Work: Joe Hill

Joan Baez: Joe Hill

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I can think of no better way to observe Labor Day than to recall its original meaning. The first Labor Day was celebrated in New York City in 1882. It became a national holiday in 1894. The holiday celebrated the working man and the labor movement.

Today, labor unions are regarded by many with suspicion or even outright disdain. It is all too easy to forget that the early days of the labor movement brought about worker’s rights that we now take for granted: the minimum wage, overtime rules, and required paid breaks are only the tip of the iceberg. And the men and women of the early unions were heroes who risked their lives for the rights we all enjoy now.

One such hero was Joe Hill. Hill was an organizer with the International Workers of the World (IWW) or Wobblies. He was also a songwriter, rallying pro-labor protesters with his music. In 1914, Hill was framed for the murders of John and Arling Robinson. Although some accounts say Hill was guilty, the more evidence you examine, the shakier the case against him becomes. In 1915, Hill was executed by a firing squad.

On his death, Joe Hill became a martyr. He became a symbol of the (often violent) struggle for workers rights. In 1969, Hill was still a hero to labor organizers and those sympathetic to them. The song “Joe Hill”, originally written in 1936, was still well known. When Joan Baez performed “Joe Hill” at Woodstock, it quickly became one of her signature songs.