1. |
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I pray dear Lord for Jesus' sake,
Give us this day a T-Bone Steak,
Hallowed be thy Holy name,
But don’t forget to send the same.
Oh, hear my humble cry, Oh Lord,
And send us down some decent board,
Brown gravy and some German fried,
With sliced tomatoes on the side.
Observe me on my bended legs,
I’m asking you for Ham and Eggs,
And if thou havest custard pies,
I like, dear Lord, the largest size.
Oh, hear my cry, All Mighty Host,
I quite forgot the Quail on Toast,
Let your kindly heart be stirred,
And stuff some oysters in that bird.
Dear Lord, we know your Holy wish,
On Friday we must have a fish,
Our flesh is weak and spirit stale,
You better make that fish a whale.
Oh, hear me Lord, remove these “Dogs,”
These sausages of powder’d logs,
Your bull beef hash and bearded Snouts.
Take them to hell or thereabouts.
With Alum bread and Pressed-Beef butts,
Dear Lord you damn near ruin’d my guts,
Your white-wash milk and Oleorine,
I wish to Christ I’d never seen.
Oh, hear me Lord, I am praying still,
But if you won’t, our union will,
Put pork chops on the bill of fare,
And starve no workers anywhere.
I am happy to say this prayer has been answered—by the “old man” himself. He tells me He has furnished—plenty for all—and that if I am not getting mine it’s because I am not organized SUFFICIENTLY strong to force the master to loosen up.
He tells me he has no knowledge on Dogs, Pressed-Beef Butts, etc., and that they probably are products of the Devil. He further informs me the Capitalists are children of Hisn—and that He absolutely refuses to participate in any children’s squabbles. He believes in letting us fight it out along the lines of Industrial Unionism.
Yours in faith,
T-BONE SLIM.
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2. |
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Would you have freedom from Wage slavery,
Then join in the grand Industrial band;
Would you from mis'ry and hunger be free,
Then come, do your share, lend a hand.
There is pow'r there is pow'r in a band of workingmen,
When they stand hand in hand,
That's a pow'r, that's a pow'r
That must rule in every land—
One Industrial Union Grand.
Would you have mansions of gold in the sky,
and live in a shack, way in the back?
Would you have wings up in heaven to fly,
And starve here with rags on your back?
If you've had 'nuff of the "blood of the lamb"
Then join in the grand industrial band;
If, for a change, you would have eggs and ham,
Then come, do your share, like a man.
If you like sluggers to beat off your head,
Then don't organize, all unions despise.
If you want nothing before you are dead,
Shake hands with your boss and look Wise.
Come, all ye workers, from every land,
Come, join in the grand industrial band;
Then we our share of this earth shall demand.
Come on! Do your share, lend a hand.
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3. |
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Come all you good workers, good news to you I'll tell
Of how the good ol' union is coming here to dwell
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
My daddy was a miner now he's in the air and sun
but he'll stick with the union 'til every battle's won
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
They say in Harlan County there are no neutrals there
You'll either be a union man or a thug for J. H. Blair
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Oh workers can you stand it? Oh tell me how you can
Will you be a lousy scab or will you take a stand?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Don't scab for the bosses, don't listen to their lies
Us poor folks haven't got a chance unless we organize
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Tell me
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
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4. |
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Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living,
Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living,
Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living,
We gotta keep giving to the living, fight like hell!
Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the contract,
Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the contract,
Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the contract,
We gotta keep givin’ and livin’, fight like hell!
Pray for the dead and keep on a-movin’ and a-shakin’,
Pray for the dead and keep on a-movin’ and a-shakin’,
Pray for the dead and keep on a-movin’ and a-shakin’,
We gotta keep givin’ to the livin’, fight like hell!
Pray for the dead and keep on organizing,
Pray for the dead and keep on organizing,
Pray for the dead and keep on organizing,
We gotta keep givin’ to the livin’, fight like hell!
Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living,
Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living,
Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living,
We gotta keep giving to the living, fight like hell!
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5. |
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Porque los pobres no tienen
Adonde volver la vista
La vuelven hacia los cielos
Con la esperanza infinita
De encontrar lo que su hermano
En este mundo le quita
¡Palomita!
¡Qué cosas tiene la vida
Ay zambita!
Porque los pobres no tienen
Adonde volver la voz
La vuelven hacia los cielos
Buscando una confesión
Ya que su hermano no escucha
La voz de su corazón
Porque los pobres no tienen
En este mundo esperanzas
Se amparan en la otra vida
Como a una justa balanza
Por eso las procesiones
Las velas, las alabanzas
De tiempos inmemoriales
Que se ha inventado el infierno
Para asustar a los pobres
Con sus castigos eternos
Y el pobre, que es inocente
Con su inocencia creyendo
El cielo tiene las riendas
La tierra y el capital
Y a los soldados del Papa
Les llena bien el morral
Y al que trabaja le meten
La gloria como un bozal
Para seguir la mentira
Lo llama su confesor
Le dice que Dios no quiere
Ninguna revolución
Ni pliegos ni sindicatos
Que ofende su corazón
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6. |
vc rain - 4hr day
06:48
|
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Gone are the days when the master class could say,
"We'll work you long hours for little pay;
Well work you all day and half the night as well."
But I hear the workers' voices saying, "You will, like hell!'
Chorus
We're going, we're going to take a four hour day.
We surely will surprise the boss some First of May.
Now working folk, it's up to you to say
If you want a general four hour day.
As soon as you are ready, we are with you heart and hand.
All you have to do is join our Union Grand.
Now working folk, we are working far too long;
That's why we've got this vast unemployed throng.
Give every worker a chance to work each day;
Let's join together and to the boss all say:
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7. |
||||
Un du akerst un du zeyst,
Un du fiterst un du neyst.
Un du hamerst un du shpinst
Zog, mayn folk, vos du fardinst?
You plow the fields and sow the grain,
bending all your clothes again
after work there's still chores to do
oh my dear whats left for you
Kling-klang, kling-klang!
Klapt der hamer mit zayn gezang!
Kling-klang, kling-klang!
Tserayst di keytn fun shklafn-tsvang!
Vebst dayn vebshtul tog un nakht,
Grobst undz ayzn fun der shakht,
Brengst di shefe undz arayn,
Ful mit tvue un mit vayn.
You weave your loom both night and day
and dig the iron from the clay
the grain and wine we harvest here
abundance throughout the year
Kling-klang, kling-klang...
Nor vu iz dayn tish gegreyt?
Nor vu iz dayn yontef kleyd?
Nor vu iz dayn sharfe shverd?
Velkhes glik iz dir bashert?
So where is your table set?
And where is your best outfit?
And where is your sharpened sword?
Bashert, the joy is yours.
We make these treasures,
but not to keep
instead we wear these chains and weep
Shafst undz oytsres on a shiyer,
Altsding - nor nit far dir;
Un far zikh hostu in noyt
Nor geshmidt a shvere keyt.
Kling-klang, kling-klang...
Un du hamerst un du shpinst
Zog, mayn folk, vos du fardinst?
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8. |
||||
In 1649
To St. George's Hill
A ragged band they called the Diggers
Came to show the people's will
They defied the landlords
They defied the laws
They were the dispossessed
Reclaiming what was theirs
"We come in peace," they said
"To dig and sow
We come to work the lands in common
And to make the waste grounds grow
This earth divided
We will make whole
So it will be
A common treasury for all
The sin of property
We do disdain
No man has any right to buy and sell
The earth for private gain
By theft and murder
They took the land
Now everywhere the walls
Spring up at their command
They make the laws
To chain us well
The clergy dazzle us with heaven
Or they damn us into hell
We will not worship
The God they serve
The God of greed who feeds the rich
While poor men starve
We work we eat together
We need no swords
We will not bow to the masters
Or pay rent to the lords
We are free men
Though we are poor
You Diggers all stand up for glory
Stand up now
From the men of property
The orders came
They sent the hired men and troopers
To wipe out the Diggers' claim
Tear down their cottages
Destroy their corn
They were dispersed
But still the vision lingers on
You poor take courage
You rich take care
This earth was made a common treasury
For everyone to share
All things in common
All people one
"We come in peace - "
The orders came to cut them down
|
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9. |
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Your bulldozers rolling through my part of town
The iron ball swings and knocks it all down
You knocked down my flophouse and knocked down my bars
Black-topped it over to park all your cars
And where will I go and where can I stay?
You knocked down the skid row and hauled it away
I'll flag a fast rattler and ride it on down, boys
They're running the bums out of town
Old Maxie the tailor is closing his doors
There ain't nothing left in the secondhand stores
You knocked down my hock shop and the big Harbor Lights
The old Chinese cafe that was open all night
And where will I go and where can I stay?
You knocked down the skid row and hauled it away
I'll flag a fast rattler and ride it on down, boys
They're running the bums out of town
You ran out the hookers who worked on the street
But built a new club where the playboys can meet
My bookie joint closed when your cops made a raid
But you built a new hall for the stock market trade
And where will I go and where can I stay?
You knocked down the skid row and hauled it away
I'll flag a fast rattler and ride it on down, boys
They're running the bums out of town
These little storekeepers they don't have a chance
With the big uptown bankers a-calling the dance
With their suit-and-tie restaurants that's all owned by geeks
And the counterfeit hippies and their plastic boutiques
And where will I go and where can I stay?
You knocked down the skid row and hauled it away
I'll flag a fast rattler and ride it on down, boys
They're running the bums out of town
Now I'm finding out there's just one kind of war
It's the one going on 'tween the rich and the poor
I guess that I don't know a lot about class
But the upper and middle can all kiss my ass
And where will I go and where can I stay?
You knocked down the skid row and hauled it away
I'll flag a fast rattler and ride it on down, boys
They're running the bums out of town
|
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10. |
||||
Who will remember, the hands so white and fine
That touched the finest linen that poured the finest wine?
Who will remember, the gentle words they spoke
To name the lives of two good men, a nuisance or a joke
And all who know these two good arms
Know I never had to rob or kill
I can live by my own two hands and live well
And all my life I have struggled
To rid the earth of all such crimes.
Who will remember Judge Webster Thayer
One hand on the gavel, the other resting on the chair.
Who will remember the hateful words he said
Speaking to the living in the language of the dead.
All who know these two good arms
Know I never had to rob or kill
I can live by my own two hands and live well
And all my life I have struggled
To rid the earth of all such crimes.
Who will remember the hand upon the switch
That took the lives of two good men
In the service of the rich?
Who will remember the one that gave the nod
Or the chaplain standing near at hand
To invoke the name of God
And all who know these two good arms,
Know I never had to rob or kill,
I can live by my own two hands and live well,
And all my life I have struggled,
To rid the earth of all such crimes.
We will remember this good shoemaker,
we will remember this poor fish peddlar,
We will remember all the strong arms and hands,
That never once found justice in the hands that rule this land.
And all who knew these two good men,
Knew they never had to rob or kill,
Each had lived by his own two hands and lived well,
And all their lives they had struggled,
To rid the earth of all such crimes
And all our lives we must struggle,
To rid the earth of all such crimes.
|
||||
11. |
||||
We meet today in freedom's cause
And raise our voices high;
We join our hands in union strong
To battle or to die.
Chorus:
Hold the fort for we are coming.
Union mix, be strong!
Side by side we battle onward;
Victory will come.
Look, my comrades, see the union
Banners waving high.
Reinforcements now appearing,
Victory is nigh.
See our numbers still increasing;
Hear the bugle blow.
By our union we shall triumph
Over every foe.
Fierce and long the battle rages
But we will not fear.
Help will come whene'er it's needed.
Cheer, my comrades, cheer.
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12. |
||||
Tayere kinder fun arbet un noyt
Ale vos zaynen tsezeyt and tsephreyt
Tsuzamen, tsuzamen, di fon is greyt,
Zi flatert fun tsorn, fun blut iz zi royt
A shvue a shvue af lebn un toyt
(Dear children of work and hardship,
All who are now scattered in pieces,
Come together, the flag is ready,
It waves in anger, it's red with blood.
An oath, an oath of life and death.)
Chorus:
Himl un erd vet undz hern
Eydes di likhtike shtern
A shvue fun blut, un trern
Mir shvern mir shvern, mir shvern
(Heaven and Earth will hear us,
The shining stars we will be our witnesses.
An oath of blood, an oath of tears,
We swear, we swear, we swear!)
Mir shvern tsu kempfn far frayhayt un rekht
Mit ale tiranen un zeyere knekht
Mir shvern bazign di finstere makht
Oder mit heldnmut faln in shlakht
(We swear to fight for freedom and right
Against all tyrants and their knavish servants
We swear to defeat the forces of darkness,
Or, with a hero's courage, fall in battle.
An oath, an oath of life and death.)
Mir shvern tsu himl a blutiker has
Tzum merder un royber fun arbeter klas
Dem keyser, di hersher di capitalistn
Mir shvern zey alemen farnikhtn farvistn
A shvue a shvue af lebn un toyt
(We swear to heaven a bloody hatred
For the murderers and robbers of the working class.
The Czar, the rulers, the capitalists,
We swear to wipe them all out.
An oath, an oath of life and death.)
Mir shvern a trayhayt on grenetsn tsum bund
Nor er ken bafrayen di shklafn atsind
Di fon, di royte is hoykh un breyt
Zi flatert fun tsorn fun blut iz zi royt
A shvue a shvue af lebn un toyt
(We swear an endless loyalty to the Bund.
Only it can free the slaves now.
The red flag is high and wide.
It waves in anger, it is red with blood!
An oath, an oath of life and death.)
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13. |
||||
"When the union's inspiration through the workers' blood shall run,
There can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun;
Yet what force on earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one,
But the union makes us strong.
Chorus:
Solidarity forever, (x3)
For the union makes us strong.
Is there aught we hold in common with the greedy parasite,
Who would lash us into serfdom and would crush us with his might?
Is there anything left to us but to organize and fight?
For the union makes us strong.
Chorus
John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave,
John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave,
John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave,
But his soul goes marching on.
Chorus
It is we who plowed the prairies; built the cities where they trade;
Dug the mines and built the workshops, endless miles of railroad laid;
Now we stand outcast and starving midst the wonders we have made;
But the union makes us strong.
Chorus
He captured Harper’s Ferry, with his nineteen men so few,
And frightened "Old Virginny" till she trembled thru and thru;
They hung him for a traitor, themselves the traitor crew,
But his soul is marching on.
All the world that's owned by idle drones is ours and ours alone.
We have laid the wide foundations; built it skyward stone by stone.
It is ours, not to slave in, but to master and to own.
While the union makes us strong.
Chorus
They come pollute our neighborhoods and privatize the grass
They exploit our race and gender to divide the working class
Because they know united that we'd rise to kick their ass
For the union makes us strong
Chorus
They have taken untold millions that they never toiled to earn,
But without our brain and muscle not a single wheel can turn.
We can break their haughty power, gain our freedom when we learn
That the union makes us strong.
Chorus
Ye soldiers of Freedom, then strike, while strike ye may,
The death blow of oppression in a better time and way,
For the dawn of old John Brown has brightened into day,
And his soul is marching on.
Chorus
In our hands is placed a power greater than their hoarded gold,
Greater than the might of armies, multiplied a thousand-fold.
We can bring to birth a new world from the ashes of the old
For the union makes us strong."
|
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14. |
||||
They will ask you to be partners in production;
They’ll invite you to come in and be a friend.
And they’ll keep the promise goin’ while the money’s rollin’ in,
But it will be so long, partner, in the end.
They will ask you to come in and share the burden
In the awesome task to keep them from the red.
And they’ll keep you in the dream while the money’s nice and green,
But it will be so long, partner, in the end.
Now, they’ll tell you not to worry ’bout the farmer
Even though he feeds you now and then.
It should come as no surprise; it’s just “Free Enterprise,”
And they’ll tell him so long, partner, in the end.
They will ask you to be partners in production,
And they’re asking us for soldiers once again.
So, I’ll say it just once more if we have to go to war,
It will just be so long, partner, in the end.
|
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15. |
FW M - Last Straw
02:57
|
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The price of gas went up
And so did the rent
Boss just cut your wages
And the money is all spent
You can hang your head and cry
Go out and pitch a tent
Or you can join that one big union by and by
The hours are long
Your patience is not
Its summertime in Burgerville
And the kitchen is hot
You're going wall to wall
Whether the boss is ready or not
And you'll win your one big union by and by
That's the last straw
No more working today
Till we get better conditions
Shorter hours, higher pay
And we're not backing down
No matter what they do or say
They cant stop that one big union by and by
Fellow workers I contend
We're friends until the end
And we'll fight on together till we know that we can win
No more wages, no more bosses
More play time and rest
In that one big union by and by
Fellow workers I confess
This can all feel like a test
Sometimes I get so down
I wanna quit
But my fellow workers get it
They pick me up and they get me back in it
That one big union by and by
|
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16. |
Magpie - Canton 1918
05:48
|
|||
Back in nineteen eighteen on a sunny day in June, A thousand of us gathered that hopeful afternoon
In Nimisilla Park between the railroad and the creek To see Eugene Victor Debs, and to hear him speak.
He came down to Canton to talk and take a stand
For peace and justice for the working class throughout the land Now forever I’ll remember, wherever I may roam,
The prescient words that Gene Debs spoke in my Ohio home.
Debs had run for president; it was him I’d voted for
Then I heard that he was comin’ here with a cry against the war When so many in our country were still itchin’ for that fight
He was a solitary beacon in a stormy night
He’d come to see our comrades in the workhouse locked away They would not feed the war machine, their consciences betray From the junkers to the robber barons, money’s what it’s for Poor workers were daily dyin’ in a rich man’s war
He said, “There are better days ahead if to ourselves we’re true And we’ll all rise in common cause, rebuild this world anew
If we just work together, stand for what is right
Make this great cause triumphant, all the working class unite!”
He stood there bone and sinew, with a fire in his eyes And a voice full of passion, from a heart so true and wise With courage unrelenting his words defied their power Even though no doubt he knew the danger of the hour
He said, “A thousand times I’d rather be a free soul in jail Than a coward in the streets, a sycophant for sale.”
So I stood enthralled there that fateful summer day
That man changed my life with every word he had to say
They hauled him off to jail, sedition, so they said
A dangerous man like Debs just has to be stopped dead He said, “I ask no mercy, plead for no immunity
For now I see the rising of those who would be free.
I clearly see the struggle now between our human need
And the wicked powers of exploitation and of greed.
But the cross of stars is bending as we pass through the night And the people waken joyful in the hope of morning light.”
|
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17. |
Magpie - Poor Old Dobbin
05:03
|
|||
We’re thirty days out from the port of Tacoma For New Caledonia we’re bound
On an old hulk square-rigger, the Star of Russia But she’ll ne’er again sail Puget sound
For she’s seen her day, now they’ve sold her away Under sail it’s her last long trip
No longer at large, stripped down for a barge Tomorrow she’ll be no tall ship
Chorus:
And it’s salt cod and poor old Dobbin Who pulled that old “one-hoss shay” Horse meat so tough it chews like leather And ancient pork fat every day.
Fellow workers back home loaded her down with lumber A million board feet, we were told
Handsome profit for someone on Washington timber When it’s delivered and sold
But the dollars are few for us laboring crew
Hard life on these endless waves
Weak mind and strong back’s what they pay you for, Jack To them we are nothing but slaves
Our cook hasn’t bathed since the birth of the Savior So the galley gives off quite a stink
With the smell of the horse meat, the pig fat and fish It’ll drive a poor sailor to drink
Hard work night and day, and a pittance for pay And we’re livin’ like rats down below
So we all got wise, and we organized
Now we won’t be their slaves anymore
Chorus
We wrote our demands and took them to the skipper
Fair treatment and uniform scale
He called, “Cast off lines!” and with arms crossed we stood Sayin, “Agree, or the Russia won’t sail!”
So he had to choose, but how could we lose? What else could he do but give in?
It paid to rebel, now they treat us quite well, Each worker says, “I Will Win!”
Chorus
So the captain he called in the handsome young mess boy Askin’, “Are you a double-U, son?
You’d best keep clear of those double-U’s young man, They make trouble for everyone.”
But the boy raised his head, to the skipper he said, Standin’ so brave and tall,
“When all is done, an injury to one
Is an injury to us all!”
Last chorus:
Now we’re Wobblies and sea-farin’ rebels For all each one of us stood
No longer their slaves when we stand together Our union delivers the goods
One big union delivers the goods!
Chorus
|
||||
18. |
||||
Gene Debs said "To hell with war!
To hell with all who crave it!
When masters rule the world no more
We'll need no wars to save it."
While the ones who own the tools
Hoard the wealth and make the rules
The whole planet suffers
For the powerful few
Gene Debs had a lot to say
Years ago/ True today
With two million locked away
What can we do?
There’s a better world a-waiting – Work to win it
Put an end to poverty, to hunger, despair
While there is a lower class I am in it
There’s enough for everyone to have a fair share
While there is a lower class I am in it
Where there is injustice it is done to me
While there is a criminal element I am of it
While there is a soul in prison I am not free
Not behind the prison wall but high above it
Truth and honor call upon us – rise and resist!
While there is a criminal element I am of it
Crime will be unknown when peace and justice exist
While there is a lower class I am in it
Where there is injustice it is done to me
While there is a criminal element I am of it
While there is a soul in prison I am not free
Can you take time to imagine
The day when all receive respect
Where want and hunger are just memories
And no one suffers from neglect
Where each can get an education
And work has meaning for us all
Instead of brutal retribution
An outstretched hand to those who fall?
When we at last protect the planet
Clean up the water and the air
When work is driven not by profit
But to make a world we’ll all be proud to share -
Speak truth to power and they call it revolution
Open your hearts and it’s so easy to see
Punishing the poor is just a rich man’s solution
While there is a soul in prison I am not free
While there is a lower class I am in it
Where there is injustice it is done to me
While there is a criminal element I am of it
While there is a soul in prison I am not free
|
James Connolly Upstate NY IWW Albany, New York
The James Connolly Upstate NY IWW branch is a union for all workers based in NY. Musicians and other workers wishing to
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