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Nov 24, 2024 | 
portside.org | Keith Kelleher
How Black Workers Challenged the Mafia Published November 24, 2024 Melrose Linen was a hellhole in 1980. A large commercial laundry surrounded by cemeteries in the industrial wastelands of the northeast side of Detroit, serving the city’s elite hotels, restaurants, and factories; turning out truckloads of clean tablecloths, napkins, sheets, towels, uniforms, and all manner of linen daily.
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May 28, 2024 | 
popularresistance.org | Keith Kelleher
A follow-up to “How Four Black Women Changed Labor Organizing Forever”. This article captures the contract fight that followed and the genius and fortitude required to create one of the most important unions in U.S. history.
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May 27, 2024 | 
portside.org | Keith Kelleher
Organizing One of the Largest Black Led Unions in the United States Published May 27, 2024 McMaid workers, led by Irma Sherman, Doris Gould, Juanita Hill, and Mary Williamson, transformed labor organizing by successfully unionizing homecare workers in Chicago in 1984, setting the groundwork for the largest union in the Midwest, and catalyzing the organizing of a field predominately staffed by working-class Black and brown women.
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May 21, 2024 | 
forgeorganizing.org | Keith Kelleher |Bill Fletcher Jr. |Andrew Willis Garces |Claire Haas
A follow-up to “How Four Black Women Changed Labor Organizing Forever”, this article captures the contract fight that followed and the genius and fortitude required to create one of the most important unions in U.S. history.
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Mar 12, 2024 | 
forgeorganizing.org | Andrew Willis Garces |Gabrielle M. Rejouis |Dave Kamper |Keith Kelleher
The Craft of Campaigns podcast, by Training for Change, highlights stories and lessons from issue-based action campaigns. In each episode, we interview organizers about how a campaign unfolded, strategy decisions, and lessons for our current moment. Read the writeup below and find full episodes here, including on your favorite podcast platform.
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Mar 4, 2024 | 
wdiy.org | Keith Kelleher
Keith Kelleher welcomes WDIY's retiring Executive Director, Greg Capogna, into the studio select three of his favorite songs to play and reflect on some of his experiences from 50+ years in the radio industry. Playlist:The Guess Who - Rain Dance - So Long, Bannatyne (1971) - RCA RecordsBlue Öyster Cult - "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll" - Blue Öyster Cult (1972) - Columbia Records David Bowie - "Heroes" - Heroes (1977) - RCA RecordsListen to the full songs below. (Original air-date: 2/28/2024)
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Feb 27, 2024 | 
forgeorganizing.org | Dave Kamper |Keith Kelleher |Daniel Judt
Two and a half years in, Starbucks workers have made a breakthrough. Buried in the stilted prose of the announcement is a historic victory.
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Feb 27, 2024 | 
forgeorganizing.org | Keith Kelleher |Dave Kamper |Daniel Judt |Arlene Inouye
40 years ago in Chicago, McMaid workers sparked a movement. Forty years ago, Irma Sherman and the over 150 homecare workers employed by “McMaid” (Yes, McMaid really was the name of the company) decided they’d had enough of low wages and no benefits and began to organize their union with United Labor Unions (ULU) Local 880, a small, independent union founded by ACORN, the national community organization.
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Feb 20, 2024 | 
popularresistance.org | Keith Kelleher
Above photo: Irma Sherman, Chair of McMaid Workers Organizing Committee. Forty years ago in Chicago, McMaid workers sparked a movement. Forty years ago, Irma Sherman and the over 150 homecare workers employed by “McMaid” (Yes, McMaid really was the name of the company) decided they’d had enough of low wages and no benefits and began to organize their union with United Labor Unions (ULU) Local 880, a small, independent union founded by ACORN, the national community organization.
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Feb 20, 2024 | 
znetwork.org | Keith Kelleher
Forty years ago, Irma Sherman and the over 150 homecare workers employed by “McMaid” (Yes, McMaid really was the name of the company) decided they’d had enough of low wages and no benefits and began to organize their union with United Labor Unions (ULU) Local 880, a small, independent union founded by ACORN, the national community organization.
