Portside

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers Local 3299 plan a one day strike on Wednesday at the University of California to protest intimidation of workers who participated in a 2 day strike in May.

Growing income inequality will pose a major threat to social stability in countries around the globe, according to a new report by the World Economic Forum.

The National Labor Relations Board issued findings today that Walmart broke the law by firing or penalizing workers who went on strike or tried to unionize. Meanwhile, the company draws criticism for sponsoring a food drive for needy employees. Rather than raise wages, Walmart blames a weak economy for its slow sales rather than a flawed business model. Finally, a senior editor from Fortune magazine makes the case that Walmart can afford to raise wages by 50%.

FARM subsidies were much more sensible when they began eight decades ago, in 1933, at a time when more than 40 percent of Americans lived in rural areas. Farm incomes had fallen by about a half in the first three years of the Great Depression. In that context, the subsidies were an anti-poverty program. Now, though, the farm subsidies serve a quite different purpose.

Socialist candidate, Kshama Sawant has a 1,000 vote lead for a City Council seat in Seattle Washington. The Working Families Party could have been a viable progressive force, but only if it stayed consistent in its own agenda.

Members of the International Association of Machinists have overwhelmingly rejected a contract proposal that would have eliminated their defined benefit pension plan, increased their health insurance costs, and provided wage increases that would have amounted to a pay cut over the contract's eight-year proposed term.

New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio and municipal unions have a major problem. After going 4 years without a contract under Mayor Bloomberg the question of a new contract and how much retroactive pay is included is front and center for the incoming Mayor and the municipal unions.

Puget Sound workers are latest to join the strike wave, with weeks to go before a Black Friday showdown

Continuing the discussion on the role of the AFL-CIO, on the AFL-CIO's recent convention. A response to the ongoing discussion that is needed, started by Steve Early, Bill Fletcher, Jeff Crosby and Peter Olney and published in October by Portside.

New York State's nurses union has historically been a low-key, apolitical group that steered clear of most controversy.