end of december (Patreon)

Hey mates

The video in this post is a long-ass lecture i did at the National Library of Australia earlier this month, drawing upon a month of research into the Pink Bans - industrial action carried out by construction workers in support of persecuted queer people, prior to the emergence of the mainstream gay rights movement. A chapter of history about which not a lot has been written or recorded.

I am going to try and cohere the research into a book, perhaps with NLA Publishing or maybe i will DIY it as a shorter zine, wiil see. The core thrust will be trying to work out how exactly they built toward those strikes, and what lessons we can glean, esp as so many of us try to act industrially for Palestine, the climate, and other issues that are outside of what is traditionally thought of as "the workplace".
Anyway have a squiz of the lecture if u like, I tried to cram way too much in and got cut off lmaooo, i was so bummed about it but my mates pointed out that at least i didn’t give away all the conclusions that will be explored in the comic. Watch me try to keep going as the MC tries in vain to cut me off hahaha 🙈 The video should hopefully embed at either the start of the end of this email, otherwise you can find it here.

As we head into the new year, if you know of, or are involved in any disputes that could use a signal boost, feel free to send through a message, some friends and I make these little blue and white graphics each month, most of them are collated here. The intention is to celebrate and encourage strikes, and to let people in the broader public know how they can support. Strikes beget strikes blablabla. Feel free to suggest disputes you think we should focus on.

And if you’re into this stuff, words cannot express how highly I recommend Sarah Missen’s ‘Disputes Report’, a weekly run-down of workplace action, it’s a punchy, free newsletter with an accessible rundown of stuff going on each week, it’s really plugging a gap pls subscribe!!!!!! https://disputesreport.substack.com/

Still tinkering with this piece in support of the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, hoping it may develop into a bit more of a resource, in collaboration with Nicky Minus:

You can click here to send an automatically generated letter to your superannuation fund, as part of the BDS campaign. All you need is your Super fund membership number which u can find in your email rly easily, it all takes literally one minute 🥺

Also made this deranged piece for some reason idk:

Me and Jeff got to pick up our test prints of ‘12 Rules for Strife’ from Scribe last week, very exciting it’s a real thing

It comes out on May Day here and in the US, if u want to pre-order a copy u can do that from here if yr in australia, or here if yr in the US.

Made these signs as a gift for the prototype delivery riders break room that was trialed in the city of Melbourne recently. A permanent hub for these workers would make the job of civilising their industry much easier. You can read about the efforts here and here.

The People’s Forum is a socialist space in NYC with a focus on internationalism and political education. They included the below piece in their 2024 journal, they’re gonna send me a copy but i don’t rly use journals so if anyone wants it click ‘like’ on this post and i’ll send it to one of u at random. or u can buy a copy here 

Union pressure has resulted in some positive reforms for pregnant and nursing workers in the US:

One of my favourite organisations on planet earth, Labor Notes, commissioned the drawing to go with this article, which summarises the new rights and protections.

I fkn love Labor Notes so much, I have an extra copy of their amazing organising manual 'Secrets of a Successful Organizer', if you think it might help your efforts, comment on this post and i’ll use an online randomiser to choose one of u to mail it to. Plz make sure yr address is up to date in your Patreon settings <3

Made this flyer for a vigil, part of ongoing efforts to secure a second supervised injecting facility in Melb:

The other recent piece i made on this topic is available for free download at high resolution from my website.

Made this goofy Star Trek drawing for Josh, based on the episode where the crew attempts to unionise :

I closed my online store for now, i am not heaps wanting to run a full scale retail operation hahah, but Patreon supporters can still access it if u like, using the password PAYTRONE to get into the website. https://www.samwallman.com/store the same password will get u 25% off at check-out.

Thanks so much for all the support this year <3 I do have a day job these days, so pls don’t feel burdened with sticking around here. The cash I make through Patreon means I can work less shifts to have more time to make this stuff - I'm currently working part-time hours, and over the last year or so in the job, i took almost 6 months off in total to focus on art projects. This wldn't have been possible without u guys's support. As embarrassing as I may find almost every aspect of Patreon hahaha, it does also mean I can prioritise working on projects that aren't monetised which is something I am grateful for.
But that said, yeh if you want to keep your cash in your wallet or put it into a different artists pocket, I will not be offended if u cancel, promise. or u can also always drop down to the most affordable $2 a month option. Anyway pls know I am rly grateful for the support and I treat it with alot of gravity!!!!

To finish off 4 the year here is this comic I made for Overland, as a result of some conversations and guidance from my mate Michael Hiscox from the CFMEU: 'Straight from their mouths: why Palestine is union business'.
Wish u the best for the last days of the year 💚🤍❤️🖤