Portside

A majority of union members today now have ties to a government entity, at the federal, state or local levels. Roughly 1-in-3 public-sector workers is a union member, compared with about 1-in-15 for the private-sector workforce. The typical union worker now is more likely to be an educator, office worker or food or service industry employee rather than a construction worker, autoworker, electrician or mechanic. Far more women than men are in unions.

The new president of the largest teachers union in the country will become the voice of roughly 3 million teachers at perhaps the most critical moment in the National Education Association’s history. First item on the agenda: Win back the public.

What is happening to manufacturing jobs in the U.S.? This in-depth article and accompanying photo essay tell the story behind plant closings, productivity and offshoring.

The new president of the largest teachers union in the country will become the voice of roughly 3 million teachers at perhaps the most critical moment in the National Education Association’s history. First item on the agenda: Win back the public.

On the 4th of July people tend to think back about the history of this country. Here is a little bit of Labor history in the form of a speech by Eugene Debs on July 4, 1901. Debs was a founder of the American Railway Union and the Socialist Party. In 1920, while in prison for opposing World War 1, he received 915,000 votes for President, running as a Socialist.

Even without repealing Abood, today’s court decision is plenty catastrophic. It will put financial limits on unions’ campaigns to organize two of the fastest-growing categories of American workers—those who care for the elderly and the sick, and those who care for small children

Through workers associations, work centers, and “alt-labor” groups, millions of workers — along with part-time workers, temporary workers, and those who work for employers that have no union — are using new tactics to fight against that inequality of bargaining power. The groups are not competing with traditional unions, but rather working alongside them and in tandem.

Two pieces sum up the Court's decisions on Harris v. Quinn and Hobby Lobby. The first, from Constitutional Accuracy Center, describes how the Court has been ruling in favor of big business. The second, from BillMoyers.com, provides a round-up of commentary on the cases.

After months of activism by Sodexo employees, the company has decided to change the way it calculates hours for full-time jobs and allow several thousand workers back on the company health care plan.

Delegates to British Trade Union Congress LBGT conference take stand against homophobic slurs and hate crimes. TUC Assistant General Secretary states "We know that LBGT workers are two and a half times more likely to face workplace bullying and discrimination.