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How New York's "Fight for $15" Launched a Nationwide Movement

Wendi C. Thomas and Frederick McKissack, Jr. The American Prospect
The combination of fed-up workers, motivated organizers, and political opportunity created a perfect storm for New York City's carwasheros and fast-food workers in the fight for $15.

Mayor de Blasio to Raise Base Pay for City Workers

MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM The New York Times
New York City's Mayor Bill de Blasio will sign an agreement on Wednesday with DC37, AFSCME to raise the minimum wage to $15. This will cover about 50,000 municipal workers including DC37.

Where Did the OUR Walmart Campaign Go Wrong?

Peter Olney In These Times
Within the labor movement, we never want to share publicly critiques of work to be utilized by our class enemies—in this case, Walmart. I appreciated the energy and excitement among participants in the OUR Walmart campaign and observers who saw it as a potential labor renaissance. I didn't want to be perceived as an old crank pissing on a new parade that didn't fit my measure of what worker organizing should be. But my reticence has now been overridden.

Who Gets Excluded From the Modern Economy?

REBECCA J. ROSEN, ADRIENNE GREEN, LI ZHOU, GILLIAN B. WHITE The Atlantic
Experts on banking and labor markets offer their reasons for optimism and pessimism going into 2016.

The Renewal and Repression of Turkey's Civil Society Grassroots

Jennifer Hattam Equal Times
Turkey’s major trade unions called for a one-day strike on 29 December to protest the government-led military operations against the Kurds. Union representatives declared that they would persist in struggle against those who are trying to destroy the hope of both peoples [Turks and Kurds] to live together and build a common future.

For Freelancers, Getting Stiffed is Part of the Job. Some in New York City Want to Fix It.

Lydia DePillis The Washington Post
A bill being introduced in the City Council Monday would require all employers to put contracts in writing, impose civil and criminal penalties for taking longer than 30 days to deliver payments, and award double damages plus attorneys fees to contractors who’ve been stiffed — similar to the protections now enjoyed by regular employees.