A few hours after Wisconsin Republicans used a parliamentary procedure to pass Gov. Scott Walker’s controversial bill limiting workers’ collective bargaining rights, Mountain Goats frontman John Darnielle spoke up in support of the beleaguered unions. He expressed his support on Twitter, posting a video of himself covering Joe Hill’s Billy Bragg’s protest song “There Is Power in a Union.” “As a former member of SEIU [Service Employees International Union] 660 & the California Association of Psychiatric Technicians & a kid who benefitted from great teachers I wanted to spend tonight saying WE ARE ON YOUR SIDE,” he wrote.
He encouraged other musicians to chime in, posting later, “Before I go to bed I wanna challenge musicians to record some old union tunes tomorrow. Who among us doesn’t owe our teachers big?” We’ll let you know if anyone takes him up on this. Seems like a job for Colin Meloy.
John Darnielle – There Is Power in a Union (Billy Bragg cover)
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This is the Billy Bragg song, not the Joe Hill song. Same title, different songs.
Thanks for the correction!