Part 2 of our three-part podcast series about the organising campaign by the Industrial Workers of the World union at Starbucks in the 2000s, in conversation with Daniel Gross, one of the key organisers.
This part covers solidarity unionism and direct action on the job, tactics, and gains won by the workers. 
Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes without ads, bonus episodes, free and discounted merchandise and other content. Supporters also get access to two exclusive podcast series: Fireside Chats and Radical Reads. Join us or find out more at patreon.com/workingclasshistory
More

• Listen to all 3 parts now without ads, plus an exclusive bonus episode on Patreon.
• More information, sources, show notes and eventually a transcript on the webpage for this episode: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e121-123-iww-starbucks-workers-union/
• Get hold of books by Daniel Gross, including:

• • Labor Law for the Rank and Filer: Building Solidarity While Staying Clear of the Law – Staughton Lynd and Daniel Gross
  • Solidarity Unionism at Starbucks – Staughton Lynd and Daniel Gross
  • Unions of our Own – Daniel Gross
• Learn more about the IWW in our podcast series and in these books.
• Learn more about McDonald’s Workers’ Resistance in this bonus podcast episode, available on Patreon.
• Learn more about the Solidarity Union Network.
• Learn more about workplace organising in these organising guides.
• And, finally, learn about John’s experiences of organising at work in this bonus episode on Patreon.

Acknowledgements

• Thanks to our Patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Jazz Hands.
• Episode graphic: Starbucks Workers Union members, including Daniel, holding the sign, left, march down Union Square, NYC, 2007. Courtesy IWW.
• Our theme tune is Bella Ciao, thanks for permission to use it from Dischi del Sole. You can purchase it here or stream it here.
• Edited by Jesse French

Before the current wave of organising at Starbucks, another group of workers in the early 2000s got together and formed a union at one of the most anti-union corporations on earth. They won better pay and conditions, and laid the groundwork for the unionisation campaign today. Learn their story in this three-part podcast series in conversation with Daniel Gross, one of the key organisers.
Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes without ads, bonus episodes, free and discounted merchandise and other content. Supporters also get access to two exclusive podcast series: Fireside Chats and Radical Reads. Join us or find out more at patreon.com/workingclasshistory
More

• Part 1: Background about Starbucks, workers’ pay and conditions, the Industrial Workers of the World union, how the organising got started, and the legal avenues the IWW pursued. Available without ads for our supporters on Patreon.
• Listen to all 3 parts now without ads, plus an exclusive bonus episode on Patreon.
• More information, sources, show notes and eventually a transcript on the webpage for this episode: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e121-123-iww-starbucks-workers-union/
• Get hold of books by Daniel Gross, including:

• • Labor Law for the Rank and Filer: Building Solidarity While Staying Clear of the Law – Staughton Lynd and Daniel Gross
  • Solidarity Unionism at Starbucks – Staughton Lynd and Daniel Gross
  • Unions of our Own – Daniel Gross
• Learn more about the IWW in our podcast series and in these books.
• Learn more about McDonald’s Workers’ Resistance in this bonus podcast episode, available on Patreon.
• Learn more about the Solidarity Union Network.
• Learn more about workplace organising in these organising guides.
• And, finally, learn about John’s experiences of organising at work in this bonus episode on Patreon.

Acknowledgements

• Thanks to our Patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Jazz Hands.
• Episode graphic: Starbucks Workers Union members, including Daniel, holding the sign, left, march down Union Square, NYC, 2007. Courtesy IWW.
• Our theme tune is Bella Ciao, thanks for permission to use it from Dischi del Sole. You can purchase it here or stream it here.
• Edited by Jesse French

Fireside Chat podcast available exclusively for our Patreon supporters we invited back Tomas Rothaus (from our Argentina 2001 episodes) to discuss football, politics, and the chaotic mess of the World Cup in Donald Trump's USA.

Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes, ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, free and discounted merchandise and other content. Join us or find out more at patreon.com/workingclasshistory

Recorded before the competition started,we discussed the many contradictions of being a radical football fan, the excitement of attending previous World Cups, the way various authoritarian regimes have utilised football for their own ends, and the many players and managers (past and present) who have believed in fairer society for all.

Listen to the full 92-minute episode here:

• E124: Fireside Chat - World Cup of Chaos – Available exclusively for our supporters on Patreon

More information

• Get a copy of Tomas' book, Argentina, a Tale of Two Utopias: Anarchism, Soccer, Neoliberalism
  • You can also get Tomas’ other book, Another War Is Possible: Militant Anarchist Experiences in the Antiglobalization Era
• Check out our other books about football and politics in our online store
• More football related merch

Acknowledgements

• Thanks to our Patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Fellow Worker and Jazz Hands.
• Edited by Jesse French
• Our theme tune is Montaigne’s version of the classic labour movement anthem, ‘Bread and Roses’, performed by Montaigne and Nick Harriott, and mixed by Wave Racer. Download the song here, with all proceeds going to Medical Aid for Palestinians. More from Montaigne: website, Instagram, YouTube.

You can listen to all of our Patreon-exclusive podcast episodes by joining us on Patreon at patreon.com/workingclasshistory

Bonus episode for our three-part miniseries about the UK’s 1926 general strike, in collaboration with the General Strike 100 project and told using interviews with striking workers themselves.

In this episode, East London dock worker, Harry Watson, talks about life and work on the docks around the time of the general strike as well as the split of skilled dock workers away from the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes without ads, bonus episodes, two exclusive podcast series – Fireside Chats and Radical Reads – as well as free and discounted merchandise and other content. Join us or find out more at patreon.com/workingclasshistory

• Listen to the whole exclusive bonus episode without ads by joining us on Patreon. As well as more from Harry, it also includes Betty Harrison who recounts her experience of the 1925 textile workers' strike: https://www.patreon.com/posts/e120-1-1926-155633267
• Listen to our exclusive music bonus episode where we explain the history behind the theme song used for this series (recorded for us by award-winning artist, Montaigne)

More info

• Find out about events to commemorate the strike in your area (and beyond!) on the General Strike 100 website
  • You will also find dozens of stories about incidents which took place during the strike in cities, towns, and villages across the UK
• Get a copy of our interviewee, Judy Cox’s Revisiting the General Strike of 1926: When Workers Were Ready To Dare
• More information including sources, further reading, images and soon a transcript available on the webpage for this episode: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e119-121-1926-general-strike/

Acknowledgements

• Thanks to our Patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Jazz Hands and Fellow Worker.
• Episode graphic: traffic on Westminster Bridge as a result of public transport being shut down. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
• Our theme tune for this preview is Montaigne’s version of the classic labour movement anthem, ‘Bread and Roses’, performed by Montaigne and Nick Harriott, and mixed by Wave Racer. Download the song here, with all proceeds going to Medical Aid for Palestinians. More from Montaigne: website, Instagram, YouTube.
• Edited by Jesse French

The final of our three-part miniseries about the UK’s 1926 general strike, which saw one and three-quarter million workers walk out in the biggest single work stoppage in British history. In collaboration with the General Strike 100 project and told using interviews with striking workers themselves.

In this episode, we look at state repression against the strike, the capitulation of union leaders, and the victimisation of strikers and months-long lockout of the miners after the end of the general strike.

Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes without ads, bonus episodes, two exclusive podcast series – Fireside Chats and Radical Reads – as well as free and discounted merchandise and other content. Join us or find out more at patreon.com/workingclasshistory

• Listen to our bonus episode to hear more from two participants in the general strike, exclusively on Patreon
• Listen to our bonus mini-episode where we explain the history behind the theme song used for this series

More info

• Find out about events to commemorate the strike in your area (and beyond!) on the General Strike 100 website
  • You will also find dozens of stories about incidents which took place during the strike in cities, towns, and villages across the UK
• Get a copy of our interviewee, Judy Cox’s Revisiting the General Strike of 1926: When Workers Were Ready To Dare
• More information including sources, further reading, images and soon a transcript available on the webpage for this episode: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e119-121-1926-general-strike/

Acknowledgements

• Thanks to our Patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Jazz Hands and Fellow Worker.
• Episode graphic: lorry loaded with petrol escorted by mounted policeas workers watch by the side of the road in London. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
• Our theme tune for this episode is Montaigne’s version of ‘When the Coal Comes from the Rhonda’, a folk song originating from Welsh miners in the early twentieth century and sung during the general strike. Download the song here. More from Montaigne: website, Instagram, YouTube.
• Edited by Jesse French

Part 2 of our three-part miniseries about the UK’s 1926 general strike, which saw one and three-quarter million workers walk out in the biggest single work stoppage in British history. In collaboration with the General Strike 100 project and told using interviews with striking workers themselves.

In this episode, we go into the action of the strike itself, the self-activity of the 'Councils of Action', and first-hand accounts of clashes between workers, scabs, and police.

Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes without ads, bonus episodes, two exclusive podcast series – Fireside Chats and Radical Reads – as well as free and discounted merchandise and other content. Join us or find out more at patreon.com/workingclasshistory

• Listen to Part 3 now (without ads) by joining us on Patreon
• Listen to our bonus episode to hear more from two participants in the general strike, exclusively on Patreon
• Listen to our bonus mini-episode where we explain the history behind the theme song used for this series

More info

• Find out about events to commemorate the strike in your area (and beyond!) on the General Strike 100 website
  • You will also find dozens of stories about incidents which took place during the strike in cities, towns, and villages across the UK
• Get a copy of our interviewee, Judy Cox’s Revisiting the General Strike of 1926: When Workers Were Ready To Dare
• More information including sources, further reading, images and a transcript available on the webpage for this episode: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e119-121-1926-general-strike/

Acknowledgements

• Thanks to our Patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Jazz Hands and Fellow Worker.
• Episode graphic: Strikers and their supporters in the Poplar district around the East London docks (where Harry Watson, one of the speakers in our series, was on strike). Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
• Our theme tune for this episode is Montaigne’s version of ‘When the Coal Comes from the Rhonda’, a folk song originating from Welsh miners in the early twentieth century and sung during the general strike. Download the song here. More from Montaigne: website, Instagram, YouTube.
• Edited by Jesse French

First of our three-part miniseries about the UK’s 1926 general strike, which saw one and three-quarter million workers walk out in the biggest single work stoppage in British history. In collaboration with the General Strike 100 project and told using interviews with striking workers themselves.

Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes without ads, bonus episodes, two exclusive podcast series – Fireside Chats and Radical Reads – as well as free and discounted merchandise and other content. Join us or find out more at patreon.com/workingclasshistory

• Listen to Part 2 and Part 3 now (without ads) by joining us on Patreon
• Listen to our bonus episode to hear more from two participants in the general strike, exclusively on Patreon

More info

• Find out about events to commemorate the strike in your area (and beyond!) on the General Strike 100 website
  • You will also find dozens of stories about incidents which took place during the strike in cities, towns, and villages across the UK
• Get a copy of our interviewee, Judy Cox’s Revisiting the General Strike of 1926: When Workers Were Ready To Dare
• More information including sources, further reading, images and soon a transcript available on the webpage for this episode: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e119-121-1926-general-strike/

Acknowledgements

• Thanks to our Patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Jazz Hands and Fellow Worker.
• Episode graphic: car overturned in London during the general strike. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
• Our theme tune for this episode is Montaigne’s version of ‘When the Coal Comes from the Rhonda’, a folk song originating from Welsh miners in the early twentieth century and sung during the general strike. Download the song here. More from Montaigne: website, Instagram, YouTube.
• Edited by Jesse French

Preview extract of our bonus episode about state and political violence in Argentina (and beyond). Part of our miniseries on the 2001 Argentina uprising, which toppled the government, and saw the spread of neighbourhood assemblies and factories taken over by workers. In conversation with Tomas Rothaus, a participant in the uprising and author of Argentina, a Tale of Two Utopias.

Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes without ads, bonus episodes, two exclusive podcast series – Fireside Chats and Radical Reads – as well as free and discounted merchandise and other content. Join us or find out more at patreon.com/workingclasshistory

• Listen to the whole exclusive bonus episode without ads by joining us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/e116-1-argentina-151087148 

More info

• Get Tomas’ book: Argentina, a Tale of Two Utopias: Anarchism, Soccer, Neoliberalism
  • Also check out Tomas’ other book, Another War Is Possible: Militant Anarchist Experiences in the Antiglobalization Era
• Check out more books about football and politics in our online store
• More info, such as further reading, a video documentary, sources and (soon) a full transcript for the main episodes, are available on the webpage for this episode: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e115-116-argentina-uprising-2001/

Acknowledgements

• Thanks to our Patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Jazz Hands.
• Episode graphic: pictures of those disappeared during Argentina's 'Dirty War'. Credit: Giselle Bordoy WMAR/Wikimedia Commons.
• Our theme tune is Bella Ciao, thanks for permission to use it from Dischi del Sole. You can purchase it here or stream it here.
• Edited by Jesse French

Fireside Chat podcast available exclusively for our Patreon supporters where we make fun of Trump’s absurd text to the Norwegian Prime Minister, and what it means for the rest of the world that the US President is a half-witted narcissist.
Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes, ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, free and discounted merchandise and other content. Join us or find out more at patreon.com/workingclasshistory
When Trump’s letter to the Norwegian PM came out, we all thought it was extremely funny. And, at WCH, we thought we’d try to produce some newsy/current affairs style content for a change.
As you can see, we failed. The news cycle proved too fast for us, and we’ve basically just made another history episode (albeit about more recent history than usual!).Regardless, we’ve decided to release it anyway. So tune in to listen as Matt and John make fun of everything from Trump’s punctuation and grammar, to his anti-colonial Marxist reasoning for the US takeover of Greenland. Plus, what it means to have a fascist leader in such an obvious state of cognitive decline.
Listen to the full episode here:

• E117: Fireside Chat – Trump’s letter to Norway – Available exclusively for our supporters on Patreon

Acknowledgements

• Thanks to our Patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Jazz Hands.
• Edited by Jesse French
• Our theme tune is Montaigne’s version of the classic labour movement anthem, ‘Bread and Roses’, performed by Montaigne and Nick Harriott, and mixed by Wave Racer. Download the song here, with all proceeds going to Medical Aid for Palestinians. More from Montaigne: website, Instagram, YouTube.

You can listen to all of our Patreon-exclusive podcast episodes by joining us on Patreon at patreon.com/workingclasshistory

Part 2 of a double episode about the 2001 uprising in Argentina, which toppled the government, and saw the spread of neighbourhood assemblies and factories taken over by workers. In conversation with Tomas Rothaus, a participant in the uprising and author of Argentina, a Tale of Two Utopias: Anarchism, Soccer, Neoliberalism.

Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes without ads, bonus episodes, two exclusive podcast series – Fireside Chats and Radical Reads – as well as free and discounted merchandise and other content. Join us or find out more at patreon.com/workingclasshistory

• Listen to our bonus episode about Argentine football culture, exclusively on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/e115-1-football-149318192
• Listen to our bonus episode on Argentine politics and the anti-globalisation movement, exclusively on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/e116-1-argentina-151087148

More info

• Get Tomas’ book: Argentina, a Tale of Two Utopias: Anarchism, Soccer, Neoliberalism
  • Also check out Tomas’ other book, Another War Is Possible: Militant Anarchist Experiences in the Antiglobalization Era
• Check out more books about football and politics in our online store
• More info, such as further reading, a video documentary, sources and (soon) a full transcript for the main episodes, are available on the webpage for this episode: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e115-116-argentina-uprising-2001/

Acknowledgements

• Thanks to our Patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Jazz Hands.
• Episode graphic: protester in front of the Buenos Aires Obelisk, 20 December 2001. Public domain/Wikimedia Commons.
• Our theme tune is Bella Ciao, thanks for permission to use it from Dischi del Sole. You can purchase it here or stream it here.
• Edited by Jesse French