The Majority Report with Sam Seder

Episode: Labor Day Show 2025

Host: Emma Vigeland (in for Sam Seder)
Date: September 1, 2025

Episode Overview

This special Labor Day episode pays tribute to the history and ongoing legacy of labor activism in America. The show features a curated selection of historic speeches and songs from influential figures in labor, civil rights, and progressive politics—including Eugene Debs (as read by Bernie Sanders), Franklin D. Roosevelt, John L. Lewis, Mario Savio, and a folk song performance by Uncle George Jones. The episode aims to inspire listeners while reflecting on the central role of organized labor in shaping fairer economic and political systems in the U.S.

Key Discussion Points & Major Segments

1. Introduction & Context ([00:07])

• Host Emma Vigeland welcomes listeners, explains the annual tradition of the Labor Day episode, and honors labor organizer Jane McAlevey, whose recent passing is noted.

  “We do this every year to honor Labor Day. Last year we showed interviews with the late great Jane McAlevey… her labor organizing, putting that to the forefront in his campaign, which is amazing.” —Emma Vigeland [00:07]

• Reflection: Emma highlights labor’s continuing relevance, mentioning Graham Platner’s campaign inspired by McAlevey’s work.

2. Eugene Debs: Anti-War and Socialist Movement ([02:32])

• Excerpt from Debs's speeches delivered by Senator Bernie Sanders, emphasizing Debs’s anti-war stance and critique of class-driven warfare.

  "I am not a capitalist soldier. I am a proletarian revolutionist. I am opposed to every war but one. I am for that war with heart and soul, and that is the worldwide war of the social revolution." —Eugene Debs ([as read by Sanders], [02:35])

• Central insight: Throughout history, wars are declared by the ruling class for their benefit, while the working class pays the cost:

  "The working class who fight all the battles... have never yet had a voice in either declaring war or making peace." —Eugene Debs [03:59]

• Aftermath: Debs’s 1918 speech led to his arrest and imprisonment under the Espionage Act for speaking out against WWI.

3. FDR’s Four Freedoms Speech ([05:47])

• Summary & Clip: Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address, outlining “Four Freedoms” (speech, worship, freedom from want, freedom from fear).

• Key passages stress economic security as a right:

  "The basic things expected by our people... are simple. They are equality of opportunity for you and for others. Jobs for those who can work, security for those who need it, the ending of special privilege for the few..." —FDR [07:09-08:10]

  "In the future days which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms..." —FDR [09:59]

• Economic Rights: FDR connects economic well-being with democracy, calling for expanded pensions, unemployment insurance, and universal healthcare:

  "We should bring more citizens under the coverage of old age pensions and unemployment insurance. We should widen the opportunity for adequate medical care." —FDR [08:40]

4. John L. Lewis: United Mine Workers and Collective Power ([15:57])

• Lewis’s 1952 speech in West Virginia: A stirring reminder of labor's sacrifices and victories—recounting the battles at Blair Mountain, abuses by coal operators, and the transformative power of unionization.

  "They lived in the barracks. They froze in the winter. They did without medicine and medical attention and teachers for their children. They buried their dead, unkempt as they might be, in order that mountaineers might be free..." —John L. Lewis [17:42]

• Heart of His Message: Raising miners' wages benefited the whole community, not just the workers:

  "He spent it for the necessities of life. He spent it for shoes for the children, for increased education, for improved facilities in the hall, for a broader outlook. And he spent it in his home community and the businessmen of that community…" —John L. Lewis [20:51]

• Call to Action: He exhorts miners to support candidates aligned with labor interests, not corporate powers.

5. Song: “Hooray for the Union We Must Stand” by Uncle George Jones ([29:44])

• Historic Folk Song: Uncle George Jones, a visually impaired miner, sings about union solidarity, the hardships before unionization, and the improved lives that organizing brought:

  "Hooray, hooray for the union we must stand... it makes the women happy and the children clap their hand..." —Uncle George Jones [30:54 and repeated throughout]

• Theme: The song provides a moving testimony about the daily impact of union victories on working families.

6. Mario Savio: Free Speech, Solidarity, and Civil Disobedience ([35:05])

• 1964 Speech at UC Berkeley: Savio, leader of the Free Speech Movement, draws parallels between university bureaucracy and corporate power, advocating for human dignity and direct action.

  "There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part. You can't even passively take part. And you've got to put your bodies upon the gears... and you've got to make it stop." —Mario Savio [41:35]

• Academic/Worker Solidarity: Savio notes the divide between students and union workers but urges mutual respect and solidarity.

• Call for Real Learning: He proposes “freedom schools” in protest spaces to educate about rights and civic engagement.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Debs on War and Class:

  "The ruling class has always taught and trained you to believe it to be your patriotic duty to go to war and to have yourself slaughtered at their command. ... But in all the history of the world, you, the people have never had a voice in declaring war." —Eugene Debs (as read by Sanders) [04:25]

• FDR on Economic Justice and Democracy:

  "The basic things expected by our people... are simple. They are equality of opportunity for you and for others. Jobs for those who can work, security for those who need it..." —FDR [07:09]

  "Freedom means the supremacy of human rights everywhere. Our support goes to those who struggle to gain those rights and keep them. Our strength is our unity of purpose." —FDR [13:40]

• Lewis on Labor’s Community Impact:

  "All of the citizens of West Virginia have shared in this important improvement. ... It’s true of all of West Virginia. Do you want to change it? Then don’t elect a hypocrite and a fool to be governor." —John L. Lewis [21:40]

• Savio’s Iconic Civil Disobedience:

  "You've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers... unless you’re free, the machine will be prevented from working at all." —Mario Savio [41:35]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:07 – Emma Vigeland Introduction; tribute to Jane McAlevey
• 02:32 – Eugene Debs's antiwar speech (read by Sanders); Debs's indictment
• 05:47 – FDR’s Four Freedoms State of the Union excerpt
• 15:57 – John L. Lewis’s speech on coal miners and labor's community effects
• 29:44 – Uncle George Jones: “Hooray for the Union We Must Stand”
• 35:05 – Mario Savio, “gears of the machine” speech at Berkeley

Tone and Style

The episode is passionate, reverent, and rich with historical gravitas—mixing solemn respect for labor’s legacy with moments of defiant solidarity and hope for continued progress. The selection of stirring speeches and songs creates a tapestry of voices reminding listeners of the sacrifices, achievements, and necessity of collective action.

Conclusion

This Labor Day compilation from The Majority Report weaves together history, song, and enduring ideals to capture the spirit and purpose of America’s labor movement. From Debs’s revolutionary call, through FDR’s vision of economic security, to voices from the mines and campuses, the show not only remembers how far working people have come—but reinforces the importance of unity, justice, and organizing in the fight ahead.