Welcome to my final “Personal is Political” blog, brought to you by an anxiety-spiral about my post-graduation plans! As a liberal arts student, I’ve been ask all the notorious questions that college students hate: “What are you going to do with that degree?” “You’re majoring in what?” “Don’t you want to make money?” Ever a […]

Today I am going to be switching it up a bit and talking about an issue that is relevant to (probably) every student reading this blog: Penn State funding. Per an article from Penn State News, the University’s general support appropriation has been held flat at $242.1 million since a 2% increase was implemented for […]

I first learned what a union was from my Uncle Tommy, a UPS driver in Schuylkill County. The grandson of union coal miners and the son of a police officer heavily involved in the union, his first job in a factory in his hometown was also organized. It was from Uncle Tommy that I first […]

Almost every single one of my college-aged friends has expressed feelings of burnout at some point throughout the semester. Most college students have heavy course loads, numerous extracurricular involvements, and many have either a job or internship. The stakes seem to be getting higher every year, as more and more post-graduates find it harder and […]

Although I never had the chance to meet my grandpa, I am blessed to have the opportunity to get to know more about him in a unique way: by reading the various magazine/newspaper columns and poems he left behind. While I was home for spring break, I spent a lot of time with my grandma […]

As you have probably picked up on by now, I am a huge proponent of supporting the rights of labor unions. I’ve already mentioned how being in unions has helped my grandparents on both sides of my family protect their rights as workers and make a living wage to raise their families with. In addition […]

I am switching things up a little this week to talk about another political issue that is near and dear to my heart; environmental protection and the fight against climate change. Growing up, my Dad always stressed the importance of protecting our earth by taking steps to reduce my impact on the environment. The first […]

Growing up in a very conservative area, I have unfortunately heard my fair share of people in my community lamenting about labor unions. Interestingly enough, however, one group of workers that the community does not resent as much for organizing (emphasis on the as much… because there definitely still is resentment…) is public school teachers. […]

In the mid 1968-1984 my Grandpa, Lorell Price, was a faculty members at the Penn State Berks Campus, where he taught history and political science. Throughout the 1970s, the faculty at the commonwealth campuses were in the process of trying to unionize to fight for better wages and benefits. Such efforts to unionize on college […]

The International Ladies Garment Union (ILGWU for short) was established on June 3rd, 1900 for the purpose of improving working conditions for women employed by garment factories, a dangerous job with long hours and poor pay. After humble beginnings, the ILGWU experienced a surge of new members following the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in 1909 […]