Personal and cultural reflections, plus the District of Columbia and some Esperanto
Formerly “Unions and unionism”.
A dissertation I just found about the Labour (Labor) Church movement, which I’ve previously alluded to.
Summers, David Fowler. The Labour church and allied movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. (University of Edinburgh, 1958.)
Click here for the dissertation in two PDFs. Interesting stuff.
The General Assembly housing site opened today I was curious to see how much rooms would cost in Providence for General Assembly. (Not for myself: I’m staying with friends.) The city is rather thin for hotels, and when (in my day job) I sent people there, I thought the price was high. But every room… Continue reading Get cozy at Providence GA
Still haven’t found the Labour Church hymnal, but did find this article with more background and an outline order of service. Also, this book excerpt that notes some of its contents.
The “Labour Church Hymn Book” is cited. It’s small: indeed only 32 pages and perhaps alone in the shared history of church hymnody and organized labor. It’s well-cited (and here and here and here.) Even a UU tie-in! But I can’t find a copy!
This (ahem) alternate version of a 1970s AFSCME union spot has been circulating for quite a while, but may be new to you. It was clearly not meant to be aired. It’s rude, funny and clearly sums why I support labor unions, especially for what would turn into low-paid work. It’s worth remembering that as… Continue reading “Hard-working, tax-paying people like you”
I’m just going to grit my teeth, be grateful that the last two months of blog posts are back, summarize the facts of the substantive post I wrote today — now it’s gone! — and then back up my databases . . . . I found some sweatshop-free underwear I like. Boxer-briefs. Not too snug.… Continue reading The underwear post
I like my clothes to be hard wearing, plain cut and American made, with union made as a plus. Also, I won’t buy any more leather. After years of searching here and there, suffering poor quality or poor service, I have settled on a few vendors, including one whose parcel arrived today. For pants, jeans,… Continue reading Where I buy clothes
As regular readers know, I have a commitment to ethical consumption, which means in part a strong bias towards the working conditions of the people who make the things I buy. And today is that made-up sound bite of an observance, Cyber Monday, when people will either shop online or not. But what, if anything,… Continue reading I like All American Clothing
My mother’s opinion of Hart, Schaffner and Marx suits — “they’re good” — has stuck with me, even though I was too young to wear (or buy) suits at the time. And because they exist, people like me, who buy whenever possible U.S.- and union-made clothing had a vendor. And they’re still good suits. Well,… Continue reading Stand up for Hartmarx workers
Interfaith Worker Justice tomorrow launches a Web site called “Can My Boss Do That?” — a worker-oriented resource that uses a question-and-answer format to address labor rights. Some sections are state-specific. The facts can be a bit depressing, at first view. From a design point-of-view, I like how (1) it warns workers that employers might… Continue reading “Can my boss do that?”