Welcome to LaborFest 2021
Surviving COVID and Fighting for A New World

LaborFest was established to commemorate the 1934 San Francisco General Strike when two workers, Howard Sperry, a striking longshoreman, and strike supporter Nick Bordoise were killed on July 5, which is known as “Bloody Thursday”.  Today, the attacks on labor and all our democratic rights are escalating with even a rightwing insurrection and attempted coup at the US capitol.

Working people are living in a new and more dangerous, deadlier world. More than 600,000 people have died in the US from a virus that should have been contained. Hospital workers, bus drivers, grocery workers, postal workers and delivery workers had no choice but to continue working even without proper PPE in many cases, and this has even been more deadly for Black, Brown and immigrant workers.

In this year’s LaborFest, we will look at issues working people face, including the rise of fascism and racism against Blacks, Browns and Asians in the workplace, and the history of working people who have been fighting the many forms of discrimination.

We will also have a premier theatrical opening of the new play “The Murals” by Howard Pflanzer about the struggle and issues of the Arnautoff murals at George Washington High. We will also have musical events commemorating the lives of labor troubadour and singer Anne Feeney, along with co-founder of the UFWA Al Rojas.

We will have events on the tech economy and how UBER, Lyft and DoorDash have affected millions of workers as a temporary part time job becomes the normal in our working lives and the use of AI and technology is further exploiting our lives. During the pandemic, the billionaires at Amazon and Facebook have grown massively in wealth while working people have lost their jobs, lives and homes. Amazon is even trying to build a major one-square block non-union warehouse in San Francisco that will hurt working people and small businesspeople.

As usual, we will have The FilmWorks United – International Working-Class Film & Video Festival, many screenings with the producers and directors of the movies on panels following the films. We will also have art events on our website from the struggle to commemorate George Floyd to the art in Minneapolis to art in the Bay Area during the pandemic.

As a result of the pandemic, most events are online, but we will have our annual labor history walks in San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley, along with other events throughout the Bay Area.

Join LaborFest as we continue to honor the working people who make our country and world function, and give their blood and sweat to survive the pandemic, making a new world for our future. If you want to help with LaborFest, contact us with your ideas and make a tax-deductible contribution if you can.

Solidarity For Ever from the LaborFest Organizing Committee

LaborFest
P. O. Box 40983
San Francisco 94140
(415) 642-8066
laborfest@laborfest.net
www.laborfest.net