Labor Day – Voices from the Past Call Out to Us

EHST will celebrate Labor Day by showing the documentary film “The Wobblies,” about the founding of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in 1905, in the  time of a widening economic chasm between industrial giants and downtrodden workers.  The IWW was the only union in its time that was open to all workers, regardless of gender or ethnicity.   The film will be introduced by Greta Dorfman, whose uncle, Sam Krieger, was a laborer who later became an organizer, and whose interview appears in the film.

Songwriter, itinerant laborer , and union organizer Joe Hill was martyred when he was killed by a firing squad in Utah after being found guilty of murder based  mainly on sketchy witness testimony.  An appeal to the Utah Supreme Court was unsuccessful.  Orrin Hilton, the lawyer representing Hill during the appeal, declared: “The main thing the state had on Hill was that he was a member of the IWW, and therefore sure to be guilty.   Hill tried to keep [the IWW] out of the trial, but the press fastened it upon him.”  Joe Hill wrote many songs.   Several renditions of the song which is the moving testament to his memory have been recorded, including by Paul Robeson,  Joan Baez,  Pete Seeger, and a modern version by Bruce Springsteen.

This song about the IWW, “Solidarity Forever,” was written by Ralph Chaplin in 1915, and has been recorded by many famous folksingers, including Utah Phillips and Pete Seeger.  It is sung here by Leonard Cohen.

Due to the length of the film, a discussion of its impact and our impressions, and how it affects us today (including giving those who are against a pro-labor position an opportunity to state their opinions), will be held one week later, at our regular meeting on Sunday, September 10th.