Portside

Nyack Library workers voted Monday night to unionize, making it among the small handful of Rockland County, New York libraries where employees are covered by unions. They will be joining the New York State United Teachers.

The Corbyn-supporting group is preparing for another election at any moment and now has the potential to create powerful training initiatives, union links and party reform efforts.

Tufts Medical Center nurses went back to work on Monday after launching the first Boston nurses’ strike in more than three decade. Despite the collective action, the roughly 1,200 nurses who walked out still face barriers to a satisfactory resolution.

A brave group have become an example for Britain, and all of Europe, in taking back workplace control

A South African court ruled that the trade union federation Costau is guilty of hate speech and anti-Semitism because of its support of Palestinian rights. The union denounced the ruling as an attack against workers’ rights to offer solidarity, freedom of expression and the struggle for justice and dignity for all.

Mark Rosenthal died July 15, 2017. He was a rank and file trade unionist who helped change the face of the New York City labor movement in the late 1990's and beyond. He was a founding member of the Committee for Real Change in DC 37, AFSCME and President of Local 983. Steven Greenhouse's article in The New York Times in 1998 is the best obituary Mark could have.

Mark Rosenthal died July 15, 2017. He was a rank and file trade unionist who helped change the face of the New York City labor movement in the late 1990's and beyond. He was a founding member of the Committee for real Change in DC 37, AFSCME and former Local 983 President. Steven Greenhouse's article in The New York Times September 30, 1998 is a fitting tribute to Mark Rosenthal

"The White House celebrates US-manufactured products this week, even though Trump’s vodka, menswear and even board games have been made overseas."

Americans think they live in a democracy. But their workplaces are small tyrannies.

Isolated examples exist of union resistance and victory. Important as these are, they do not yet approach the scale needed to respond to the challenges that labor faces in the coming years. But they show that it is still possible to strike, and it is still possible to win. In each case, building workplace union culture and organization was key. Broadening this model outwards could provide ways of reversing labor’s fortunes.