It's a truism that organizers never really retire and Gene Bruskin proves it. After retiring in 2012 following a 37-year career as a union organizer, Bruskin has written a play called "Pray for the Dead-A Musical Tale of Morgues, Moguls and Mutiny." While the January 26 reading of the play has already filled up, there’s still space at the one on February 9th at the Theater on the Run, Arlington at 7:30p; free but you must reserve your seat(s). "I have called this 'theater for the 90%' because mainstream theater is not generally designed for the average wage worker," says Bruskin. "Theater has a unique power to impact an audience and I intend to get this play to unions and working class audiences. Our progressive movements need culture and I hope Pray for the Dead can make a contribution toward that goal." Click here to see a brief video about the project. The AFL-CIO on Wednesday launched a new online magazine called“By Our Hands.” The new publication will highlight the stories of working people and national figures, including sex advice columnist and gay rights activistDan Savage (right) on why he thinks unions are great. Other workers featured include locked-out ATI worker Guy Jones, cashier Lydia Flores and Audrey Knight on “How to live the modern American Dream by waitressing in a small seafood shack in order to pay off your student loans before you turn 40." AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka’s introduction says that “’By Our Hands’ seeks to bring together the timeless values of work and solidarity with emerging technologies to create a platform for storytelling.” Five union leaders in Cambodia were released from detention, with the assistance of the Solidarity Center, after being beaten and thrown in jail for trying to meet with striking garment factory workers seeking to improve their workplaces and wages. Meanwhile, forced labor and abusive working conditions in Malaysia include 16-hour days with no days off for a group of Nepali migrant workers toiling at a glass factory. Find out more at the Solidarity Center. photo courtesy Solidarity Center “Freedom is never given voluntarily by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
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