Category: Labor
‘The fight has just begun’: Amazon Labor Union
The loss came on the heels of a landmark vote at a separate Amazon facility in Staten Island which formed the company’s first-ever union in the United States. by Andrea Germanos, Common Dreams Tuesday, May 3,…
Restaurant owners got 30 times more federal Covid aid than workers
“If the subminimum wage for tipped workers persists, the restaurant industry is unlikely to recover from its growing labor crisis, regardless of how much money the federal government hands out to business owners.” by Kenny Stancil,…
Lessons in Starbucks rising
by Wade Rathke January 14, 2022 Marble Falls You have to keep these things in perspective of course. Winning union elections in two of Starbucks 9000 stores is not exactly an example of…
UMW coal miners’ union rebukes Manchin for effort to kill Build Back Better
“Manchin has lost the coal miners with this latest betrayal,” said one labor reporter. by Julia Conley, Common Dreams Tuesday, December 21, 2021 The push for passage of the Build Back Better Act got a…
Amid deadly tornado, texts show Amazon threatened to fire driver if packages not delivered
“I’m literally stuck in this damn van without a safe place to go with a tornado on the ground!” by Kenny Stancil, Common Dreams Friday, December 17, 2021 More damning information about last week’s deadly workplace…
Starbucks union drive spreads to Mass, Ariz,
‘Next!’ “We want the company to succeed,” organizers of the Mesa unionization effort said, “and we want our work lives to be the best they can be.” by Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams Friday, December 17, 2021…
75% of Democrats want party to go big on social spending, climate action
“The people delivered Democrats the House, Senate, and White House. Now it’s time for us to deliver them paid leave, child care, climate action, lower healthcare costs, pre-k, community college, affordable housing, and so much more.”…
Essential, low-wage workers share why they need reconciliation package
‘Please Help Us’ “We’ve heard the voices of the poor. We’ve heard the voices crying out, demanding justice. All I want to know right now, Joe Manchin, is which side are you on?” by Jessica Corbett,…
This isn’t a labor shortage—It’s a strike by workers kicked in the face by low wages for too long
A lot of those now out of work simply don’t want to return to backbreaking, low-wage shit jobs. Why should they? by Robert Reich October 10, 2021 The U.S. added just 194,000 jobs in September, down…
Workers stage Global Day of Action to #MakeAmazonPay
“Loud and clear, Amazon’s producers, distributors, and delivery drivers are telling Jeff Bezos: pay your workers.” by Brett Wilkins, staff writer Asserting that workers—not CEO Jeff Bezos—drive Amazon’s success, employees of the world’s largest online…
Are unemployed workers striking?
by Wade Rathke May 12, 2021 A small group of state governors have announced that their states may abandon the supplemental unemployment program way before its September expiration. The number of Republican governors making the announcement…
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…
