YSU Center for Working Class Studies

05/06/2026

We are just two days away from this free event! Join us as we re-launch this important and timely initiative...
Mahoning Valley Civic Forum

05/03/2026

The Industrial Revolution's chief product was not goods, but a new class of laborers who owned nothing and worked to survive.

Historian Peter Linebaugh traces the creation of this working class through the violent enclosure of the commons they once relied on. https://jacobin.com/2026/05/commons-enclosure-working-class-history

05/01/2026

05/01/2026

Check out the latest episode of Unruly Subjects hosted by AAUP Council member Chenjerai Kumanyika: “Getting Unruly on May Day: Education Workers, Labor Power, and the Fight Ahead":

First, Chenjerai interviews: AAUP President Todd Wolfson; AFT Massachusetts President and former Boston Teachers Union President Jessica Tang, and Carl Rosen, who recently retired as General President of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE). Todd, Jessica, and Carl talk about May Day as more than symbolism. They talk about it as part of building the infrastructure we need: labor, civil society, public institutions, community organizations, immigrant rights groups, education workers, and ordinary people finding ways to move together before a crisis hits.

Second, Our Unruly homie - the scholar and poet Demetrius Noble - talks with Carla Harris, a public school teacher and organizer in Guilford County, North Carolina. They discuss the everyday realities of working in public education and also about organizing in practical terms: how you talk to a coworker who is tired, scared, skeptical, or has never been asked to act before.

Link in comments.

10/03/2025

Youngstown, this one’s extra special 💙 After last month’s basement flood, Rev. Gill & The Fishermen decided to turn their bill into a benefit for Westside Bowl. They rallied friends to make it happen, and now we’ve got a stacked lineup raising funds to support the venue that supports its community.

🎵 Lake Lake — jagged yet catchy indie rock, weaving noise and groove into cathartic songs (Proxy Joy).
🎵 Rev. Gill & The Fishermen — Youngstown’s own, blurring genres with sharp wit and soulful edge—plus the masterminds behind this benefit.
🎵 Fear of Dancing — post-punk/noise-rock from the Mahoning Valley, equal parts hooks and chaos.
🎵 Via Guillotine — Niles-based alt-rock with driving riffs and raw energy.

Come out, chip in, and be part of keeping Westside Bowl strong. 🙌

Soaked In Sound: A Benefit at the Westside Bowl

09/19/2025

This work is amazing!

The Northeast Ohio Worker Center hosted four collective bargaining simulations in 2025. This is a recap video of the August 5th simulation in the Mahoning V...