With Labor Day around the corner, and 2023 on pace to be one of the most significant years for work stoppages in recent history, I spoke to Kim Kelly, an independent journalist, author, and organizer. Kim has been a regular labor columnist for Teen Vogue since 2018, and her writing on labor, class, politics, and culture has appeared in The New Republic, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, among many others.
Kim is also the author of Fight Like Hell, a book of intersectional labor history (now in paperback!). In her book, and in conversation, Kim chronicles the ups and downs of labor movements over the course of hundreds of years. A third-generation union member herself, Kim is an elected councilperson for the Writers Guild of America, and she also provides some helpful context on the ongoing writers and actors strike.
Why Labor’s Cause is Eternal