Labor Wars of the Northwest screening for free on October 24th at Capital Theater in Olympia

TLM Labor and Olympia Film Society to Present a Free Screening of Labor Wars of the Northwest on October 24th

The Thurston – Lewis – Mason Central Labor Council is proud to announce its collaboration with the Olympia Film Society to present a free screening of Labor Wars Of The Northwest on October 24th at the Capitol Theater (206 5th Ave SE Olympia, WA 98501.)

The doors will open at 6:00 p.m., and the screening will start at 7:00 p.m..

There will be a panel discussion on the history of the South Sound’s Labor history after the film. Labor Wars Of The Northwest chronicles the cauldron of discontent, radicalism and violence that permeated the Pacific Northwest in the early decades of the twentieth century. Following the arrival of the railroads in the 1880s, tens of thousands of workers migrated to the Northwest for jobs in logging, mining and fishing. But instead of steady work, they found poverty-level wages, crushing hours and dreadful conditions. By examining this conflict in the context of a decades-long struggle, Labor Wars of the Northwest shines new light on tragedies like the Everett Massacre (1916), the Seattle General Strike (1919) and the Centralia Massacre (1919).

“During these turbulent times it is incredibly valuable to learn about the history of our region and the struggles we have faced here,” says TLM Labor President Rachelle Martin. “We, as the Thurston Lewis Mason Central Labor Council, hope our community will join us for this event to engage in this discussion and the labor movement in our area.”

David J. Jepsen, director of Labor Wars Of The Northwest, is a historian, writer and educator who teaches Pacific Northwest and U.S. history at Tacoma and South Puget Sound community colleges. Mr. Jepson speaks frequently on Pacific Northwest history and lends his knowledge of regional history consulting and writing for museums, including the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma.

“I hope that people will spread the word about this event to their friends, family and fellow workers so they have the opportunity to find out more about our local labor history,” says Martin.

For more information, please contact Thurston – Lewis – Mason Central Labor Council President Rachelle Martin, email link here, or call  (360) 261-2090.

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