The Smash Up Derby Podcast: Working Class Politics, Labor Unions, and Democratic Socialism

The third and final part of our interview with Prof. Rosemary Feurer about William Sentner, UE District 8, and radical unionism in the Midwest. In this episode, Sentner and the UE build a broad coalition with farmers, environmentalists and small business for worker-driven economic planning during and after the war, but this visionary initiative is defeated by red-baiting, and anti-communist purges by labor, business and government force Sentner out of leadership and eventually destroy UE District 8.

Part 2 of our interview with historian Rosemary Feurer about legendary St. Louis labor organizer William Sentner. In this episode, we talk about Sentner's role in organizing the electrical manufacturing industry in St. Louis into the UE, the gains UE made for African-American and women workers, and their practice of "radical unionism."

The first of several episodes in which we talk with historian Rosemary Feurer about legendary St. Louis labor organizer William Sentner. In this first episode, we learn about Sentner's early life and his role in the 1933 nut pickers strike, a successful strike led by Black women that gained widespread community support. Visit smashuppodcast.com for links to Prof. Feurer's book, Radical Unionism in the Midwest.

A re-edited, re-mixed and re-mastered version of Episodes 2 and 3: our interview with Terry Davis, long-time UE organizer, about a group of workers in Chicago who organized in the 70s to overcome racial division and an ineffective union.

We talk with John McKerley of the Iowa Labor History Oral Project (https://soundcloud.com/ilhop) about the 1970 teacher strike in Keokuk, Iowa, the role that strike played in winning public-sector collective bargaining in that state, and the recent attacks on Iowa public-sector workers. More links and photos at smashuppodcast.com.

We talk to Jane and Sergio, two young people who worked as "salts," or took jobs in the food service industry to help UNITE HERE organize. If you are interested in salting, email us at [email protected] and we'll put you in touch with folks who can help you.

In this teaser for episode 12, Sam and Jonathan talk about Joe Ricketts, and why bosses are such terrible human beings

We talk with Mia Giunta, a former union organizer who organized against the Klan and white supremacists in rural communities in Pennsylvania in the 1990s. Giunta talks about the importance of faith-based organizing and building a progressive political base using the cultural norms and values of the community, and the way in which the loss of good working-class jobs fueled the Klan's recruitment.

We talk to retired UPS worker and Teamster activist Dawn Stanger about the 1997 UPS strike, sum up our experiences at the DSA convention in Chicago, and introduce a new feature: People Smarter Than Us.

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) will be holding elections at their national convention next week. We talk to three candidates, discuss the various slates with our panel of union organizers, and Jonathan and Sam talk about lessons about fast organizational growth from history and the business world. Links to platforms and more information at smashuppodcast.com