Upstate N.Y. IWW Honors Memory of James Connolly, in Troy (Greg Giorgio)
On Monday, May 13, 2024, Hudson Mohawk Magazine Roaming Labor Correspondent Willie Terry attended The Upstate New York Regional Branch of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) tribune in downtown Troy of Labor and Revolutionary Leader for Irish independence, James Connolly, Connolly, who lived in Troy in the first decade of the 20th Century. Before joining the IWW, he spent five years organizing, writing, and lecturing about working people’s struggles. He returned to Ireland to help manage and lead the Irish General Workers & Transport Union (IGTWU) with Big Jim Larkin and, eventually, the Irish Citizens Army in a struggle against the British Empire for independence from colonial rule. Connolly was shot, tied to a chair, on May 12, 1916, by British Troops and died. In this labor segment, Willie interviews Greg Giorgio, an Upstate IWW representative, about why they honor James Connolly.