Phil Ochs was a proud member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and many of his songs reflect his untiring devotion to workers’ rights. On this Labor Day, here are three of his songs that help remind us of the struggle for workers’ right here in the United States.

Links on The Chain

Come you ranks of labor, come you union core
And see if you remember the struggles of before
When you were standing helpless on the outside of the door
And you started building links on the chain, on the chain
And you started building links on the chain

Joe Hill

So he headed out for the California shore
There things were just as bad
So he joined the industrial workers of the world
‘Cause the union was the only friend he had
‘Cause the union was the only friend he had

Automation Song

Oh, I laid down your railroads, every mile of track
With the muscles on my arm and the sweat upon my back
And now the trains are rolling, they roll to every shore
You tell me that my job is through, there ain’t no work no more