An Apple+ executive inadvertently makes a strong argument for the importance of unions—the bosses will never cave unless they’re forced to.

“The only way writers will get more money or time or anything else is by getting what they want into a contract.” allyourscreens.com/en/component/k… This interview illuminates exactly how these C-suite bastards see us: disposable line items to be squeezed or crushed at will. That’s why WGA writers are striking.

“This is all just numbers for the studios. What's the least amount we can get away with paying for everything?

Librarians in Missouri fought back against a book ban and in response, Republican politicians are trying to defund the state’s entire public library system. kcur.org/politics-elect… “Republican House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith’s budget move… would cut all $4.5 million in state funding that libraries were slated to get next fiscal year.”

Solidarity with the librarians fighting against this cruel, shameful absurdity. stltoday.com/news/local/gov…

For my latest @TeenVogue column, I wrote a little bit about the horrors of occupational diseases. Many are equal opportunity destroyers, but throughout history, some—from radium jaw to breast cancer—have stalked women workers in particular teenvogue.com/story/occupati… During the 1938 pecan shellers’ strike in San Antonio, TX led by Emma Tenayuca, 12,000 workers (mostly Mexican & Mexican American women) walked out against wage cuts. Factory bosses tried to break them—and the pecan shell dust in the air tried to kill them teenvogue.com/story/occupati…

When I worked at Vice, my boss was outed as a sexual predator and was reported to HR and they did nothing :)

https://twitter.com/vice/status/1639276358453927941

I’ve got lots of stories. Never underestimate the quiet goth girl in the corner.

For @inthesetimesmag, I wrote about the women who nourished the longest strike in Alabama’s history. There is power in mutual aid, in sacrifice, in love, in resilience. There is power in a pantry. inthesetimes.com/article/there-… @inthesetimesmag For 23 months (and counting!) @MineWorkers auxiliary members like @HaedenWright, @Chast005, and @connie85415745 built and ran a sophisticated mutual aid operation while juggling work & family and supporting their striking spouses. Here's how they did it; inthesetimes.com/article/there-…

In honor of Bandcamp United, here are a few new releases I'm super stoked on—happy #BandcampFriday to one and all!

First, @LankumDublin's beautiful, bone-chilling new folk/drone opus; it's really like nothing else lankum.bandcamp.com/album/false-la… @LankumDublin The new @DawnRayd album, 'To Know the Light,' drops today and shows a real evolution in the band's grandiose take on black metal anarchy. I wrote all about it for @dbmagazine if you'd like to know exactly why it rules so hard decibelmagazine.com/2023/03/20/daw… dawnrayd.bandcamp.com/album/to-know-…

Coal miners in Alabama have been on strike for 600 days today, and it's thanks to the women—wives, mothers, daughters, retired miners—that the @MineWorkers have held out for so long. I wrote about these fierce granddaughters of Mother Jones for @Jezebel: bit.ly/3Enlu36 @MineWorkers @Jezebel The phrase “You don’t mess with a Southern mama" may sound like a Home Goods coffee mug, but it hits a lot different when it's coming from a coal miner's wife who woke up that morning ready to blockade a mine entrance and be hauled off to the county jail. bit.ly/3Enlu36

Let's stay in touch, okay? Find me:

🖤 Patreon (the best way to keep up with my articles & support my work!): bit.ly/2OQTr5A
🖤 IG: kimkellywriter
🖤 Mastodon: @kimkelly@mstdn.social
🖤 Email: kimkellywrites@gmail
🖤 My book: bit.ly/3CB9KZ2

Solidarity forever. As a lot of freelancers have been saying, if Twitter goes down, our livelihoods suffer. Twitter is where I share my work, promote my book, connect with editors, sources, other journalists, workers, activists, and organizers. We all know no corporate media outlet is gonna hire me.

Alabama was the last state to formally outlaw the practice of convict leasing—in 1928. A little less than a century later, they’ve finally finished the job. Very curious to see what happens next, and how this will impact currently incarcerated workers in the state.

https://twitter.com/ajplus/status/1590209448018337794

It’s great to see Alabama take this wildly overdue step, but they’re not the only place where prison slavery is legal. Incarcerated workers in six other states are paid *nothing* for their labor, and others are grossly underpaid. Thank the 13th Amendment. news.uchicago.edu/story/us-priso…

So I decided to vote because the situation in Pennsylvania is real fuckin dicey. I mailed in my ballot last week, but got a call today that there was an issue. Went to City Hall to fix it and this was the scene. Then cops kicked a bunch of people out of line so I guess that’s it? I am very much not an electoral guy but figured it was the least I could do while living in a so-called “purple state” with abortion on the ballot. Looks like my little vote won’t even count since I have a morning flight tomorrow so you win this round, electoralism

The American way of death has been evolving for decades, and now cremation is on the rise for a number of reasons (like cost, convenience, Covid-19). I spoke to some local funeral directors about how they're changing with the times for the @PhillyInquirer bit.ly/3FVfeSo @PhillyInquirer For some Philly funeral homes, cremation's increased popularity has become a financial issue. Without upgrades and embalming, profits are slim. “You can’t make but so much on a cremation,” said Rick Pinder of the Savin Funeral Home in North Philadelphia. bit.ly/3FVfeSo

For @BusinessInsider, I wrote about how Gen Z’s desire for change and refusal to accept poor treatment is breathing new life into the labor movement; thanks to @ILavelleThomas @EliseJoshi @lailaddaltonn @junshinHI @JonahFurman @rkgwork for their insights! businessinsider.com/how-gen-z-is-c… “I think my generation is finally starting to realize that it doesn't matter if you're in the food industry, retail, construction, healthcare, etc., we all deserve to have healthier working conditions." - @lailaddaltonn businessinsider.com/how-gen-z-is-c…

I just spent five months working on a (solicited!) essay about how unions are good for a big fancy publication, only to have it killed five days before it was supposed to run because it “felt too activist-y.” My brother in Christ, did you not Google me first What a weird week, your girl could really use a win right about now

The Warrior Met coal miners have been on strike for over 500 days, yet have gotten zero support from Republicans (who pretend to love coal miners) and hardly a whisper from the “pro-union” Democrats either. What gives?

An important piece from @JacobM_AL
inthesetimes.com/article/warrio… “The workers have been complaining about the silence of both sides of the aisle since it became clear that none of the politicians cared: The Republicans hate them because they’re union, and Democrats hate them because they’re coal miners.” inthesetimes.com/article/warrio…

BREAKING: Workers at the Star Garden Topless Dive Bar in Hollywood have filed a union recognition election petition with the @NLRB to join @ActorsEquity, an @AFLCIO affiliate with 51,000 members. If successful, Star Garden will become the only unionized strip club in the U.S. @NLRB @ActorsEquity @AFLCIO "We applaud their efforts to seize their collective power and unionize, like so many others across the country who are fed up with toxic workplaces," @ActorsEquity stated. "When they approached us for support, we did what unions should do: we said yes."

This is WILD. The @NLRB Region 10 board (which covers GA, KY, and Ala.) has ordered the @MineWorkers to pay $13.3 MILLION in costs to coal bosses Warrior Met, where workers have been on strike for the past 16 months. If upheld, this will hurt all U.S. workers’ ability to strike Coal bosses at Warrior Met are literally trying to charge the union for surveillance cameras and busses used to transport scabs across the picket line, as well as lost production. As @MineWorkers prez Cecil Roberts points out, that’s the whole POINT of a strike—to stop production

lotta weird journalism discourse happening on here again. it’s always telling to see fancy rich establishment voices punch down on younger journalists for daring to value themselves, and for carving out new career paths in a rapidly evolving industry that sees them as disposable the pampered fossilized journalism elite cannot to be expected to show real solidarity with less privileged media workers— it’s unfortunately a foreign concept to that genre of person—but you’d think they’d at least keep up with the news a little bit

The hearing is about to kick off, but @SenWarren and @SenSanders took a minute to greet @MineWorkers President Cecil Roberts (and Bernie was gifted some sweet UMWA gear) And we’re off! Follow along here:

https://twitter.com/grimkim/status/1494338985874784262?s=21

The @SBWorkersUnited unionization wave has hit Philly, with four stores going public (and hopefully more to come!). For @thenation, I spoke to two of the brave baristas leading the charge about why they're organizing, and why this fight matters so much bit.ly/3rQahmC @SBWorkersUnited @thenation Alexandra moved here from Indiana on a whim and got a job at Starbucks because she loves being a barista. But her excitement soured as she witnessed managements' reluctance to address serious workplace issues. Now, she's on the union organizing committee bit.ly/3rQahmC

Let's talk about the 1919 Elaine Massacre.

In Arkansas, hundreds of Black folks were murdered by white mobs in one of the bloodiest racial conflicts in U.S. history.

It was also one of the bloodiest labor conflicts in U.S. history.

It all started with a union meeting. 🧵 On September 30, 1919, 100 Black sharecroppers gathered in a local church to discuss the price of cotton. They had joined the Progressive Farmers Household Union and hired white lawyers to fight for raises for themselves and for the Black women who worked in domestic service.

.@NLRB Region 10 has dismissed @MineWorkers complaint against Warrior Met for attacking strikers on the picket line, citing “insufficient evidence.” There’s video & witnesses. UMWA prez Cecil Roberts witnessed an attack. My friend Amy got hit. What gives?
umwa.org/news-media/pre… There have been at least FIVE documented vehicular assaults on the UMWA picket line by Warrior Met employees. Victims have been hospitalized. The Alabama State Police, the Tuscaloosa or Jefferson County Sherriff’s Departments, and the City of Brookwood have all done nothing.