Portside

The union will elect a new president this fall, from a field of four candidates. After months of speculation, Renfroe announced at the convention that he isn’t running again. Delegates cheered.

The backdrop is ongoing existential threats to USPS. Since Trump returned to office, the postal doomsday clock has been minutes from midnight.

Spring has brought green shoots in the labor movement too. Here are some causes for hope.

Ninety years ago, a recognition strike was the main way to unionize. "Everyone keeps asking if we're scared," said striking casino dealer Tera Arnold. "I’ve never been so not scared of anything in my life. I feel powerful."

Rank-and-file members of the NALC pushed their national leadership to call a national day of action to fight privatization and defend postal jobs against DOGE attacks.

“As a true unionist in my blood, withholding labor is always an option. I’m not scared of it. A general strike of all federal workers and postal workers would show the country what’s going to happen if they dismantle everything.”

"A strong no vote will force both our leadership and the arbitrator to pay attention. And we have to build the infrastructure for a real contract campaign. Our main emphasis should be on building a movement, not just having the best negotiator.

The Teamsters won a ban on any further outsourcing, wrested back some previously outsourced jobs, and for the first time won the right to honor strikes by other Kroger Teamsters.

We get why union leaders want “access”; they’ve been shut out of real influence for so long. But it’s delusional to think that Trump might swap out his anti-worker—really, anti-humanity—policies; they are at the core of his being

On the tenth anniversary of the Chicago Teachers Union’s groundbreaking strike, Labor Notes is reissuing their award-winning book "How to Jump-Start Your Union: Lessons from the Chicago Teachers." This is the new introduction.