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Labor Is on the Offensive

Todd E. Vachon Barron's
Aided by a historically tight labor market and a supportive president and National Labor Relations Board, unionized workers have been able to use their newfound leverage to win demands that forward their agenda.

AFL-CIO Unveils Plan To Grow but Some Union Leaders Underwhelmed

Steven Greenhouse The Guardian
In light of the youth-driven surge of union drives at Starbucks, Amazon, Apple and elsewhere, the AFL-CIO – the main US’s labor federation – is facing growing pressure to undertake a bolder effort to help today’s burst of unionizing expand far faster

Guess What Happens?

Hamilton Nolan Splinter
Oakland teachers Guess what happens when the government and power structure forsake labor peace? Labor war.

What’s the Deal with Tariffs?

Stephanie Luce Organizing Upgrade
So is Trump the worker’s hero? Will increased tariffs return jobs to the US? The left has been weak on this issue. The left lacks a real program to address the real concerns of those impacted by trade deals.

Response to Peter Olney and Ruth Needleman

Bill Fletcher, Jr. and Bob Wing Portside
Moderator's NOTE: Bill Fletcher and Bob Wing's article "Fighting Back Against White Revolt 2016" http://portside.org/2016-12-05/fighting-back-against-white-revolt-2016 has sparked discussion from Peter Olney "Go Red" http://portside.org/2016-12-26/go-red-thoughts-labor-movement-age-trump-response-fletcher-and-wing-portside-december-5 and today a response piece by Ruth Needleman. Following is today's reply posting from Fletcher and Wing.

Can a Racist Be a Good Unionist?

Ruth Needleman Portside
Moderator's NOTE: Bill Fletcher and Bob Wing's article "Fighting Back Against White Revolt 2016" http://portside.org/2016-12-05/fighting-back-against-white-revolt-2016 has sparked discussion from Peter Olney "Go Red" http://portside.org/2016-12-26/go-red-thoughts-labor-movement-age-trump-response-fletcher-and-wing-portside-december-5 and now this piece by Ruth Needleman. Please also read today's reply posting from Fletcher and Wing.

Go Red! Thoughts on the Labor Movement in the age of Trump. Response to Fletcher and Wing, Portside December 5, 2016

Peter Olney Portside
I argue that a defection of working class voters to Trump was key to the loss of historic battleground states, and thus the election. These are voters who have been voting for change at least since 2008 and they haven’t gotten it from a corporatist Democratic party. The problem in Fletcher and Wing's analysis of working class support for Trump is that they resort to income as a proxy for class.
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