John Vukmirovich –

Chicago Teachers Union members and others march in the West Loop on May Day, May 1, 2026. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

John Vukmirovich: Why unions inspire ambivalence in me

June 4, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Unions can either be effective or ineffective, and that depends entirely on their members.

Apollo 8 astronauts James Lovell, from left, William Anders and Frank Borman stand in front of a mission simulator prior to training in exercise for their six-day lunar orbital mission at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Dec. 18, 1968. Borman commanded Apollo 8's historic Christmas 1968 flight that circled the moon 10 times and paved the way for the lunar landing seven months later. (AP Photo/File)

Guest column: World events echo 1968, but where is our transcendent moment

December 19, 2025 at 5:05 a.m.

John Vukmirovich notes the turmoil in the country mirrors 1968, but that year ended with the Christmas Eve orbit of the moon.

A pawpaw fruit grows on a tree Sept. 18, 2024, at a farm in Washington Court House, Ohio. (Joshua A. Bickel/AP)

John Vukmirovich: With the arrival of autumn, I celebrate the pawpaw

September 5, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Pawpaw trees are pure Americana.

Wisconsin Steel workers question company and union officials at a meeting shortly after the Wisconsin Steel plant on the South Side of Chicago was shut down.

John Vukmirovich: Hearing ‘mill talk’ as a kid on the South Side taught me what really matters

March 3, 2023 at 10:01 a.m.

When you recall your childhood, what do you hold dear? Of late, I find myself pondering what I call "mill talk." Before I get to words, though, I'd like to...

A frame grab shows the 1966 CBS Season's Greetings ad by R.O.Blechman.

Op-ed: A CBS holiday ad from 1966 taught me about one of the greatest gifts we can give

December 21, 2021 at 3:09 p.m.

Back in 1966, when I was 8, I began to learn that Christmas is often not "Christmas." Christmas in quotes, in a nostalgic sense, means a live tree with ornaments,...

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