You're Wrong About The Newsboys' Strike of 1899 (Part 1)
Nov 23, 2020
Explore the pro-union message in Disney's Newsies movie, the challenges faced by gig workers, and the nostalgia for the Newsboys strike. Learn about the historical context of the Newsboys' strike of 1899 and the unexpected musical elements in the Disney movie.
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Disney's Unlikely Pro-Union Film
- Disney's Newsies unusually champions unions and labor rights for a 1992 family film.
- That pro-union message resonated with millennials facing gig-economy precarity decades later.
Modern Gig Precarity Mirrors Newsies
- Millennial content workers experience gig-like precarity without benefits or steady pay.
- That labor precarity makes the Newsies' message about collective bargaining feel especially relevant.
Microsoft Contractor Fire-and-Rehire Cycle
- Michael recounts Microsoft contractors being fired and rehired yearly to avoid employee status.
- Colleagues endured that cycle for years, showing structural avoidance of benefits by employers.