Labor Union Blog

What bitter irony. Studs Terkel, who gave voice to working people throughout his life, passed away yesterday, just days before a potentially historic presidential election. Should Sen. Barack Obama win on Tuesday, his victory would be a sweet vindication for Terkel, whose affinity for America’s workers would be reflected in the policies of an Obama administration.

Terkel, 96, has been renowned for his compilations of oral interviews with famous and mostly not-so-famous Americans. He has talked with thousands of people about their experiences on the job, serving their country in World War II, their perceptions of race and most recently, the challenges of growing old and facing death. One of his most famous books is Working, in which more than 100 Americans share their hopes, dreams and daily struggles on the job.

The adage that “art imitates life” came alive this week as passersby literally watched the economy melt down in New York City.

On Oct. 29, the 79th anniversary of Black Tuesday, the day the stock market crashed leading to the Great Depression, two artists displayed an ice sculpture of the word “ECONOMY,” which melted as the day went on. In just 12 hours, the sculpture was gone, vanished like the savings and hopes of so many Americans in the latest economic crisis.

Nora Ligorano, one of the artists, says:

With the recent turmoil in the financial markets and anxiety creeping through the country from Main Street to Wall Street, this sculpture metaphorically captures the results of unregulated markets on the U.S. economy. To see the word “economy” melting down is representational of our extreme time.

The 1,500 pound, five-foot-tall, 15-foot wide sculpture, dubbed “Main Street Meltdown,” was installed across from the New York State Supreme Court building, close to the heart of the financial district. The front steps of the building are familiar to viewers of the TV show “Law and Order” as the location for the after-court scenes.

The sculpture was set up at 8 a.m. and by 3 p.m it had begun to crumble. By 6:30 p.m., only the two “Os” were standing and the end came around 7:30 p.m.

“Main Street Meltdown” is the fourth in a series of ice sculptures by Ligorano and Marshall Reese addressing important political issues. Earlier this year, they put up ice sculptures of the word “Democracy” during the Democratic and Republican conventions.