Portside

With a unprecedented voter turnout of 85% and a political mobilization that shook the foundations of the United Kingdom, much was accomplished even in defeat by those who voted for Scottish independence. The Scottish referendum has left a significant legacy. "The result of the independence referendum is the beginning of a conversation, not the closing statement of a soliloquy."

The U.S. is now involved in more than 130 wars or none, depending on your definition of 'war.' Or it is involved in one worldwide "War Against Terror," that successive U.S. Administrations, with Congressional support, have used to justify U.S. military operations in at least 134 countries, where they are engaged in direct combat operations, conduct special covert missions, act as military advisers, or train foreign troops or militias.

The new PBS documentary series: The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, reinforces "the American desire to believe in cherished myths," while "covering up the information we ought to know." President Theodore Roosevelt was a war monger and an inveterate racist, and, "it should be shocking that in the 21st century there is still such an inclination to sweep this easily accessible information under the rug."

Only 15 years ago, progressive massive fibrosis - an advanced form of black lung disease for which there is no cure - was virtually eradicated. Now, health researchers say, coal miners in Kentucky and other parts of Appalachia are contracting serious cases of black lung at rates not seen since the early 1970s. According to government estimates, black lung disease has caused or contributed to the deaths of more than 75,000 miners since 1968.

A boycott of Washington state’s mandated standardized test by teachers at a Seattle school is spreading to other schools and winning support across the country, including from the two largest teachers’ unions, parents, students, researchers and educators.

A cadre of wealthy business executives and conservative groups tried to sell California voters on new campaign finance reforms.Couched in lofty rhetoric about the importance of cutting off money from special interests to politicians and other regulations favored by reformers, their proposal sought to ban the practice of using payroll deductions for political expenditures — a popular method of union fundraising: The story of the American Fund and Proposition 32.

Late this evening, President Mohammad Morsi declared Emergency Law in three provinces around the Suez Canal that are ablaze in protests. He frankly conceded the government was losing control. ... there is absolutely no doubt that both the military and the Muslim Brotherhood government were caught completely off guard by angry, increasingly intense protests, immediately following what were already massive anti-government actions in Tahrir Square and elsewhere.

Now that we're well past the euphoria of election night, it's time to consider what the vote really meant, and how unions can move forward. First, it's clear that we in labor can't dedicate ourselves to "holding the president accountable" because Obama is not, in fact, accountable to us. He raised $1 billion for his re-election, and most of it was not from us.

Politicians across the political spectrum herald “job creation,” but frightfully few of them talk about what kinds of jobs are being created. Low-wage, temporary jobs have become so widespread that they threaten to become the norm. How did we arrive at this state of affairs?

Small but highly publicized strikes by Walmart retail and warehouse workers last fall set the labor movement abuzz and gained new respect for organizing methods once regarded skeptically.