Portside

"The Second Machine Age," by MIT professors Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee, has gotten a lot of attention for its bold predictions of a forthcoming giant leap forward in the kinds of tasks that smart machines (robots) will be capable of performing. This could have a major impact on the nature of work, the number of jobs, the kinds of jobs, and the kind of society we will have in the future.

1600 Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee to vote on unionization February 12 through 14. It appears that both Volkswagen and the UAW are supporting unionization. This is bringing howls of outrage from right-wing southern politicians. A yes vote would have be seen as a tremendous victory for all those trying to organize in the south.

Forming a union is one of the only ways that workers in home-care jobs have been able to have a voice and a pathway out of poverty. Limiting the ability of a state to collaborate directly with home care workers on common sense solutions to meet their own growing workforce needs--which could be the outcome of a right-wing lawsuit before the U.S. Supreme Court-- sets a terrible precedent for both workers and consumers.

Northwestern University football players showed they'd learned more than playbooks: they'd also learned teamwork. They understood that individuals don't win football games. And they knew they weren't going to win this fierce contest with their schools and the NCAA without teamwork. If successful, they will form the first union of its kind in the country. Leo Gerard explains why the Steelworkers are supporting the effort. Jon Solomon answers 5 questions.

Northwestern University football players showed they'd learned more than playbooks: they'd also learned teamwork. They understood that individuals don't win football games. And they knew they weren't going to win this fierce contest with their schools and the NCAA without teamwork. If successful, they will form the first union of its kind in the country. Leo Gerard explains why the Steelworkers are supporting the effort. Jon Solomon answers 5 questions.

Northwestern University football players showed they'd learned more than playbooks: they'd also learned teamwork. They understood that individuals don't win football games. And they knew they weren't going to win this fierce contest with their schools and the NCAA without teamwork. If successful, they will form the first union of its kind in the country. Leo Gerard explains why the Steelworkers are supporting the effort. Jon Solomon answers 5 questions.

The passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership suffered a set-back when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he would not support "fast track" legislation, which would limit debate and Congressional ability to amend the "NAFTA on Steroids" trade pact.

Union members in Pennsylvania held a mass demonstration inside the state capital to protest a Republican effort to strip public employee unions of their right to have member dues collected through payroll deduction. The protesters were clear that they see this Republican effort as just the beginning of an attempt to destroy unions and workers' rights in the state.

Anti-labor forces in Tennessee and elsewhere are leading a fight against both Volkswagen and the UAW to prevent unionization. These right-wing forces see a successful unionization drive as opening the door to the UAW in other southern states.

Pete Seeger marched and performed at hundreds of rallies for different unions over the years. "Pete has always had an interest in the labor movement and has been associated with unions," said, Henry Foner, who had known Seeger for more than 60 years. "Whenever there was a problem that a union had, Pete was always available."