Portside

In cities all across the country, workers stand on street corners, line up in alleys or wait in a neon-lit beauty salon for rickety vans to whisk them off to warehouses miles away. Some vans are so packed that to get to work, people must squat on milk crates, sit on the laps of passengers they do not know or sometimes lie on the floor, the other workers’ feet on top of them.

In the Lechmere case, the Supreme Court rejected the clear language of the NLRA and Congress' intent by judicially amending the NLRA to limit the definition of employee to "an employee of an employer." In doing so, the court gave greater weight to the employer's property rights, which are nowhere mentioned in the NLRA, than to the clearly protected rights of the employees to join together.

Brazilian President met with national union leaders to discuss their demands in an effort to avoid a July 11th general strike. Unions are seeking a reduced work day, stronger pensions, and increased resources directed to health and education. Also, new research reveals that workers' declining share of national income, due to technology-related productivity increases, is an international problem. Two articles are presented below.

Reformers in Newark Teachers Union win majority of seats on the Executive Board but lose Presidency by 9 votes. This is another indication of growing rank and file opposition to the attack on teachers.