Fight & Win: Reading by John Hanson

Join us for a reading from Fight & Win, Minneapolis Teamsters Strike 1934. Local author John Hanson brings his book to life with a reading that highlights this dynamic period of transformation, followed by an interactive conversation. Today, as workers’ share of income shrinks amid soaring living costs, job insecurity, immigration raids, and war, support for unions is surging—echoing the 1930s, when Depression-era workers faced similar pressures. In this watershed moment, profound danger converges with real opportunity for economic justice and renewed labor power. Against the odds, a handful of Minneapolis Teamsters turned a small local union into a national force. Through courage and sacrifice, they won union recognition, higher wages, and better working conditions—spurring the growth of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and helping pave the way for the 1935 National Labor Relations Act. John Hanson’s moving memoir brings this struggle to life through his father’s experiences in the early twentieth century and his pivotal role in the 1934 campaign.