Billy Bragg, Lucy Dacus, Will Butler, and More Throw Support Behind PRO Act With New Working Families Party Conversation Series
Billy Bragg, Lucy Dacus, Will Butler of Arcade Fire, and more artists have been tapped by the Working Families Party for a new conversation and performance series that begins tomorrow, International Workers Day (May 1), to raise awareness for the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act). A number of other artists—including Toshi Reagon, Aloe Blacc, Thursday, Kyp Malone, and Anti-Flag—will perform labor songs as part of the ongoing Jammin’ for Jobs series.
The events will take place on the Working Families Party’s Instagram page. The programming begins tomorrow at 3 p.m. Eastern with a conversation between Billy Bragg and Sara Steffens, the Secretary-Treasurer of the Communications Workers of America. The conversation will be followed by a talk between Boston-based musician Anjimile and Darlene Lombos of the Greater Boston Labor Council. The full schedule for the talks and performances will be shared via Instagram in coming days.
The PRO Act, for which President Joe Biden voiced support earlier this week, would expand declining union membership in the United States and increase employee protections from employer interference in collective bargaining. The bill passed in the House of Representatives in March but is not expected to pass the Senate due to anticipated Republican filibustering.
Read “What Does Secretly Group’s Union Mean for the Indie Music Industry?” on the Pitch.