Billy Bragg, Lucy Dacus, Will Butler from Arcade Fire and other artists have been recruited by the Working Families Party for a new talk and performance series starting tomorrow, International Workers Day (May 1st), to raise awareness of the Protection of the rights to sharpen the law to organize (PRO Act). A number of other artists – including Toshi Reagon, Aloe Blacc, Thursday, Kyp Malone and Anti-Flag – will perform work songs as part of the ongoing Jammin ‘for Jobs series.
The events take place on the Working Families Party Instagram page. Programming begins tomorrow at 3 p.m. Eastern with a conversation between Billy Bragg and Sara Steffens, the secretary and treasurer of the Communications Workers of America. The conversation is followed by a conversation between Boston-based musician Anjimile and Darlene Lombos from the Greater Boston Labor Council. The full schedule for the lectures and performances will be published on Instagram in the coming days.
The PRO Act, for which President Joe Biden expressed his support earlier this week, would extend the decline in union membership in the United States and increase the protection of workers from interference by employers in collective bargaining. The bill was passed in the House of Representatives in March but is unlikely to be passed in the Senate due to the expected Republican filibustering.
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