S1 E4 The Jail Cell Contract

Justice for Phil by ILHOP

Speaking of Work has been on an extended hiatus but is on the way back. Host and producer John McKerley introduces upcoming episodes and presents a Speaking of Work Short from the picket line at Starbucks in Iowa City.

Keokuk teachers stand strong and demand change before they would leave jail or stop the public pressure. Yet, even as they celebrate the contract, teachers know the struggle isn't over.

In the spring of 1970, Keokuk teachers and other school workers launch an illegal strike to shine a bright light on injustices that they believe threaten not only them but their students and community. (rebroadcast)

Tensions mount as the Keokuk school board and their new superintendent pursue a hard line during the 1969-70 contract negotiations, and teachers begin organizing to fight back. [Edited rebroadcast]

In this edited version of our season opener, we go back to the little industrial city of Keokuk, Iowa, in the 1960s to explore the roots of a strike that jumpstarted the state's movement for public-sector unionism.