Ep 12: We go full Dobbs - The Minneapolis Teamsters' strike of 1934

Labour Days: a labour movement podcast

It's our first birthday, and after a year of frankly unseemly pleading, cajoling, and tantrum-throwing from Daniel, the Labour Days crew has finally allowed him, as a special birthday treat, to give a presentation about the 1934 Minneapolis teamsters' strike. It's a story that has it all: courageous action against the odds, pitched battles with the cops, and an abundance of lessons about how a core of dedicated activists in a given workplace or union can catalyse huge struggles that pose the question of class power. You can buy a copy of 'Teamster Rebellion', Farrell Dobbs's classic account of the strikes, direct from the publisher here: http://www.pathfinderpress.com/s.nl/it.A/id.658/.f We'd also recommend Bryan Palmer's article "Red Teamsters", in Jacobin magazine, as a good introduction: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2014/10/red-teamsters There are also a few shouts outs and bits of news in the episode, but rather than post them here, we'll just trust that you'll listen and make a note of them, as any diligent student of labour history should. The newsreel clip at the beginning can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m44DLk-IX1s See previous episode descriptions for copyright disclaimers.