Posted on 09/02/21 by Michael Shields (he/him) in Work & Wages
This week marks the centennial of the Battle of Blair Mountain, where some 10,000 Appalachian mine workers joined together across race in the largest labor uprising in U.S. history. For a week in 1921, mine workers in West Virginia’s Mingo County fought a pitched battle against mine owners, hired mercenaries, and sympathetic local police departments to demand their right to form a union. They helped spark a vibrant union movement secured through hard-won protections for workers in the New Deal.
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Miners in Logan Co., WVA. Courtesy of the U.S. Library of Congress
Miners did grueling work in dangerous conditions, often lying... read more
Posted on 04/29/21 by Michael Shields (he/him) in Work & Wages
Working people have proved time and again that when they join together in a union, they have the power to win better pay, better working conditions and a chance at a decent life. Organized labor... read more
Posted on 10/08/20 by Zach Schiller (he/him) in Work & Wages
The union jobs at General Motors Corp.’s massive Lordstown assembly plant provided a good life to thousands of hardworking Ohioans. The plant anchored the Mahoning Valley. Ranked as the top GM North American plant for... read more
Posted on 09/15/20 by Michael Shields (he/him) in Work & Wages
Pandemic and recession setting back progress since Great Recession
Everyone deserves to be able to cover the basics, to build a life for themselves and their loved ones, regardless of race, gender or geography. New data... read more
Posted on 06/18/20 by Guest Writer in Work & Wages
Michelle Rose | Guest writer
Hard-working Ohioans – and all Americans – deserve to stand on equal footing with their employers, to be paid a fair return on their work, and to be treated with dignity.
If... read more
Posted on 05/06/20 by Guest Writer in Work & Wages
Brennan Grayson | Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center
During the COVID-19 pandemic, all working people performing “essential services” are laboring in and among biohazards that pose a significant public health risk. This includes volunteers at non-profits and... read more
Posted on 02/18/20 by Hannah Halbert (she/her) in Work & Wages
Hello Ohio. If you’ve followed Policy Matters for a while, you may know me as the policy liaison, the work and wages researcher, or project director. This week, I took on a new job. I... read more
Posted on 09/11/19 by Hannah Halbert (she/her) in Work & Wages
Yesterday the Census Bureau released the Current Population Survey (CPS) 2018 national income and poverty estimates, along with data from the Supplemental Poverty Measure, and limited state-level health insurance data from the American Community Survey... read more