Portside

"The Second Machine Age," by MIT professors Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee, has gotten a lot of attention for its bold predictions of a forthcoming giant leap forward in the kinds of tasks that smart machines (robots) will be capable of performing. This could have a major impact on the nature of work, the number of jobs, the kinds of jobs, and the kind of society we will have in the future.

1600 Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee to vote on unionization February 12 through 14. It appears that both Volkswagen and the UAW are supporting unionization. This is bringing howls of outrage from right-wing southern politicians. A yes vote would have be seen as a tremendous victory for all those trying to organize in the south.

Forming a union is one of the only ways that workers in home-care jobs have been able to have a voice and a pathway out of poverty. Limiting the ability of a state to collaborate directly with home care workers on common sense solutions to meet their own growing workforce needs--which could be the outcome of a right-wing lawsuit before the U.S. Supreme Court-- sets a terrible precedent for both workers and consumers.

Northwestern University football players showed they'd learned more than playbooks: they'd also learned teamwork. They understood that individuals don't win football games. And they knew they weren't going to win this fierce contest with their schools and the NCAA without teamwork. If successful, they will form the first union of its kind in the country. Leo Gerard explains why the Steelworkers are supporting the effort. Jon Solomon answers 5 questions.

Northwestern University football players showed they'd learned more than playbooks: they'd also learned teamwork. They understood that individuals don't win football games. And they knew they weren't going to win this fierce contest with their schools and the NCAA without teamwork. If successful, they will form the first union of its kind in the country. Leo Gerard explains why the Steelworkers are supporting the effort. Jon Solomon answers 5 questions.

Northwestern University football players showed they'd learned more than playbooks: they'd also learned teamwork. They understood that individuals don't win football games. And they knew they weren't going to win this fierce contest with their schools and the NCAA without teamwork. If successful, they will form the first union of its kind in the country. Leo Gerard explains why the Steelworkers are supporting the effort. Jon Solomon answers 5 questions.