Labor activists, academics come together for symposia

More than 35 scholars and labor activists will convene at the University of Washington for Strikes! a series of lectures and symposia today through Saturday, organized by the UW Center for Labor Studies (CLS).

The conference coincides with the 80^th anniversary of the Seattle General Strike and the 65^th anniversary of the West Coast maritime strikes. The conference will examine the historical importance of the 1919 and 1934 general strikes, and also will consider how worker militancy and labor actions have changed in subsequent years, why such large-scale strikes no longer happen in the United States but do happen elsewhere, and how all this provides a context for understanding the contemporary and future labor movement.

In recent times there have been several high-profile strikes by unionized workers at Boeing, UPS and Kaiser Aluminum. In addition, the labor movement has supported efforts to organize low-wage agricultural and service workers; and creative new white collar organizing efforts among doctors, high-tech workers, and even university faculty and graduate student employees. At the same time Australia, Canada, South Korea and several parts of Africa have had strikes rivaling the size of 1919 and 1934.

The conference will explore several questions, including: How do we understand these recent actions in the context of labor’s longer history? How have changes in the global economy, the law, and politics transformed labor, labor organizations, and labor actions?

“Strikes!” is timed to coincide with the Henry Art Gallery’s showing of “Fish Story,” Allan Sekula’s photo exhibit documenting the transformation of work and the culture of waterfront workers in port cities around the world, and companion events at the UW Tacoma. Collaborating with the Henry and representatives of several prominent local unions, especially the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), the CLS took the lead in bringing all of these events to fruition.

“The Center for Labor Studies hopes to lead the way in reinvigorating what was once a very creative relationship among intellectuals, artists, and union folks,” said Professor Margaret Levi, Harry Bridges Chair and director of the CLS. “We believe this is an important means for making a very wide public sensitive to labor history and contemporary labor concerns.”

“Strikes!” consists of two lectures, three panel discussions, and eight smaller workshops, with speakers from a wide range of constituencies and content that underscores the links between the past, present, and future. One highlight of the conference is a Saturday afternoon talk by Sam Kagel, now 91 years old who sat with the longshoremen on the 1934 strike committee in San Francisco and spent many subsequent years as an arbitrator for the ILWU. He will spend an hour telling the dramatic story of 1934. In another high point, Jeremy Brecher, Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and author of “Strike!” will give a Friday evening lecture, “World Crisis and Worker Response: 1919 and 1999.”

The panel discussions on Thursday evening and on Saturday bring together academics and labor activists to cover three important subjects: “The Workers of the Waterfront: Historical and International Perspective,” “Equality Strikes: Labor Struggles with Inclusion from 1919 to Post-Affirmative Action,” and What is Happening to the Strike? Labor Action in the Global Economy.”

Partners involved in developing the “Strikes!” program include: UW Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest; Pacific Northwest Labor History Association; UW Canadian Studies; UW International Political Economy Colloquium; UW Center for West European Studies; UW Law School; UW Libraries; Henry Art Gallery; Kenneth S. Allen Library Endowment; Ernie Tanner Center; King County Labor Council, AFL-CIO; ILWU International and Locals 19, 52, and 98; Inland Boatmen’s Union; Washington Alliance of Technology Workers (WashTech); “Politics & Society”; and Scholars, Artists, and Writers for Social Justice (SAWSJ).

For additional information about the conference, call Ken Lang or Jessica Roach, Center for Labor Studies, 543-7946. ¶