Portside

The labor movement has lost one of its greatest organizers.   On February 15, 2022, Edward Kay—known as Eddie—passed away at the age of 89.  He will be greatly missed.

A national labor phenomenon known as “The Great Resignation,” or “The Big Quit,” began to take hold in January 2021 and has since grown. Millions have left their jobs.

The primary, leading aspect for change in the US labor movement should be recovering lost bargaining power through organizing the unorganized, including through cross-border campaigns.

Between 2019 and 2021, the overall percentage of U.S. union members stayed flat. But the percentage of workers ages 25-34 who are union members rose from 8.8% to 9.4%, or around 68,000 workers, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Unions and worker co-ops have different strengths and strategies for achieving worker justice. We need more of each, and more collaboration between the two. A new toolkit gives tips and highlights seven case studies of collaborations.

Contract negotiations covering 115,000 rail workers in the U.S. are expected to heat up in 2022.

Employers regularly eliminate healthcare benefits as a strike-breaking tactic. A bill just introduced in Congress seeks to finally end this practice.

Six current and former Amazon warehouse workers say the company’s Covid-19 policies opened the door for a flood of TikTok content.

The dirty tricks that bosses play on workers will continue until there is a fundamental change in US Labor Law. Most fundamental would be the repeal of Taft - Hartley and corporate “personhood.” The law favors the powerful. 

Inspired by an anonymous Instagram account and disgusted by bad pay and worse bosses, congressional staffers have begun the uncertain journey toward unionizing.