[Preview] Feb 9, 2021 – State-Level Labor Law, Part II – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 349

Bill and Rachel examine what an 1842 Massachusetts court decision can tell us about the process of industrialization and the emergence of labor unions and what parallels we can draw for modern gig workers. Full episode for subscribers on Patreon.

[Unlocked] Feb 2, 2021 – Early US Rail Electrification (feat. Justin from WTYPP) – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 347

Bonus episode: Justin from “Well There’s Your Problem” joins Bill in our time machine to travel to the far-distant technologically-advanced United States in 1938, when the US was the global leader in railroad electrification. Subscribe at Patreon.

Notes for Ep. 347 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Bonus-AFD-Ep-347-Links-and-Notes-Early-US-Rail-Electrification-feat-Justin-from-WTYPP.pdf

Theme music by Stunt Bird.

Jan 31, 2021 – Floyd B. Olson and the 1934 Minneapolis Strike – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 346

Description: In 1930, Depression-era Minnesota elected friendly radical and syndicalist Floyd B. Olson as Governor. In 1934, he was forced to declare martial law to protect communist Teamsters from Minneapolis police and business militias. Bill and Rachel discuss.

Links and notes for Ep. 346 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/AFD-Ep-346-Links-and-Notes-The-1934-Minneapolis-Strike-and-Floyd-B-Olson.pdf

Theme music by Stunt Bird.

[Unlocked] Jan 26, 2021 – The 1948 Wall St Strike – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 345

Bonus episode: Bill and Rachel discuss the 1948 Wall Street strike by the United Financial Employees union, Wall Street’s first and only financial sector labor strike. Subscribe at Patreon.

Links and notes for Ep. 345 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/AFD-Ep-345-Links-and-Notes-1948-United-Financial-Employees-Wall-Street-Strike.pdf

Theme music by Stunt Bird.

Jan 24, 2021 – The 1934 West Coast ports strike – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 344

Description: In 1934, longshoremen along the entire US West coast emerged as a powerful force in organized labor, staging a general strike in San Francisco and unionizing every port on the coast. Kelley, Rachel, and Bill discuss.

Links and notes for Ep. 344 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/AFD-Ep-344-Links-and-Notes-The-1934-West-Coast-Longshoremens-Strike.pdf

Theme music by Stunt Bird.

[Unlocked] Jan 20, 2021 – Let’s talk about cans, baby – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 343

Unlocked bonus episode: US history textbooks often mention that one of the most recognizable features of the Second Industrial Revolution was the rise of consumer canned food goods. Why is that and why didn’t it happen earlier? Bill and Rachel. Subscribe on Patreon.

Links and notes for Ep. 343 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Bonus-AFD-Ep-343-Links-and-Notes-Lets-Talk-About-Cans-Baby-The-Invention-of-Double-Seam-Canning.pdf

Theme music by Stunt Bird.

Jan 17, 2021 – The West Coast Ports Lockout of 2002 – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 342

Description: It’s October 2002. Congress is debating the Iraq War Resolution. George W. Bush invokes the Taft-Hartley Act for the first time in decades to halt a lockout of West Coast longshoremen in a contract dispute over future automation. Bill, Rachel, Kelley.

Links and notes for Ep. 342 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/AFD-Ep-342-Links-and-Notes-The-West-Coast-Ports-Lockout-of-2002.pdf