Michael Merrill

Michael Merrill, editor
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But first I want to introduce Mike Merrill, who is the editor of a magazine that many of us found quite refreshing and interesting.It's called Labor Heritage, and it's published by the George Meany Center.We want to give Mike a chance to say something about it.

Mike Merrill: Thank you, Penn. I'm Mike Merrill, Director of the George Meany Archives.

Mike Merrill, Deputy Provost for the Northeast and Director of the George Meany Memorial Archives

Mike Merrill holds a B.A., a M.A., and a Ph.D. from Columbia University.Previously he taught at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.He served as Director of the Department of Education and Training for the New Jersey State AFL-CIO from 1997 - 2001.E-mail: mmerrill@georgemeany.org Phone: 301-431-5453.

Michael Merrill, Director - (301) 431-5453

Michael Merrill, director of the George Meany Memorial Archives in Silver Spring, Md., which is affiliated with the AFL-CIO, said the union movement has always gone through spurts.

"In 1929, the labor movement was at 13 percent (of the workforce).Then someone figured out how to organize the manufacturing sector.Now we're trying to figure how to organize the service sector," he said, adding: "We're working hard to keep the flame alive.

Merrill said there is "no consistent policy on what to do when someone wants to open the books sooner.
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Asked to explain, archive director Merrill said, "It sounds like there was a pattern of people looking through and pulling things."

"Labor and other social movements in the 19th century held parades and demonstrations for a particular cause," said Michael Merrill, director of the George Meany Memorial Archives in Silver Spring, Md. "The notion here was that there was no particular cause except to respect and honor labor in American society, to take time off from work to celebrate workers.
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Merrill theorizes the spread of public parks in the early 20th century gave working people nicer places to go on their day off.Before then, he said, "parks and picnic areas were not that accessible to working folks, so they took over the streets."

Q. Not counting acts of God, has Labor Day done anything to actually advance the labor movement?

A. In the past half-century, the percentage of unionized workers in the U.S. work force has dropped from 34 percent to about 12 percent.But in the 1890s, the percentage of unionized workers was less than 5 percent.Merrill, whose Meany Archives is affiliated with the AFL-CIO, said the union movement has always gone through spurts.

"In 1929 the labor movement was at 13 percent (of the work force), then someone figured out how to organize the manufacturing sector.Now we're trying to figure how to organize the service sector," he said, adding: "We're working hard to keep the flame alive.

Michael Merrill, editor
...
But first I want to introduce Mike Merrill, who is the editor of a magazine that many of us found quite refreshing and interesting. It's called Labor Heritage, and it's published by the George Meany Center. We want to give Mike a chance to say something about it.

Mike Merrill : Thank you, Penn. I'm Mike Merrill, Director of the George Meany Archives.

"Labor and other social movements in the 19th century held parades and demonstrations for a particular cause," says Michael Merrill, director of the George Meany Memorial Archives in Silver Spring, Md. "The notion here was that there was no particular cause except to respect and honor labor in American society, to take time off from work to celebrate workers.
...
Merrill theorizes the spread of public parks in the early 20th century gave working people nicer places to go on their day off.Before then, he says, "parks and picnic areas were not that accessible to working folks, so they took over the streets."

Q: Are there still Labor Day rallies in Florida?
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Merrill, whose Meany Archives is affiliated with the AFL-CIO, says the union movement has always gone through spurts."In 1929 the labor movement was at 13 percent [of the work force], then someone figured out how to organize the manufacturing sector.Now we're trying to figure how to organize the service sector," he says, adding: "We're working hard to keep the flame alive.

"Labor and other social movements in the 19th century held parades and demonstrations for a particular cause," said Michael Merrill, director of the George Meany Memorial Archives in Silver Spring, Md. "The notion here was that there was no particular cause except to respect and honor labor in American society, to take time off from work to celebrate workers.
...
Merrill theorizes the spread of public parks in the early 20th century gave working people nicer places to go on their day off.Before then, he said, "parks and picnic areas were not that accessible to working folks, so they took over the streets."
...
Merrill, whose Meany Archives is affiliated with the AFL-CIO, said the union movement has always gone through spurts.

"In 1929, the labor movement was at 13 percent (of the work force), then someone figured out how to organize the manufacturing sector.Now we're trying to figure how to organize the service sector," he said, adding: "We're working hard to keep the flame alive.

Biographies are based on background information supplied by Dorothy Sue Cobble, professor of History and Labor Studies at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and Michael Merrill, director of the George Meany Memorial Archives and editor of Labor's Heritage.