Ben Fletcher and Dockworker Power – SEDI Hosts Peter Cole

About this episode

Historian Peter Cole discusses the legacy of Ben Fletcher and dockworkers' internationalism.

On November 23, 2025, the Sam and Esther Dolgoff Institute (SEDI) hosted historian Peter Cole for an expansive talk on Ben Fletcher, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), and the radical legacy of dockworkers’ internationalism—from Philadelphia’s segregated waterfronts to Durban, South Africa, and beyond. Cole traced the rise of the Marine Transport Workers Industrial Union Local 8 under Fletcher’s leadership—the most racially integrated union of its time—and examined how dockworkers use...

People in this episode

Guest: Peter Cole

Topics covered

• dockworkers
• labor history
• racial integration
• internationalism
• union leadership

Keywords

• Ben Fletcher
• Peter Cole
• dockworkers
• IWW
• labor history
• racial integration
• Marine Transport Workers Industrial Union

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Industrial Workers of the World, Sam and Esther Dolgoff Institute

Places: Philadelphia, Durban, South Africa