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Literature for Labor Activists and Impact on Union Density

Laura McClure, Nick Coles Labor Notes
Many activists rely on fiction for inspiration, new perspectives, and, of course, entertainment. For some of us, novels even helped start us down our paths of activism. Union density in United States has declined yet again - only 11.3% of American workers now belong to unions. Labor histories can play a key role in the education of a new generation of working people, and novels, can make the case for working people's rights.

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A Novel Idea: Fiction for Labor Activists

Laura McClure Labor Notes
Many activists rely on fiction for inspiration, new perspectives, and, of course, entertainment. For some of us, novels even helped start us down our paths of activism. But—which novels? A survey of a handful of labor activists and educators revealed their favorite class-conscious novels.

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Union Dues Collecting is examined by Missouri, Kansas lawmakers

John Hancock & Brad Cooper The Kansas City Star
Republicans say it’s a simple change, opting out to opting in. But by making it more difficult for public employee unions to collect dues, GOP lawmakers in Kansas and Missouri could weaken a chief political nemesis. If organized labor is dealt that blow this year, the stage could be set in subsequent years in Missouri to push for a right-to-work law — the most contentious of disputes between management and unions played out in state legislatures across the nation.

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Focus Voters' Anger on Corporations, Not Just Republicans

Gordon Lafer Labor Notes
Now that we're well past the euphoria of election night, it's time to consider what the vote really meant, and how unions can move forward. First, it's clear that we in labor can't dedicate ourselves to "holding the president accountable" because Obama is not, in fact, accountable to us. He raised $1 billion for his re-election, and most of it was not from us.

As Union Membership Declines, So Do Wages - Despite Job Growth

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the total number of union members fell by 400,000 last year, to 14.3 million, even though the nation's overall employment rose by 2.4 million - the unionization rate to its lowest level in close to a century. among full-time workers, union members had median weekly earnings of $943 last year (about $49,000 annually), compared with $742 (about $38,600 annually), for comparable nonunion workers.

California Unions Grow, Bucking U.S. Trend

Alana Semuels Los Angeles Times
Latino workers, demanding respect in a precarious job environment, helped boost the state's unionized workforce by 100,000 in 2012.

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Big Win for Labor in Chicago

Josh Eidelson Salon
City council passes "wage theft" law that threatens license of violating companies. Will other cities follow?

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Coercive Wellness Programs Create New Headaches

Jane Slaughter Labor Notes
Employer-created wellness programs are about what workers should do on their own time, not what the employer could do to stop making them sick at work...Wellness programs are growing fast. In firms with more than 200 workers, 94 percent had such programs in 2012

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Ways to Juice Up the Labor Movement; Labor Once Again Becomes Part of the National Conversation

Sarah Jaffe; Amy Dean AlterNet and The Century Foundation
The passage of a so-called "right-to-work" law in Michigan recently left the labor movement feeling gut-punched. AlterNet talks with Stephen Lerner, Jonathan Westin, Ruth Milkman, Bill Fletcher Jr., Jane McAlevey, Eric Robertson & Ben Speight for their suggestions on how labor can go on the offensive in the next year. Amy Dean, former president of the South Bay (CA) AFL-CIO Labor Council looks at best & worst developments of 2012 in the labor and social movements.
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