Singing about Unions

Just in time for Labour Day, the CBC has released a list that it considers the best union songs of all time. While we highly recommend giving the list of songs a good listen this weekend (or at any time), we’d certainly add a couple of other noteworthy songs to the list.

In our view, no list of union songs is complete without the following:

“Talking Union” by the Almanac Singers, a group which included such luminaries as Peter Seeger and Woody Guthrie. The song can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpWGixCO_9M

Another notable song is “Blue Sky Mine” by the Australian band, Midnight Oil. The song describes the struggles faced by Australian workers who mined “blue asbestos” at the Wittenoom Mine. In a tale we’ve all heard too often, many of the miners later suffered from asbestos-related cancers. The song can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ofrqm6-LCqs

Finally, we’d add to our list a song that adds some much-needed levity to the challenges of income inequality. “Save the Rich” by comedic duo Garfunkel and Oates jokingly implores us to do just that, save the rich, even it comes at great personal cost to ourselves and everyone else. The song can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X26ZZHraGFw

Those are the additions we’d make to the CBC’s list. What would you add?