From the first national strike in 1877 to the nation’s first unionized Apple store, Maryland workers have long been at the center of labor history, fighting in the name of a better, more just life for all. As the state of Maryland celebrates its 250th anniversary, Maryland250 Labor History aims to ensure that we not only remember and celebrate this legacy, but treat it as a guide for our future.
A collaborative and volunteer-run project, MD250 Labor History is bringing this history to life through historical documents, podcasts, walking tours, videos, +more. Visit us: md250laborhistory.org
EP19: Public Sector Unionism in Baltimore with Jane Berger
Bill Barry speaks with Jane Berger who grew up in Baltimore and wrote an important labor history book about the civil rights movement and public sector unionism in Baltimore.
12 Aug 2026
EP18: Irish Immigrant Workers with Sammie Samuels
Megan "Sammie" Samuels is the Director of The Irish-American Museum on Lemon Street in Baltimore and presents the history of an immigrant workers' community.
26 Jul 2026
EP17: The Life & Times of George A. Meyers with Tim Wheeler
Tim Wheeler joins the podcast to discuss his recent book No Power Greater: The Life & Times of George A. Meyers. Meyers was a prolific union organizer, the first president of the Maryland-D.C. CIO, and a prominent figure in the Communist Party USA who was imprisoned during the McCarthy-era witch hunt.
16 Jul 2026
EP16: Roots of Steel with Deborah Rudacille
Deborah Rootacille joins the podcast to discuss her 2010 book on Sparrows Point, Roots of Steel.
29 Jun 2026
EP15: Texas, Maryland with Cassie Kilroy-Thompson
Cassie Kilroy-Thompson has created a unique history project about the town of Texas, Maryland (now part of Cockeysville) where her family lived. She speaks on the labor history of this quarry town, settled by Irish immigrants, as well as the union activities of her father.
17 Jun 2026
EP14: Organizing BGE with Al Bankard and Bill Durkin
Workers at Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE) ran several organizing campaigns with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and we have Al Bankard and Bill Durkin, who participated in the early campaigns. In the 2000 campaign, BGE used "social media" to oppose the union, sending VHS cassettes to the homes of every worker. The union responded and the videos are unique labor history.
27 May 2026
EP13: Building the B&O Railroad with Conor Conneally
Conor Conneally on Building the B&O Railroad
21 May 2026
EP12: Buddy Cefalu on Building the Key Bridge
Buddy Cefalu, a longtime member of Ironworkers Local 16 in Baltimore, describes building the Key Bridge. There is also a great exhibit at The Baltimore Museum of Industry about the construction of the bridge. https://www.thebmi.org/exhibits/building-a-baltimore-landmark/ (https://www.thebmi.org/exhibits/building-a-baltimore-landmark/) Thanks to Mike Lore for suggesting this topic.
15 May 2026
EP11: Phil Bradley on organizing the MLB
Phil Bradley was an active member of the Major League Baseball Players Association during the lockout of 1989 when he was an outfielder with the Orioles. He is a Special Assistant with the players union now. Thanks to Matt Hood for suggesting this program.
11 May 2026
EP10: Andrew Morton on his 3D Rendering of the Sparrows Point Steel Mill
Bill Barry speaks with Andrew Morton on his amazing 3D rendering of the Sparrows Point Steel Mill.
3 May 2026
EP9: Mill Stories
Michelle Stefano and Bill Shewbridge discuss Mill Stories, their project to preserve the legacy of the workers at Bethlehem Steel's Sparrows Point mill in Baltimore.
21 Apr 2026
EP8: Dave Kotelchuck on the Red Scare in Baltimore
Bill Barry interviews Dave Kotelchuck on the Red Scare in Baltimore.
13 Apr 2026
EP7: Angie Luvara on the Luke Mill Strike
Bill Barry interviews sociologist and historian Angie Luvara on the 1919 Luke Mill Strike in Luke, Maryland. Luvara, an Assistant Professor of sociology at Frostburg State University, examines the widely forgotten, yet important, strike as part of a larger research project on the history of policing Applachian labor movements.
10 Apr 2026
EP6: Alexis Cathcart on Interracial Working Class Solidarity in Baltimore
Bill Barry interviews historian Alexis Cathcart on interracial working class solidarity in 19C-20C Baltimore. Alexis is a PhD candidate in history at Morgan State University whose dissertation addresses Black southern migrants and radical politics in the 20th century.
27 Mar 2026
EP5: Craig G Simpson on the Crisfield Crab Pickers Strike
Bill Barry interviews historian Craig G Simpson on the monumental Crisfield, Maryland Crab Pickers Strike of 1938.
17 Mar 2026
EP4: Shawn Gladden on the Baltimore Caulkers
Bill Barry interviews historian Shawn Gladden on Baltimore's free Black ship caulkers — skilled workers who built one of the most effective labor unions in 19th-century America. The conversation covers the racial and economic landscape of 19C Baltimore, including the legacies of Frederick Douglass and Isaac Myers.
6 Mar 2026
EP3: Len Shindel on the Strike That Changed Maryland's Wilderness County
Bill Barry interviews historian and author Len Shindel about the monumental 1970 Garrett County strike, which was the longest public worker strike in U.S. history.
Order his book here via Hardball Press. (https://hardballpress.squarespace.com/store/p/the-strike-that-changed-marylands-wilderness-county?inventory-product-preview=true)
7 Feb 2026
EP2: Baltimore Teachers Union
Historian Bill Barry interviews Baltimore Teachers Union members Mike Pesa, Patrice Pilgrim, Cristina Duncan-Evans, and Koli Tengella about their recent article on the history of the BTU. Read the article here: https://baltimoreteachers.org/90-years/. ( https://baltimoreteachers.org/90-years/)
15 Jan 2026
EP1: Interview with Longshoreman Thurman Wenzl
Bill Barry interviews Thurman Wenzl about his experience in the labor movement as a Baltimore longshoreman as part of the Maryland250 Labor History podcast series. To learn more about the project, or to get involved, visit us at md250laborhistory.org (md250laborhistory.org).
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