Tag: Organizing
How the Pro-Choice Movement Lost the Battle
“This Was Not a Surprise” by Alexandra Zayas ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. As all eyes were on the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday after a leaked draft majority opinion indicated it is planning…
‘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,…
Mobilizations planned as Supreme Court targets Roe
‘Time to Take to the Streets’ The push by conservative justices to overturn Roe v. Wade, said one abortion rights advocate, “is giving us an opportunity to show them how ungovernable we will be if they…
Ottawans weren’t passive pushing back on the blockade
by Wade Rathke February 23, 2022 Marble Falls When you read the New York Times about the Ottawa blockade you have to distill quite a lot of high-powered spin to search for the truth….
Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.: 5 things I’ve learned curating the MLK Collection at Morehouse College
Martin Luther King Jr. waves with his children, Yolanda and Martin Luther III, from the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City. Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images by Vicki Crawford, Morehouse College January 17, 2022 For…
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…
Could direct action stop climate change?
by Wade Rathke December 20, 2021 Little Rock Sometimes you stumble over something so obvious, you shake your head wondering why your thinking was so patterned that it was in danger of becoming more habitual…
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…
How deep canvassing by progressives can change rural politics in the US
In North Carolina, progressive activists reach out to rural voters as an overlooked segment of the electorate. by Amanda Abrams, Yes! Magazine November 24, 2021 It’s Nov. 1, and Precious Cogwell is canvassing in Alamance County,…
Generation What?
by Wade Rathke October 28, 2021 New Orleans Guilty as charged! I have found myself whining from time to time recently about the circuitous path that young people in the so-called Generation Z were taking…
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…
2021-2030: The Renewal Decade
Protecting and regenerating the viability of our blue-green home is the essential work of the next few years. Everyone is needed and we each have a role to play. by Diana Donlon June 5, 2021 On…
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…
Highlander and Horton
by Wade Rathke May 8, 2021 New Orleans It was fun talking to Stephen Preskill about his new book, Education in Black and White: Myles Horton and the Highlander Center’s Vision for Social Justice, on…
Violent overthrow of government – DÉJÀ VU
by Wade Rathke May 11, 2021 New Orleans There are some in America who live in denial about our history, despite the fact it is riddled with violence and contemptuous of democracy. For them the…
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,…
Remembering fresh eyes to horrible situations
by Wade Rathke April 30, 2021 New Orleans – We were lucky on our work to launch the ACORN Tenants Union in Atlanta to have a bunch of serious and committed young apprentice organizers with us…
Progressive groups mark May Day with rallies urging passage of PRO Act
“The fight for the PRO Act is a fight for a future of dignity for all workers,” said Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York. by Andrea Germanos, staff writer May 1, 2021 A coalition…
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…
Biden gives Congress his vision to ‘win the 21st century’ – scholars react
President Joe Biden spoke to Congress on April 28, 2021, with a historic duo flanking him: two women, one of them African American. Vice President Kamala Harris called the proceedings to order; Speaker of the House Nancy…
Rights defenders decry advancement of Oklahoma anti-protest bills
‘The OK Legislature Wants Us Dead’ The head of the state’s ACLU accused Oklahoma lawmakers of “attempting to silence the voices of their constituents and criminalize vital calls for accountability and racial justice.” by Brett Wilkins,…
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…
