Dig: Blue Collar Empire w/ Jeff Schuhrke
Jacobin Radio
Jacobin
4.7 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 4 April 2025
⏱️ 104 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Jeff Schuhrke on his book Blue Collar Empire: The Untold Story of US Labor’s Global Anticommunist Crusade. During the Cold War, organized labor’s top leadership acted as an agent of the US national security state abroad: undermining left-wing unions, fomenting right-wing coups, and promoting the US-led capitalist order. At home, those same forces destroyed left-wing unions and organizers. That history goes a long way in explaining the weakened, conservative, and ineffectual workers’ movement we still confront today.
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The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode of The Dig is brought to you by our listeners who support us at patreon.com and by |
| 0:06.6 | Haymarket Books. The far right ascends around the globe amid war and wildfires. The coming period |
| 0:14.1 | promises more and deeper crises, but also to ignite mass social movements with increasing frequency. |
| 0:21.6 | It's a crucial time for the left to come together and build durable organizations, |
| 0:27.6 | coalitions, and relationships. |
| 0:30.6 | At this critical juncture, the Socialism Conference, July 3rd through 6th in Chicago, |
| 0:36.6 | will be a vital gathering space for organizers |
| 0:39.9 | and activists to sharpen analysis, hone strategy, and build community. Featured speakers at Socialism |
| 0:48.3 | 2025 will include Boots Riley, Robin D.G. Kelly, Kim Tallbear, Dean Spade, Sarah Schulman, Calliakuno, Loria Garcia-Pena, Richard Seymour, Sophie Lewis, Jesse Higopian, Eric Blanc, Misha Frazierel, me, Daniel Denver, and many more. |
| 1:13.8 | The Socialism Conference is brought to you by Haymarket Books in partnership with |
| 1:18.7 | dozens of endorsing left-wing organizations and publications. |
| 1:23.0 | Visit socialismconference.org to learn more, and register by April 25th for the early bird |
| 1:30.8 | discounted rate. Hope to see you there. |
| 1:33.6 | Welcome to The Dig, a podcast from Jacobin Magazine. My name is Daniel Denver, and I'm broadcasting from Providence, Rhode Island. |
| 1:52.1 | Leftists, and even some liberals, frequently invoke the power of the labor movement to transform the world. |
| 1:58.4 | But at a moment when less than 10% of workers in the United States are unionized, |
| 2:03.0 | most Americans who hear this have to take it on faith. |
| 2:06.6 | Union power has been in free fall for close to half a century, |
| 2:10.1 | probably for the entire lives of most people listening to this. |
| 2:13.7 | Many of us, myself included, |
| 2:16.0 | have never personally witnessed a period of organized labor |
| 2:19.8 | strength in the United States. |
... |
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