In 1909, a 23-year-old immigrant named Clara Lemlich stood up in New York's Cooper Union and said, "I have no more patience for talk—I move that we go on a general strike."

The next morning, 20,000 garment workers—mostly young immigrant women—walked off the job.

Their courage changed labor history forever.

Tune into our latest episode to hear how their fight reshaped workers' rights for generations.

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Music from today's episode is by: Tar Sahno and Semion Krivenko-Adamo

Sources:

Jewish Women's Archive, "Uprising of 20,000 (1909)."

Global Nonviolent Action Database (Swarthmore College), "Triangle Shirtwaist Factory women strike, win better wages and hours, New York, 1909."

AFL-CIO, "Triangle Shirtwaist Fire."

PBS American Experience, "Clara Lemlich and the Uprising of the 20,000."

In the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we expose the Trump administration's sweeping cuts to public education and research funding—from K-12 schools to university labs. Educators, union leaders, and graduate researchers reveal how these attacks threaten working families, marginalized students, and the future of innovation itself.

Tune in to learn firsthand how communities are being forced to fight back to defend learning, dignity, and the public good.

Music in this episode is by Ketsa.

Long before World War II officially kicked off in 1939, trade unionists were already sounding the alarm. They saw fascism for what it was—racism, anti-Semitism, militarism, authoritarianism.

Union workers and leaders resisted—they distributed leaflets, hid their Jewish neighbors and co-workers, sabotaged Nazi logistics, and even joined armed struggle.

In the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we dive into this powerful—and often overlooked—period of resistance in modern history led by everyday workers who stood up against fascism and showed that solidarity is not merely a word; it's an action.

Music from today's episode: Ketsa, Scott Holmes, Maarten Schellekens

As ICE raids ramp up and communities across the nation are gripped by fear, we're looking back to a powerful legacy of worker resistance in the latest episode of Solidarity Works.

The Legacy of Delano tells the story of how Filipino and Latino farmworkers united in 1965 to ignite a labor movement that changed history.

Today, organizers like Local 675's Xochityl Cobarruvias carry that spirit forward, mobilizing against injustice and defending immigrant workers under attack.

Tune in to hear how courage, unity, and nonviolence still light the path to justice.

John Stevens has been a member of USW Local 341 in Newark, Ohio, for six years and works at an aluminum factory. On Thurs., June 5, he and fellow union members walked the halls of Congress to remind lawmakers about the promise the government made to veterans like him.

This fight to preserve benefits and services for America's defenders is personal to John in many ways. He lost his older brother, also a military veteran, to suicide in 2017.

Hear John's story and learn about some of the legislation that could help prevent similar losses and other hardships for U.S. veterans in the latest episode of Solidarity Works.

Music in this episode is by Mr Smith. Special shout-out to Dropkick Murphys.

Learn more about Veterans of Steel at usw.to/vetsofsteel.

Kim Kelly began her writing career in the heavy metal world – she even adopted a moniker known as Grim Kim – but it wasn't long before her family's labor roots caught hold. She joined a union when writing for Vice, a digital publishing platform, and soon her stories took a turn toward more fervent working-class issues.

Now, Kim is an author and public speaker with two books on the shelves focused on American labor history and a passion for speaking truth to power. In this episode of Solidarity Works, we'll learn about the journalist's unique career path, what inspires her dedication to justice, and why all Americans should be concerned about recent attempts to ban books and limit the free press.

Learn more about Kim by visiting https://about.me/kimkelly.

Music from this episode is by Ketsa.

On Friday, April 25, thousands of labor activists, including USW members, marched and chanted through the streets of Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico, as part of an annual event commemorating the murders of two Los Mineros union members who were killed while on strike in 2006.

In today's episode, we recount the mine explosion and consequential strike that led Los Mineros President Napoleon Gomez to live in exile for nearly a decade in Canada. We're also chatting with members who attended this year's trip to Mexico, as well as a USW activist who participated in a recent global youth exchange program co-hosted by the Steelworkers and Los Mineros.

This episode features music by several artists, including Ketsa, Lobo Loco, and Greg Kirkelie.

From the 1800s to yesterday afternoon, women and girls across the United States have led historic organizing campaigns, and today we're honoring one of these powerful yet lesser known activists whose story deserves to be told.

Emma Tenayuca was only 18 when she began organizing workers for the first time in San Antonio, Texas, in the 1930s, but even then she understood what a good wage could mean to the thousands of Mexican women keeping the city's pecan shelling thriving while they themselves lived in slums.

Her story shows that anyone, no matter your age or gender, can lead a mass movement for economic justice and gain the trust of workers when sticking to your principles and keeping their fight at the center of your heart.

Music from this episode by:

Mr Smith IMLC Blue Dot Sessions Greg Kerkelie

This episode kicks off the first in a series we hope to continue featuring SOAR (Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees) activists offering us their words of wisdom as the labor movement enters a time of great change and upheaval.

Today we speak with Nellie Caraballo, a former USW staff rep and public sector worker who is now a proud SOAR member, about the early challenges she endured on the job that ended with her stepping up in her local union and in her community.

She also reflects on what she learned about people during her organizing days, the hope she sees in the next generation, and her advice to them about the importance of fighting for positive social and economic change.

To learn more about SOAR, make sure to check out usw.org/soar.

California musician and activist Jonny Miller Jr. is continuing his ancestors' legacy by making his mark on the labor movement. He sings on picket lines, writes songs about the working class, and teaches the next generation about the importance of labor history.

In the latest episode of Solidarity Works, we talk with Jonny about his career, his love of labor, and the traditional connection between art and activism.

Learn more and buy Jonny's labor album, IE Songs, at https://jonnymillerjr.com/.