced by under-employed women
5. Strong oral and written communication skills.
6. Strong teamwork skills.

POSITION CONTRACTED FOR 12 WEEKS

How to Apply:
Please submit cover letter indicating why you are interested in the position, with resume to: adrew@ywcanca.org

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I worked my way through college selling makeup at a fancy-schmancy department store. So whenever I start in about the terrible working conditions, hours, wages, and unfair treatment--and how much we needed a union-- the eye-rolling usually starts after a few seconds.

Yeah, yeah, I know--it wasn't backbreaking manual labor, and my life and limbs weren't (usually) in danger. But we have to get away from the kind of thinking that says only those who do the most difficult and dangerous work need a union, and that everyone else should just quit whining. Especially when retail workers are a huge part of the service sector, the fastest growing sector in the American economy. And especially when a large percentage of those retail workers are female, and face special hardships at work due to extra obligations to children and family.

When I worked at the department store, which I shall not name, I was just a college kid. So I suffered through because I figured it was just a temporary miserableness. But many of my fellow workers were lifers, talented salespeople or makeup artists, and often the sole or primary breadwinner for their families. And what they needed, though they would never have even thought of it, was a voice in the workplace, speaking out for them. A union voice, to help them improve their wages, benefits, and working conditions.

I saw pregnant women not allowed to sit on stools or chairs, forced on busy days to stand for five or six hours at a time before being allowed to take a break. I saw women forced to carry heavy boxes and equipment every morning, and I also saw plenty of older women with back problems and knee problems doing the same. I saw a co-worker cut her hand open on a piece of jagged glass in our display case, the same piece of glass that we'd complained about endlessly and gotten no response on until the injury. Another co-worker accidentally dropped a heavy table on my leg, and the first thing I was asked to do when the managers all came running was to sign a waiver that the company was not responsible. I did so, not knowing any better, because my leg hurt and I wanted to go to the doctor as soon as possible to check it out--and they wouldn't let me go until I'd signed. (I still have a scar from that injury.) When a serial rapist was on the loose in my town, attacking women in mall parking lots, management still refused to let us women park close to the building, forcing us instead to walk alone in the dark as late as midnight across a deserted parking lot to get to our cars.

And there were other hurts, too--not physical but mental. We were constantly threatened with firing for everything: not opening credit cards, not forcing customers to buy "add-ons" that the company stuck on our counters, not sucking up to the right manager or the right boss. In fact, you could be fired because another co-worker made up something about you--and believe me, in an all female environment, there's a lot of that going on. Management liked to promote conflict between the female workers, because they believed it made us more productive sales people. If we didn't like each other, we wouldn't "stand around chatting," in the words of one of my bosses. As if women weren't intersted in making money, or doing a good job--nope, we were just a bunch of chatterboxes, us crazy females.

No matter how long you were there or how hard you worked, you might never get a promotion, based solely on who liked you and who didn't. You never got the hours you wanted, there was no such thing as a set schedule, and quarterly raises were about 5 cents an hour. (They could, of course, be more, depending on your performance review, but somehow no one ever had a good performance review.) If you got scheduled for rotten hours, you might not make any money at all besides your (very low) base pay.

We had to work on every major holiday or shopping day, were not allowed to take a whole weekend off unless we used vacation hours, and even then it was only allowed during "non-blackout days," as if our lives were some sort of frequent flyer exemption. I missed weddings, funerals, family gatherings, and most of all, holiday time with my family. And at least I didn't have children, unlike many of my co-workers, who missed an awful lot of precious weekend and holiday time with their kids. One older women who retired when I was there told me, "This will be the first day-after-Thanksgiving I've gotten to sleep in and spend with my family for thirty five years. "

All this was, like I said, bearable because I knew it would eventually end. And I thought there was no remedy. This is how it was. Life was unfair, bosses were unfair, and most people couldn't afford health care. (You sure couldn't afford it at my workplace...I didn't know anyone who had health care through our company.) But once I started working at the United Food and Commerical Workers, I had a very different perspective. Suddenly I was outraged. I wanted to go back in time, to tell my co-workers that we did have a choice--we didn't have to be resigned to unfair treatment and crappy working conditions, to being bullied and recieving very little compensation.

I can't go back in time. But I am thrilled to be organizing retail workers, women and men, who deserve better at work. This is something that we're doing a lot more of these days at the UFCW, and it's such important just to LET retail workers know that there is a remedy for what they suffer at work. Better wages, working conditions, and equal pay for equal work were issues championed in the early days of the UFCW movement and are still extremely important to improving the lives of workers today.

UFCW has members at stores like Macy’s, Bloomingdale's, Saks 5th Avenue, and other retail giants--members who are realizing the strength they have when they stick together and demand fair treatment. One of our local unions, RWDSU/UFCW Local 1102 recently organized 1,000 new H&M workers at nine Manhattan stores. Through UFCW representation, the new members will have an opportunity to negotiate innovative employment standards, in addition to wage and benefit improvements, including a partnership for engaging in socially and environmentally responsible programs. And we're only expanding organizing retail workers from here.

After all, every worker deserves a safe and secure job--a job that pays the bills and allows them to raise a family. It's only fair.

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I didn’t receive flowers this year and when I send, I go directly to florists in those areas (mostly small towns in Ohio when I so send flowers). I don’t want to worry that I’m helping to perpetuate this sort of thing:

SEXUAL HARASSMENT
A 2005 study by ILRF and Ecuadorian NGO partners [in RFWW folder Ecuador] found that over 55% of Ecuadorian flower workers have been the victims of sexual harassment. Many women said that they had been asked out by their bosses or supervisors, who offered to improve their jobs in exchange. Alarmingly, we also learned that 19% of flower workers had been forced to have sex with a coworker or superior and 10% had been sexually attacked.

FORCED PREGNANCY TESTING
About 65% of Colombian flower workers and 50% of Ecuadorian flower workers are women. They are commonly required to take a pregnancy test or show proof of sterilization as a condition for hiring, as employers hope to avoid providing paid maternity leave.

CHILD LABOR
While child labor has been successfully eradicated in Colombian flower plantations in recent years, it remains a serious problem in Ecuador. Pesticide exposure affects children more severely than adults. The ILO estimates that 20% of the 60,000 Ecuadorian flower workers are children.

But, don’t worry, you can actually buy fair trade certified flowers, they are out there. In fact, there’s a site dedicated to these beautiful flowers which are made even more beautiful by simply knowing that the workers weren’t abused, harassed or seriously exposed to pesticides

http://transfairusa.org/content/flowers/

You can even watch their video

From their site, here are just a few locations where you can purchase Fair Trade Roses:

Online Retailers:

1-800 Flowers Online
Organic Bouquet

Supermarkets Near You:

GIANT Food Stores
Heinen's
Roche Brothers

I hope that if you received flowers this weekend for Mother’s Day that you can be even happier knowing that a mother in another country did a great job in providing those beautiful flowers to you. It seems to make the receipt just that much sweeter.

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If you've read this site before, you know how much I love Hard Hatted Women, well, yesterday, I'm equally proud of DCLabor. From Metro Washington Council News:

TRADESWOMEN TRADE TOOLS FOR CAPS & GOWNS:

Family and friends of 21 newly-minted graduates filled the Gompers Room at the AFL-CIO Monday for the Washington Area Women in the Trades (WAWIT) graduation ceremony. Traci Pfeffer and Jhonnal Daniels spoke for many of their fellow-graduates when they shared the many challenges they faced to complete the 12-week building and construction trades pre-apprenticeship program.

Congratulatory and supportive words were offered by keynote speakers including Channel 7 anchor Maureen Bunyan and YWCA Executive Director Orysia Stanchak, and special thanks were given to the four unions who provided hands-on experience for the women at their apprenticeship schools, including Cement Masons Local 891, the Sheet Metal Workers Apprenticeship program, the Joint Carpentry Apprenticeship Committee and the IBEW Apprenticeship Program.

This is the fourth group of female construction workers to complete the training, which is coordinated by the YWCA of the National Capital Area, Wider Opportunities for Women and the Community Services Agency of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO.

What I especially like about this program is that it empowers women to do something else, something more. It encourages women to find a new way to provide for their families. More about this program from the Metro Council:

The Program:
We have developed a strategy to help women acquire the skills they need to pursue careers in the trades, and to connect them to apprenticeship and career opportunities after they graduate from the program. The program will reach out to women from different communities and include some who face barriers that have prevented them from finding or keeping well-paying jobs in the past.

Might I also point out here that it takes women from low benefit Certified Nursing Assistant jobs into jobs with growth, potential and opportunity. And with DC City Council restricting the City's paid sick leave legistlation to everone who doesn't work in the food industry and the health care industry and further isolating those groups to fulltime AND only after having been on the job for 12 months, well, you can see how working in a trade might be much more valuable. Again from the Metro Council:

Basic skills curriculum:
The YWCA will be responsible for developing and implementing a curriculum that incorporates elements of earlier curricula developed by the YWCA and WOW. The curriculum will provide students with an array of soft skills necessary to be successful in the construction and building trades, including math and reading skills, fitness, life skills, and an introduction to the trades. The basic skills component will be taught at the YWCA headquarters in downtown Washington.

For more information on future programs, I'd suggest you drop Kathleen McKirchy: Comm Serv Agency 202-974-8221 (office) 202-974-8152 (fax) or Silvia Casaro a line.

Pictures are available on the Metropolitan Washington Council's website.

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As you know, I'm a huge fan of Sisters in the Building Trades and Hard Hatted Women. However, it appears I've now got to add a new one, STITCH.

From their site:

Women in Central America and the U.S. face similar challenges in the workplace, especially when it comes to low wages, discrimination, insufficient childcare services and dangerous working conditions. To change these shared conditions, STITCH, founded in 1998, unites Central American and U.S. women workers to exchange strategies on how to fight for economic justice in the workplace. STITCH equips women with the essential skills through trainings and educational tools, and in the process, builds lasting relationships with women across the two regions, further empowering women in the labor movement. STITCH also ensures women's voices are heard in global debates and discussions on issues that impact them: globalization, trade agreements, immigration policy, and global labor standards.

They have some amazing empowering programs like working with Latina women in the US called other immigrants, there's the Leadership Workshops, and there's a Delegation to Central America as well.

This group is also working to document the effects of free trade on women

STITCH presents a new publication that explores the impact of free trade on women workers in Central America and the United States . In their own words, these courageous women talk about their lives and their struggle to survive in—and challenge—an economic system that is stacked against them. This publication is completely bi-lingual (English and Spanish) and includes stories of women working in export clothing factories, healthcare, and agriculture.

They have some amazing quotes from this document, my favorite was this one:

"My first job [in the factory] was cutting cloth. I only did that for two days. On the third day, a supervisor, who was very tough, put me on a machine attaching sleeves. She wanted to take advantage of me because I was so young. She insulted me, made me cry, and hit me. She threw pieces of cloth in my face and demanded that I attach sleeves as fast as the more experienced workers. That's how I learned my first operation. I was 17 when I first joined the union. Once I understood what unions could mean for workers, I was able to recruit a lot of compañeras. But here in Honduras, trade unionists are treated like criminals. If you try to organize a union, they take pictures of you and send them to the other companies. That makes it very difficult for a worker to get a job once she's known as a unionist. At first, I was afraid, but later I thought, why should I be afraid? Legal is legal, and I'm really only defending the laws of our country."

Interested in the work the Stitch does, then check out their joint labor blog

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When I first decided to start this blog, I did so because I knew a lot of women in unions, but I didn’t know their stories. There were railroader wives, teamsters, carpenters, office workers, government employees, teachers, nurses, etc…I think you get the picture. I wanted to know both the good and bad. Somewhere along the way I decided that I wasn’t just interested in their stories but about taking all of our stories and pulling them together with other data to help buoy the movement, in some small way.

Over the past 18 months, I’ve blogged about a couple of womens organizations that help women get into the trades. That even has included the late Shirley Chisholm’s contributions. Today, it seems almost as if we’ve taken a giant leap in the trades.

You see, I wandered over to Union Review today to check out what was up and I found that the Carpenter’s Union (UBC) has started a sister’s site.

This site is dedicated to training women in the trades through apprenticeship programs. Rock on!!

I couldn’t help but think of the three single moms in Cleveland who sat at a kitchen table in the 70’s and decided that they needed a group to help them in their jobs and to bring more women into the trades. Hard Hatted Women, I love you!!

Now, one other note to make on this topic, when starting an apprenticeship program, some might find that their incomes are reduced (not usually), they will increase at the Journeyman level, but it might take time. Also, apprentices are most often the first to endure layoffs and last to be re-hired. So, Sisters linked to a financial planning resource so that groups organizing apprenticeship programs can assist workers with developing financial planning skills and an emergency financial back-up plan. You should totally go and check out their site and more specifically the pdf they have up on financial planning.

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So, what brought me over to Fire on the Black Mountain? It was the story on the Irish Patriotic Strike.

Please go and read the entire piece.

Strikes are largely economic by nature, so much so, that there is a perception that those are the only kind. Which of course is what's so interesting about the Irish Patriotic Strike, from Fire on the Mountain:

Strikes are usually economic in nature; union labor in a particular industry goes on strike to demand higher wages, better working conditions, a stop to layoffs, etc. Few labor actions in U.S. history have the broad political implications of the Irish Patriotic Strike of 1920. A strike on U.S. docks in support of a national liberation movement was unusual in its own right. The support the walkout garnered outside the Irish community, and across the so-called "color-line," was truly significant.

It wasn't just significant in that it wasn't economically motivated but the kind of meetings that came out of this also shows one of the reasons that the longshoreman's unions divided into East and West in the early part of last century. It also shows how far sighted Harry Bridges was when he worked to integrate the union. The lessons from this strike must have been on his mind. Again, from Fire on the Mountain:

After Garvey sent the Rev. J. W. Selkridge, one of his chief lieutenants, to the docks urging the Black longshoremen to honor the strike, a contingent of Irish American longshoremen visited Liberty Hall in Harlem, seeking closer cooperation with the UNIA. A four-way meeting the next day brought together representatives of the UNIA, the American Women's Pickets, the Black longshoremen and the striking Irish longshoremen. When the African American dockworkers asked for promises that they wouldn't be banned from the piers after the strike, the striking workers refused to agree to this basic democratic demand. This decision sealed the strike's fate. It collapsed two days later.

Is it any wonder about why the Longshoreman's strike of 1936 was a successful strike? One answer, integration. When we all work together, we all win.

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