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Unionizing American Archaeology

@unionizearch.bsky.social
171 followers 228 following 57 posts

An account run by archaeologists organizing to secure a better future for archaeological field technicians in American CRM linktr.ee/archunion

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Reposted by Unionizing American Archaeology
Dr. Angry Anarchist (Free 🇵🇸) @archhelmer.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
We need to name and shame the cultural resource management company involved in this immediately 🏺🪏
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The calls and emails have been rolling in but the week's not done yet! 🏺🪏
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Our week-long phone/email zap starts today! We need your help to pressure Goodwin & Associates to sign a fair contract! 🏺🪏
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Solidarity phone/email zap starts TOMORROW! 🏺
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Show solidarity with unionized archaeologists with a week-long phone/email zap starting Monday, September 21st!
Text on a square, dark/light red pinwheel background with a graphic of a fist holding a megaphone in the bottom left corner. The text reads:
Call for Solidarity!
Unionized archaeologists in Maryland need YOUR help!
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Reposted by Unionizing American Archaeology
Exhausted archaeologist-exhausteologist @hknorton.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
So a majority of #archaeology in the US is driven by Section 106. Most archaeologists work for the #Crm industry. This is also the mechanism by which 99% of preservation occurs in this country. It is about to go away.
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Reposted by Unionizing American Archaeology
Exhausted archaeologist-exhausteologist @hknorton.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
The attack on Chaco Canyon, the shrinking of Bears Ears, the gutting of Section 106 is all related. Erasing tangible places that hold our history is the ultimate erasure of the people connected to those places. When that history is forgotten the land is free for extraction.
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Rosemary Joyce @rajoyce.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
The non-archaeological community needs to know the administration is gutting the law that preserves historical sites for the benefit of the nation, weakening the voices of tribes in the process. While it may be a fait accompli commenting will provide future lawsuits with material to fight back.
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Andrew Reinhard, PhD, RPA @adreinhard.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
#archaeology #crm 🏺
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Attention for field techs 🚨 Make sure you avoid REI's annual sale when you're stocking up for field season this year!! Solidarity with REI workers!
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Boosting for TDOV 🏳️‍⚧️ with a question for trans field archaeologists... How do you want to see companies protect you in these situations?
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
How are CRM 🏺 companies with projects in Idaho planning to protect their trans field staff?
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Reposted by Unionizing American Archaeology
American Association for State and Local History @aaslh.org · 18/03/2026
History practitioners find deep meaning in their work—but they're also experiencing burnout and concerned about low pay. Learn more about the public history workforce: aaslh.org/history-work... Join us to discuss at our upcoming virtual summit: aaslh.org/workforce-su... #WorkforceWednesday
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
A new study on archaeological field experiences was just published in @saa-aap.bsky.social 🏺
cambridge.org
Tough Enough: Preliminary Survey Results on Field Experiences in Archaeology | Advances in Archaeological Practice | Cambridge Core
Tough Enough: Preliminary Survey Results on Field Experiences in Archaeology - Volume 14 Issue 1
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Does anyone know if Chronicle Heritage has crews/staff in Saudi Arabia right now??? 🏺
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Advances in Archaeological Practice @saa-aap.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
In a recent Cambridge Core blog, Marie Matsuda and Sarah Simeonoff draw on experiences from archeological fieldwork to argue that these stories, “paint a picture of the culture of archaeology, in which field archeologists can feel isolated and unsafe.” Read more: www.cambridge.org/core/blog/20...
cambridge.org
‘Are you tough enough?’: Rethinking the safety, culture and care of archaeologists in the field « Archaeology# « Cambridge Core Blog
From the old ‘Cowboys of Science’ adage to swashbuckling fictional characters like Indiana Jones and Lara Croft, the perception that fieldwork, and archaeology generally, is a job for tough people per...
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Reposted by Unionizing American Archaeology
Dr. Angry Anarchist (Free 🇵🇸) @archhelmer.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Great local news story from Eugene, OR that incorporates findings from a CRM desktop review into reporting on environmental contamination 🏺
lookouteugene-springfield.com
Trainsong Park cleanup advances without 'definitive' J.H. Baxter link
Parts of the Eugene city park are fenced off because of dioxin contamination. The chemical is also found at the nearby J.H. Baxter Superfund site, but state regulators say the source of the park’s pol...
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Reposted by Unionizing American Archaeology
Thomas Leeper @thosjleeper.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
National media should really be covering the fact thay every major school, museum, and arts institution in the Twin Cities, and hundreds of local businesses are closed tomorrow to protest federal occupation. Nothing like this at this scale has happened anywhere in America anytime in living memory.
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Reposted by Unionizing American Archaeology
Q @gameovermike.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
Many of these issues apply to the US CRM/HRM industry. As an aside, given these realities, it's unfortunate SFU has let their HRM MA program lapse. 🏺 theconversation.com/canada-has-t...
theconversation.com
Canada has too few professional archeologists, and that has economic consequences
Protecting heritage in Canada requires training more archeologists and equipping them with the tools and education to do so.
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High Country News @highcountrynews.org · 16/12/2025
Washington approves over 99% of archaeological permits, records show As tribes struggle to protect their heritage, the nation’s leading state archaeologist says she lacks the authority to to stop development projects.
hcn.org
Washington approves over 99% of archaeological permits, records show
As tribes struggle to protect their heritage, the nation’s leading state archaeologist says she lacks the authority to to stop development projects.
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Reposted by Unionizing American Archaeology
+972 Magazine @972mag.com · 11/12/2025
Israel preparing largest ever act of ‘archeological cleansing’ in West Bank Subordinating scientific value to colonial expansion, Israeli archeologists are putting up no resistance as the state moves to expropriate swaths of Sebastia. www.972mag.com/sebastia-arc...
972mag.com
Israel preparing largest ever ‘archeological cleansing’ in West Bank
Subordinating scientific value to colonial expansion, Israeli archeologists are putting up no resistance as the state moves to expropriate swaths of Sebastia.
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Reposted by Unionizing American Archaeology
Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
TetraTech, an engineering consulting firm with extensive cultural resource management contracts across the U.S., has been awarded a contract to build an IDF-controlled settlement in Gaza...The entanglement between genocidal powers and the American CRM industry is a travesty 🏺
Screenshot of an Instagram post by @conflictwire. The post includes an aerial photo showing the areas of Israeli control in Gaza and the following text:
"On Nov. 11, US media reported that the Trump administration was preparing to implement a plan that would create "Alternate Safe Communities" in IDF-controlled areas of Gaza east of the Yellow Line, with a pilot site set to be built in Rafah, southern Gaza. Basic services would be provided as well as temporary housing for approximately 25,000 people, vetted by Israeli intelligence to filter out Hamas members. The US State Department awarded Tetra Tech with a contract to build the first settlement.

So what? This is consistent with Israel's efforts to undermine the Hamas movement as a governing body of the Gaza Strip by establishing parallel, competing structures and is in line with our previous assessment that Tel Aviv likely hopes to expand the influence of various anti-Hamas armed groups into Hamas-controlled territory and undermine its status as governing authority in a divided Gaza Strip. This new reporting shows it intends to push peo leave the unsafe areas towards ones under nominal IDF control being rebuilt.
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
TetraTech, an engineering consulting firm with extensive cultural resource management contracts across the U.S., has been awarded a contract to build an IDF-controlled settlement in Gaza...The entanglement between genocidal powers and the American CRM industry is a travesty 🏺
Screenshot of an Instagram post by @conflictwire. The post includes an aerial photo showing the areas of Israeli control in Gaza and the following text:
"On Nov. 11, US media reported that the Trump administration was preparing to implement a plan that would create "Alternate Safe Communities" in IDF-controlled areas of Gaza east of the Yellow Line, with a pilot site set to be built in Rafah, southern Gaza. Basic services would be provided as well as temporary housing for approximately 25,000 people, vetted by Israeli intelligence to filter out Hamas members. The US State Department awarded Tetra Tech with a contract to build the first settlement.

So what? This is consistent with Israel's efforts to undermine the Hamas movement as a governing body of the Gaza Strip by establishing parallel, competing structures and is in line with our previous assessment that Tel Aviv likely hopes to expand the influence of various anti-Hamas armed groups into Hamas-controlled territory and undermine its status as governing authority in a divided Gaza Strip. This new reporting shows it intends to push peo leave the unsafe areas towards ones under nominal IDF control being rebuilt.
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Give your bosses a fright! Join a union!
A graphic with a photo of a spooky tree in the background. There is an orange jack o'lantern in the center of the image with a black sabo cat hissing in front of it. Green text at the top of the image reads "bosses can't scare us"
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Reposted by Unionizing American Archaeology
Q @gameovermike.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Also, AECOM is heavily involved in cultural heritage projects around the globe. Their credibility as trustworthy partners in preserving cultural heritage is about to absolutely crater.
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
ICYMI 🏺
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Reposted by Unionizing American Archaeology
Alex Falcone @alexfalcone.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Two things everybody’s missing about the Riyadh Comedy Festival.
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Reposted by Unionizing American Archaeology
Andy Carvin @acarv.in · 02/10/2025
The Saudi government murdered Jamal Khashoggi seven years ago today. His editor @karenattiah.bsky.social wrote this two years ago.
wapo.st
Opinion | The moment I knew the world would try to move on from Jamal Khashoggi
I could see it coming at Time’s 2018 Person of the Year celebration.
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
🏺
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
Statement on American Cultural Resource Management Companies and Saudi Arabia
White text on Black background.

Statement on American Cultural Resource Management Companies and Saudi Arabia 

In recent days, the news of comedians accepting money from the government of Saudi Arabia to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival has cast a spotlight on the ethics surrounding business ties to a government with a documented history of human rights abuses including slavery, the murder of journalists, and financial support of terrorism. While the current media cycle focuses on the involvement of celebrity comedians, we take this opportunity to condemn the lesser known, but no less unethical, business relationships between the American cultural resource management industry and the government of Saudi Arabia. Namely, Chronicle Heritage, AECOM, and WSP each have extensive contracts with the Saudi government, with Chronicle Heritage specifically providing archaeological services to the Saudi government through the Royal Commission for Al-Ula to support the development of their cultural tourism industry. These business entanglements are especially troubling as they directly support the advancement of development projects that will almost certainly be carried out by exploited slave laborers, as is the case with countless projects sponsored by the Saudi government. 

As a collective of cultural resource management professionals organizing for better labor conditions for archaeological technicians in the United States, Unionizing American Archaeology stands in solidarity with exploited workers around the globe, and strongly condemns the participation of American CRM companies in Saudi government development projects. Archaeological technicians who work for multiple companies on a contract basis are in a unique position to take a stand against this massive ethical violation by refusing employment offers from companies with business relationships with the Saudi government. We urge archaeological technicians to refuse work with Chronicle Heritage, AECOM, WSP, and an…
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
Archaeological field technicians are long overdue for a union and the time to organize is NOW! If you're a field tech in CRM and interested in organizing your workplace, let us know and we can help connect you with the resources to get started!
A black outline map of the continental United States. The map is titled "Join a union, join the MOVEMENT" and subtitled " CRM Union Elections...so far!"
4 states are colored in, which represent the states where CRM union elections have been held. Each state is labeled with a text box with an arrow pointing to a locator pin at the city where the election was held. The text boxes read:
Salt Lake City, UT
March 2024
Archaeologists at SWCA Environmental Consultants vote to join Teamsters Local 222

Denver, CO
July 2025
Archaeologists at SWCA Environmental Consultants vote to join Teamsters Local 455

Pittsburgh, PA*
January 2025
Archaeologists at SWCA Environmental Consultants vote to join Teamsters Local 341
*Election held, ballot tally pending

Frederick, MD
June 2024
Archaeologists at Goodwin & Associates vote to join Teamsters Local 992
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Reposted by Unionizing American Archaeology
San Francisco Chronicle @sfchronicle.com · 30/08/2025
Facing waves of cuts to national park workforces and programs, federal lands workers in California voted to join a national union of government employees.
bit.ly
Workers at two popular California national parks are unionizing
Facing waves of cuts to national park workforces and programs, federal lands workers in California voted to join a national union of government employees.
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Reposted by Unionizing American Archaeology
Ly Lyra 🧚🏻‍♂️💦✨ $408/#️⃣#️⃣#️⃣ @luciddreamrr.bsky.social · 30/08/2025
US federalization of Labor Day was intentionally designed to disconnect the day from international Labor Day (May 1st). To weaken international solidarity and US worker consciousness about transnational labor power.
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Reposted by Unionizing American Archaeology
Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Why zines? Because archaeological field techs have been using zines to discuss labor issues in cultural resource management since the 90s! 🏺
Best of "The Underground"

From 1993 to 1995, The Underground was a zine written by and for people who lived in motels- archaeological field technicians. The Underground functioned as a community space in a pre-internet age by providing a way for archaeological workers to widely discuss both the positive and negative aspects of the CRM industry and of the field as a whole. Its role as a trusted venue for honestly reporting personal accounts of the poor labor conditions in field archaeology makes it an invaluable archive covering a significant period in the history of unions in CRM, as well as an intimate lens into the experiences of field techs 30 years ago...

Ask yourself why they sound so familiar.
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Reposted by Unionizing American Archaeology
Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
There's no such thing as a union of one, so start talking to your coworkers and build solidarity in the workplace!
Digital image of two light blue stick figures centered on a light gray background. They are holding shovels with a speech bubble above one of them indicating they are talking to each other. White text above them reads, "it starts with a conversation" and white text below them reads, "talk to your coworkers!"Digital image with white text written over multiple faded blue speech bubble graphics on a light gray background. Text at the top of the image is written on a blue title banner that reads, "Start A Conversation" and the white text over the speech bubbles reads, "Bosses want you to believe that talking about wages and other benefits will lead to tension, but the truth is being transparent with your coworkers builds solidarity!"
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
Once you get the conversation started, it's important to identify other people in your workplace who can commit to helping you organize! 1/3
Graphic with a green clip art image of two hands shaking on a light gray background with white text above it reading "Find your allies"Graphic with white text over a light green image of 3 stick figures standing with their arms around each other. The top of the image has a dark green title banner with white text that reads, "Find your allies"
The text over the image reads "if you're thinking about organizing, chances are you aren't the only one. Organizing takes work, and there is strength in numbers, so finding other ready to put in the time is key"
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
Check out this new mutual aid network for people working in historic preservation and cultural resources! 🏺 We're all stronger together!
sites.google.com
Mutual Aid Network
Launching a Mutual Aid Network for Historic Preservation and Cultural Resources Workers We're Coming Together The past year has brought seismic shifts in the historic preservation community. Across th...
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
🏺🪏
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
Archaeological field technicians are long overdue for a union and the time to organize is NOW! If you're a field tech in CRM and interested in organizing your workplace, let us know and we can help connect you with the resources to get started!
A black outline map of the continental United States. The map is titled "Join a union, join the MOVEMENT" and subtitled " CRM Union Elections...so far!"
4 states are colored in, which represent the states where CRM union elections have been held. Each state is labeled with a text box with an arrow pointing to a locator pin at the city where the election was held. The text boxes read:
Salt Lake City, UT
March 2024
Archaeologists at SWCA Environmental Consultants vote to join Teamsters Local 222

Denver, CO
July 2025
Archaeologists at SWCA Environmental Consultants vote to join Teamsters Local 455

Pittsburgh, PA*
January 2025
Archaeologists at SWCA Environmental Consultants vote to join Teamsters Local 341
*Election held, ballot tally pending

Frederick, MD
June 2024
Archaeologists at Goodwin & Associates vote to join Teamsters Local 992
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
This is what companies wish they could get away with but we won't let them!! A recent job posting on shovelbums was retracted and reposted after receiving backlash for trying to offer $13/hr for a tech position (a living wage in Pennsylvania is estimated to be $22.91/hr) 🏺
Screenshot of an email. Subject line reads: [ShovelBums] Archaeological Field Technician Opportunity in Ligonier, PA - The Markosky Engineering Group Inc.

Email reads:

June 25

To: ShovelBums@groups.io

Please post:

Job Description: Archaeological Tec nician -

Hourly rate: $13.00-20.00

FSA Status: Non-exempt

Feports to: Principal Investigator/Archaeological Coup Leader (directly to Field Cupervisor/Field Director when in the field

Job Summary:

Archaeological Technicians provide general archaeological support with fieldwork, lab work, inventorying, and curation. If their training allows, assist with artifact identification, or other specialization.Screenshot of an email. Subject line reads:
EXT: [ShovelBums] (Wages corrected) Archaeological Field Technician Opportunity in Ligonier, PA - The Markosky Engineering Group

Email reads:

to ShovelBums

[Edited Message Follows]

[Reason: Salary updated to $21-23/hr]

Job Description: Archaeological Technician - Hourly

rate: $21-23/hr
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
Once you get the conversation started, it's important to identify other people in your workplace who can commit to helping you organize! 1/3
Graphic with a green clip art image of two hands shaking on a light gray background with white text above it reading "Find your allies"Graphic with white text over a light green image of 3 stick figures standing with their arms around each other. The top of the image has a dark green title banner with white text that reads, "Find your allies"
The text over the image reads "if you're thinking about organizing, chances are you aren't the only one. Organizing takes work, and there is strength in numbers, so finding other ready to put in the time is key"
112
Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
There's no such thing as a union of one, so start talking to your coworkers and build solidarity in the workplace!
Digital image of two light blue stick figures centered on a light gray background. They are holding shovels with a speech bubble above one of them indicating they are talking to each other. White text above them reads, "it starts with a conversation" and white text below them reads, "talk to your coworkers!"Digital image with white text written over multiple faded blue speech bubble graphics on a light gray background. Text at the top of the image is written on a blue title banner that reads, "Start A Conversation" and the white text over the speech bubbles reads, "Bosses want you to believe that talking about wages and other benefits will lead to tension, but the truth is being transparent with your coworkers builds solidarity!"
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Dr. Angry Anarchist (Free 🇵🇸) @archhelmer.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Good article laying out how the administration is stripping cultural resource protections 🧪🏺
wsws.org
Trump administration attacks the preservation of archaeological resources
Funding and staff cuts will gut the protection of archaeological sites under the National Historic Preservation Act.
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Reposted by Unionizing American Archaeology
Fight For A Union @fightforaunion.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
EVERYBODY WATCH. ICE IS OUT OF CONTROL. Video of SEIU California’s President David Huerta getting assaulted & arrested during an ICE raid in the warehouse district of Downtown Los Angeles today. He’s an LA native, American citizen and labor leader. Don’t turn away.
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Why zines? Because archaeological field techs have been using zines to discuss labor issues in cultural resource management since the 90s! 🏺
Best of "The Underground"

From 1993 to 1995, The Underground was a zine written by and for people who lived in motels- archaeological field technicians. The Underground functioned as a community space in a pre-internet age by providing a way for archaeological workers to widely discuss both the positive and negative aspects of the CRM industry and of the field as a whole. Its role as a trusted venue for honestly reporting personal accounts of the poor labor conditions in field archaeology makes it an invaluable archive covering a significant period in the history of unions in CRM, as well as an intimate lens into the experiences of field techs 30 years ago...

Ask yourself why they sound so familiar.
1239
Reposted by Unionizing American Archaeology
Sam Holley-Kline @sholleykline.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
My book, In the Shadow of El Tajín: The Political Economy of Archaeology in Modern Mexico, is out in November—and it has a cover! Couldn't be happier with @univnebpress.bsky.social. For more: www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/978... 🗃️📚🏺🏛️🇲🇽
Book cover reading "In the Shadow of El Tajín: The Political Economy of Archaeology in Modern Mexico," above a black-and-white photo of workers excavating a pre-Hispanic mound with a Willys Jeep to the left and masonry visible to the right.
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Truthout @truthout.org · 05/06/2025
More than 17,000 acres around the Klamath River in Northern California have returned to the Yurok Tribe, completing the largest landback deal in California history. When the California gold rush began, the tribe lost 90% of its territory despite having lived along the Klamath for millennia.
buff.ly
Yurok Tribe Celebrates the Largest Landback Deal in California’s History
The tribe says they will initiate restoration projects on the 17,000 acres taken from them during the gold rush.
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
Spiderman pointing at spiderman meme. A comic panel with seven spidermans standing in a circle pointing at one another. Each spiderman is labeled "unhappy worker" and text at the top of the image reads "when you finally talk to your coworkers about your working conditions and realize you need a union"
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
Want to know more about how you and your crew can organize a union at your workplace? Check out our zine on the basics of unionizing! Printable copies of all our zines are available through the link in our bio!
Front cover of zine. Title text is in black and gray over an illustration of a shovel.
Text reads:
Unions: what? Why? How? Who? Where? When?
A Field Tech's Guide to Organizing Your Crew
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Unionizing American Archaeology @unionizearch.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
ICYMI🏺
jacobin.com
Archaeologists Are Organizing to Dig Out of Poverty Wages
Field archaeologists work physically demanding jobs exposed to the elements, often for low pay and meager benefits from private employers. We spoke to one self-identified “dirty shovel bum” about why ...
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