Portside

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been pillaged by foreign governments and corporations for more than 500 years, and this sordid pattern continues to this day. Given this history, is it any wonder that the country suffers from massive corruption, perpetual conflict, and state capture?

What happened between Presley and Colonel Parker is parallel with all exploitation of workers. As Woody Guthrie wrote: “Some rob you with a six-gun, some with a fountain pen.”

During the pandemic, many restaurants have re-examined the concept of tipping, which has been shown to create pay inequity and encourage racism and sexism. The solutions are complicated.

The state laws that are now allowed by the Supreme Court in its Dobbs decision do not meet the conditions of a “just law.” We need to be loud and confrontational and disruptive in opposing them.

Worker rights activists are turning to the local level to win protections that are not coming at the Federal level. “It’s not just the coasts..It’s happening in Denver, Chicago, the Twin Cities, smaller municipalities, larger municipalities."

Some hospitals are opening child care centers to help retain nurses and other staff.

The new FX series "The Bear" fictionalizes trying to turn around a failing Chicago sandwich shop, and how chef egos (always) come into play

Canada’s Starbucks organizing wave is moving eastward from British Columbia, with a store in Alberta going union earlier this month. Poetically, the Starbucks union win is on anti-labor Alberta premier Jason Kenney’s home turf.

War, Inflation, Geopolitical Rivalry, and Soaring World Temperatures

For over half a century his reports on the labor movement, in The Nation and elsewhere, were a model of activist journalism.