Joe Clement hosts this Hot Labor Summer episode of the Old Mole.
Drug Decriminalization: Bill Resnick and Tera Hurst discuss the growing pains in Oregon's implementation of the first in the nation decriminalization of all illicit drugs including marijuana, methamphetamine and illicit painkillers and stimulants. Recently the Oregon Health Authority administering the law has been attacked for very slow rollout of the helping programs envisioned in the law, and also attacked the law itself for and also lack of the power to require the person apprehended with small amounts of the illicit drug to attend meetings to discuss the perils of the drugs. Tera Hurst is Director of the Oregon Health Justice Recovery Alliance that's working to ensure that Oregon's new law is fully implemented. Tera evaluates these attacks.
The Wobblies: Movie Moles Joe Clement and local wobbly Morgan Miller review the 1979 documentary "Wobblies". (Re-released earlier this year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0ruK6IQLWc) and remastered by theMuseum of Modern Art, Wobblies features interviews with members of the Industrial Workers of the World who were of working age in the 1910s and 1920s. Joe and Morgan appreciate these interviews, but criticize the film-makers editing and other choices.
You can watch the original version on (Youtube for free https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkJncBY0EUI)
Class Struggle Unionism: Here is a clip from the Class Struggle Unionism panel at the Labor Notes conference in Chicago 6/17-19. Joe Burns describes the principles of Class Struggle Unionism and what distinguishes the class struggle perspective from the business unions and labor liberals. The segment concludes with a few songs from the Great Labor Arts Exchange concert at the 2022 Labor Notes conference. You can watch the whole concert and several main sessions and panels through the (Labor Notes website https://labornotes.org/2022/06/videos-2022-labor-notes-conference).
- KBOO