Portside

There are currently no regulations governing prison grievance processes, and, in the two decades since the law’s passage, many prisons’ procedures have become so onerous and convoluted—“Kafkaesque,” in the words of one federal judge—that inmates whose rights have been violated are watching their cases slip through the cracks.

There’s software used across the country to predict future criminals. And it’s biased against blacks.

The meat and poultry industry remains exceptionally dangerous, despite a decline in reported injuries and illnesses over the past 10 years, according to a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. Further, says the report, the injury and illness rates reflected in Department of Labor numbers are significantly underreported.

Predictably, President Barack Obama did not use his historic visit to Hiroshima May 27 to apologize for the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths that resulted. But, he still can heed the “cry of the soul" of the remaining Hibakusha (survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki) and take meaningful steps to eliminate nuclear weapons, including canceling the $1 trillion, 30-year plan to upgrade U.S. nuclear weapons.

Last week, IAM District 15 announced the formation of the Independent Drivers Guild [IDG], a new association created to represent New York City’s 35,000 Uber drivers. The IDG will strive to secure job protections and benefits for Uber drivers without actually engaging in collective bargaining...

When Ada Colau was elected mayor of Barcelona, she became a figurehead of the new leftwing politics sweeping Spain. The question she now faces is a vital one for the left across Europe – can she really put her ideas into practice?

No Wonder Trump is Afraid -- a Debate with Bernie Sanders Would Show Who's Really on the Side of Working People.

A video of Marta Harnecker presenting on the topic "People's power and political instruments."

While unauthorized immigrants contribute billions in taxes, they use shockingly little health care. Most of the federal health programs they help pay for (like Medicare, Medicaid and the ACA’s plans) exclude them. And those who pay for private coverage use very little care, so their premiums effectively subsidize other enrollees with private insurance.

The exiled Persian poet Majid Naficy draws on Christian parable (the Book of Matthew), suggesting that some of the irate voices on our streets are not enemies but prophets.