Portside

With 300 workshops and panels, and almost 5,000 registered attendees, the Labor Notes Conference June 12-14, 2026 in Chicago was an oasis of inspiration and solidarity.

Organized and unorganized working people face the growing many-headed threat of Trump and Trumpism. But what are the top AFL-CIO labor “leaders” doing? Beyond public pronouncements, defensive lawsuits, and social media offerings, very little.

The key to this grassroots unionism lies in the connection between organizing and collective bargaining aimed at improvements in wages, working and living conditions. What was striking, from an Italian viewpoint, was the lack of political discussion.

The ongoing legacy of Labor Notes was renewed at last week’s gathering.

On the tenth anniversary of the Chicago Teachers Union’s groundbreaking strike, Labor Notes is reissuing their award-winning book "How to Jump-Start Your Union: Lessons from the Chicago Teachers." This is the new introduction.

Baristas nationwide are remarkably organized. Is the company’s C.E.O., Howard Schultz, using firings, store closures, and legal delays to thwart them?

This past weekend, 4,000 labor militants gathered near Chicago for the Labor Notes conference. Amazon and Starbucks workers, teachers, Teamsters, Bernie Sanders — Labor Notes is a mosaic that brought the labor and leftist upsurge under one roof.