The second session for 2024 of the Harry Bridges School of Labor was on Organizing Black Workers in the Formation of Industrial Unions. We review the history of Black workers in America leading up to the organizing drives for industrial unions. The class covers two organizing drives in particular: first the longshore workers of the West Coast then as the International Longshoreman’s Association into the International Longshoreman and Warehouseman Union. The second will be the organizing of tobacco workers at RJ Reynolds in Winston-Salem, NC with the Food, Tobacco, Agricultural and Allied Workers (FTA) Local 22.

The Harry Bridges School of Labor aims to educate the workers of America on the strength of unions and to foster a class-conscious workforce through Labor United Educational League. We aim to connect the struggles of the past with the struggles of today to empower the labor movement to transform from their present hopeless defensive fight into an aggressive attack upon Capital. We plan to empower workers with knowledge regardless of industry or type of work, bringing all workers to a class-oriented trade union movement.

To learn more, visit https://luel.us/ .

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
2:00 Section 1: Historical Background of Black Workers in America
14:05 Q&A 1
19:15 Section 2: Frank Jenkins and the ILWU
29:00 Q&A 2
31:35 Section 3: Organizing the Food, Tobacco, Agricultural, and Allied Workers Local 22
46:55 Q&A 3
51:35 Conclusion

The first session for 2024 of the Harry Bridges School of Labor was Part 2 of The History of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (C.I.O.): Organizing The Unorganized. We will review the aversion to Industrial Unionism withing the American Federation of Labor that ultimately lead to the formation of the C.I.O. We will also look briefly on the organizing of Industrial Unions in the late 20s and early 30s that predated the C.I.O., as well as the organizing during the period of the Committee of Industrial Organizations. Finally we will take a look at the first union to be granted a charter by the C.I.O.: The United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers (UE).

The Harry Bridges School of Labor aims to educate the workers of America on the strength of unions and to foster a class-conscious workforce through Labor United Educational League. We aim to connect the struggles of the past with the struggles of today to empower the labor movement to transform from their present hopeless defensive fight into an aggressive attack upon Capital. We plan to empower workers with knowledge regardless of industry or type of work, bringing all workers to a class-oriented trade union movement.

To learn more, visit https://luel.us/ .

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
2:00: Section 1: Buildup to the Great Depression, the NIRA, and the AFL's Response to Industrial Union Organizing
13:05 Q&A 1
17:00: Section 2: Organizing After the Passage of the NIRA and Under the Committee of Industrial Unions
27:55 Video - Little Steel Strike Memorial Day Massacre
29:45 Q&A 2
33:40 Section 3: The UE, the First Union Chartered by the CIO
42:20 Q&A 3
47:40 Conclusion

The eighth and final session for 2023 of the Harry Bridges School of Labor was on The Bootleg Coal Rebellion. Join us as we learn about the story of the struggle of Anthracite Miners in rural Pennsylvania of the 1920s and their methods of fighting back against mine closures. We will have Special Guest Mitch Troutman, author of the book The Bootleg Coal Rebellion.

The Harry Bridges School of Labor aims to educate the workers of America on the strength of unions and to foster a class-conscious workforce through Labor United Educational League. We aim to connect the struggles of the past with the struggles of today to empower the labor movement to transform from their present hopeless defensive fight into an aggressive attack upon Capital. We plan to empower workers with knowledge regardless of industry or type of work, bringing all workers to a class-oriented trade union movement.

To learn more, visit https://luel.us/ .

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
3:00 Video - "The March of Time" (Re-enactment Footage of Bootleg Miners)
9:10 Q&A
55:30 Conclusion

The seventh session of the Harry Bridges School of Labor was Part 1 of The History of the Congress of Industrial Organization (C.I.O.) We will review the earlier stages in the labor movement and how it lead to the idea of Industrial Unionism embodied in the formation of the C.I.O.

The Harry Bridges School of Labor aims to educate the workers of America on the strength of unions and to foster a class-conscious workforce through Labor United Educational League. We aim to connect the struggles of the past with the struggles of today to empower the labor movement to transform from their present hopeless defensive fight into an aggressive attack upon Capital. We plan to empower workers with knowledge regardless of industry or type of work, bringing all workers to a class-oriented trade union movement.

To learn more, visit https://luel.us/ .

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
2:00 Part 1: Early Origins
8:30 Q&A 1
10:55 Part 2: Difference Between AFL & IWW
14:15 Q&A 2
16:15 Part 3: The Immediate Precursor to the Formation of the CIO
24:15 Q&A
27:15 Conclusion

The sixth session of the Harry Bridges School of Labor was on The AFL-CIO Role in the Chilean Coup of 1973. The role the CIA played in the September 1973 military coup that installed a fascist dictatorship in Chile is well documented. Not as well known is the prominent role played by the AFL-CIO, through the CIA funded American Institute for Free Labor Development (AIFLD), now part of the AFL-CIO’s so-called “Solidarity Center”. We will go through an overview of AIFLD, plus look into the role they played in the leadup and during the coup.

The Harry Bridges School of Labor aims to educate the workers of America on the strength of unions and to foster a class-conscious workforce through Labor United Educational League. We aim to connect the struggles of the past with the struggles of today to empower the labor movement to transform from their present hopeless defensive fight into an aggressive attack upon Capital. We plan to empower workers with knowledge regardless of industry or type of work, bringing all workers to a class-oriented trade union movement.

To learn more, visit https://luel.us/ .

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
1:50 AIFLD - American Institute for Free Labor Development
8:45 Video - Steve Zeltzer Interview with Ruth Needleman
15:45 Q&A 1
24:50 Video Continued
30:30 AIFLD's Role Leading up to the September 11, 1973 Coup
38:20 Video Continued
43:20 Q&A 2
47:15 Conclusion

The fifth session of the Harry Bridges School of Labor was on Reaching Out to Conservative Workers Through Class-Oriented Trade Unionism. The trade union movement has been on the decline in the U.S. for the last half century. Many conservative workers view unions as pawns of the Democratic Party, while many liberal union members—especially leaders—view Republican workers as anti-labor. This has led to a failure to reach out to many workers who otherwise support the labor movement. This is why as class-oriented trade unionists it is important to not fall prey to the divide and conquer strategy that divides the working class. This session will be focused on bringing conservative workers back into a vibrant class-oriented trade union movement.

The Harry Bridges School of Labor aims to educate the workers of America on the strength of unions and to foster a class-conscious workforce through Labor United Educational League. We aim to connect the struggles of the past with the struggles of today to empower the labor movement to transform from their present hopeless defensive fight into an aggressive attack upon Capital. We plan to empower workers with knowledge regardless of industry or type of work, bringing all workers to a class-oriented trade union movement.

To learn more, visit https://luel.us/ .

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
1:50 Beginning of Slides
6:20 Video - Chris Smalls on Unity and Building Solidarity
7:50 Q&A 1
16:15 Class-Oriented Trade Unionism vs Business Unionism
21:40 Audio - Judi Bari Speaks on Organizing Timber Workers
25:20 Q&A 2
35:30 Video - Striking Kentucky Coal Miners vs State Police
38:40 Audio - The War at the Port of Longview, Washington and the ILWU
42:00 Q&A 3
46:30 Conclusion

This class covered the state of the Trade Union Movement in Ukraine in 2023. The trade union movement has been under attack in Ukraine since the Maidan coup of 2014. The class examines the role of the AFL-CIO in the coup through their partnership with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), known as The Solidarity Center. It also covers attacks after the coup, focusing on the House of Trade Unions massacre in Odessa on May 2, 2014.

The Harry Bridges School of Labor aims to educate the workers of America on the strength of unions and to foster a class-conscious workforce through Labor United Educational League. We aim to connect the struggles of the past with the struggles of today to empower the labor movement to transform from their present hopeless defensive fight into an aggressive attack upon Capital. We plan to empower workers with knowledge regardless of industry or type of work, bringing all workers to a class-oriented trade union movement.

To learn more, visit https://luel.us/ .

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
2:30 Part 1: The Role of the AFL-CIO in the Maidan Coup
6:50 Q&A 1
9:50 Part 2: Attacks on Trade Unions and Working People
11:10 Video - House of Trade Unions Massacre
23:10 Q&A 2
24:20 Part 3: Laws Passed/In Progress on Trade Union Rights in Ukraine
28:40 Q&A 3
43:00 Conclusion

The third session of the Harry Bridges School of Labor was on Internal Organizing. Internal Organizing is essential for all class-oriented trade unionists, as organizing doesn’t end when a union is established.

The Harry Bridges School of Labor aims to educate the workers of America on the strength of unions and to foster a class-conscious workforce through Labor United Educational League. We aim to connect the struggles of the past with the struggles of today to empower the labor movement to transform from their present hopeless defensive fight into an aggressive attack upon Capital. We plan to empower workers with knowledge regardless of industry or type of work, bringing all workers to a class-oriented trade union movement.

To learn more, visit https://luel.us/ .

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
1:00 History
7:15 The Contract
20:30 Membership
29:00 The Grievance
35:30 Q&A 1
41:00 Unity and its Discontents
51:00 The Interference of Liberal/Conservative Politics
54:00 Culture of Solidarity
57:20 Conclusion