Category: Labor
Pay a Living Wage or ‘Flip your own damn burgers’: progressives blast right-wing narrative on jobs
“If one in four recipients are making more off unemployment than they did working, that’s not an indictment of $300 a week in UI benefits. It’s an indictment of corporations paying starvation wages.” by Kenny Stancil,…
Nurses at Maine’s largest hospital vote to unionize
‘A Dream Come True’ “It’s a new day for nurses and patients across Maine.” by Jake Johnson, staff writer Friday, April 30, 2021 Registered nurses at Maine’s largest hospital have voted to form their first…
How Biden’s paid leave proposal would benefit workers, their families and their employers too
by Joya Misra, University of Massachusetts Amherst Friday, April 30, 2021 Making ends meet when you have a newborn is easier with paid family leave. John Moore/Getty Images. The Biden administration is proposing a…
Arizona study examines health risks faced by female firefighters
By Emma Ascott/Cronkite News April 15, 2021 PHOENIX – Nicole Minnick had been a firefighter for seven years when she gave birth in 2008 to her first child, a girl named Kyndal. A few months later,…
A hard look at the Amazon Bessemer union election – Part I
by Wade Rathke April 10, 2021 Pearl River The results of the union election at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama are finally tallied and the scorecard by the numbers was 1798 voting NO to be…
A Hard Look at the Amazon Bessemer Union Election – Part II
by Wade Rathke April 11, 2021 Pearl River There’s no way to put sugar in your coffee. The union’s loss at Amazon is deeply disappointing. A victory would have been a huge blast of wind…
NLRB says Amazon firing of workers illegal retaliation
The workers are demanding better climate, labor policies. “It’s clear that Amazon has been violating the law when it tries to silence workers who speak out,” said Christy Hofmann, general secretary of UNI Global Union. by…
A huge, huge deal’: Biden issues public statement of support for unionizing Alabama Amazon workers
“We haven’t had this aggressive and positive of a statement from a president of the United States on behalf of workers in decades.” by Jake Johnson, staff writer Monday, March 1, 2021 Declaring that all…
Indian farmers are a powerful force in Indian politics, and here’s why their protests matter
by Surupa Gupta, University of Mary Washington Tuesday, February 16, 2021 A large number of women have joined the protests against new farm laws in India. Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times via Getty Images For over two months, farmers…
The continued call to organize the South
by Wade Rathke December 26, 2020 Pearl River Ben Speight is a seasoned labor organizer based in Atlanta. I’ve known him for a while, initially as an organizer with the Teamsters locals there. More recently…
Climate groups call on Biden to nominate Andy Levin as Labor Secretary
“He has a long record of fighting for working people, and understands the climate imperative but knows the transition won’t happen without proper buy-in and support.” by Julia Conley, staff writer Wednesday, December 23, 2020 Highlighting…
Labor law and leverage
by Wade Rathke December 19, 2020 New Orleans One of the cabinet positions still waiting for a nomination from President-Elect Biden is the Labor Department, where the devastation of workers’ rights and protections has been…
Essential workers and pay equity
by Wade Rathke Monday, November 16, 2020 New Orleans In a moment of youthful recklessness more than fifty years ago, I allowed myself to get into one of those dangerous political conversations with the father…
Biden given roadmap to revitalize rural America
The plan “lays a foundation for bringing economic vitality to rural communities in the face of racial injustice, economic decline, climate change, and a devastating pandemic.” by Kenny Stancil, staff writer Friday, November 13 Family Farm…
Longtime Union members Pocan and Norcross announce Labor Caucus to advocate for workers in Congress
“President-elect Joe Biden’s new administration gives the Democratic Party the opportunity to reprioritize working families at the center of our legislative agenda.” by Jessica Corbett, staff writer Friday, November 13 Amid a flurry of new campaigns…
Gig workers urge no vote on Prop 22 in California to stop ‘corporate power grab’
“No company should be able to buy its way out of treating workers fairly,” said one progressive think tank about the state’s ballot initiative that will have national implications. by Kenny Stancil, staff writer Friday, October…
Dept. of Labor takes paid leave away from low wage healthcare workers
by Wade Rathke New Orleans This is complicated, so hang with me, but here is what you need to know. Nursing home workers and other frontline healthcare providers like home health aides, and community home workers…
Foreign Masks, Fear and a Fake Certification: Staff at CSL Plasma Say Conditions at Donation Centers Aren’t Safe
Trump’s FDA authorized emergency use of plasma therapy for COVID-19, despite a lack of proof that it saves lives. Staff at CSL Plasma, an industry leader, raised alarms about faulty masks as donors flooded in, but…
Workers demanding pandemic protection
by Wade Rathke September 18, 2020 New Orleans Local 100 United Labor Unions members continue in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas to speak up and confront their employers, both public and private, about the inadequate health…
Disaster work is often carried out by prisoners – who get paid as little as 14 cents an hour despite dangers
Prison systems have long championed the work of incarcerated persons in emergencies and disasters as a demonstration of the value of prisons to local communities and the state. Prisoners clearing vegetation to prevent the spread of…
Where’s the health and safety plan?
by Wade Rathke Friday, September 11, 2020 New Orleans Leaders and members of Local 100 United Labor Unions finally had enough of working on the frontlines without proper protection against the coronavirus in nursing homes, supported…
Gig work is not a jobs safety net
by Wade Rathke Thursday, September 3, 2020 Pearl River If service work had been the equivalent of a jobs’ “safety net” for workers in many cities and towns in the past, the only replacement available would…
Workers caught in the middle on Covid-19
by Wade Rathke Little Rock School teachers and their unions are being forced into Hobson’s choices all over the country about whether to return to work as politicians, parents, school officials, and every mother’s child…
Major ‘Milestone’ for workers as California judge rules Uber and Lyft must classify drivers as employees
“This is a resounding victory for thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers who are working hard—and, in this pandemic, incurring risk every day—to provide for their families.” by Jessica Corbett, staff writer Tuesday, August 11 In…
