Resolving the conflict between being visionary and being pragmatic is critical for those who want to transform society. Can we be both visionary and strategic?
The post-neoliberal world could move in a neo-authoritarian, elitist, anti-democratic direction. Or it could be a communitarian, multiracial democracy. For the second option prevails, labor must help forge a new order that lifts all working people.
Labor militants ousted entrenched leadership in the United Mine Workers in 1972, an historic breakthrough that led to setbacks and successes.
Federal lawmakers failed to increase the minimum wage, but US workers made other gains, and they are setting their sights on new goals. But across the country, states and companies have raised wages in the wake of Fight for $15’s efforts.
The historian and activist dedicated his life to showing how, and helping, working people not only imagine but build a better world. Working with his partner Alice (Niles) Lynd, he relentlessly sought out new sources of combat and inspiration.
Lynd explored the biggest little secret, one people everywhere should heed: We who do the work can build a better world, and we can best do it without the parasitic Super Rich who contribute nothing and weigh us down like a monstrous ball and chain.
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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.
Unity between labor and environmentalists are forged by fighting for local projects, as well as broader initiatives. Many environmental justice groups believe working-class communities shouldn't have to shoulder costs of a crisis they didn't create.
Every walkout, every outstretched hand, every word written or spoken in defense of workers' rights, is a victory—whether it results in immediate and obvious success or not.
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