labor

Interview: Busting the Myths of a Workerless Future

Chris Brooks, Kim Moody Labor Notes
Where’s our economy headed? Soon every factory worker will have to start driving for Uber, and the trucks will drive themselves—at least so the business press tells us. But Kim Moody, co-founder of this magazine and the author of many books on U.S. labor, paints a different picture. Chris Brooks asked him to cut through the hype and describe what’s coming for working people and the opportunities for unions. This is Part 1 of an interview with Kim Moody.

labor

B&H Workers Train to Win

Sonia Singh Labor Notes
To accommodate workers’ tight schedules, “we had to be creative,” said Rodríguez. Trainings took place after work, often in the nearby Laundry Worker Center office, with small groups of six to eight workers, sometimes running from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m.

labor

The Union Advantage for Contingent Faculty

Gregory N Heires The New Crossroads
A new report says faculty and graduate students at 70 colleges have voted to unionize in the past three years. There are close to 1 million adjuncts working at colleges and universities. One example of organizing is the Faculty Forward campaign by the Service Employees International Union. They have won 38 of 41 representation elections since 2013.

Chinese Daily News Workers Win $7.8 Million in Wage Theft Settlement

UCLA Labor Center UCLA Labor Center
Workers of the Chinese Daily News just won a $7.8 million settlement against the company for wage theft and work place violations. The settlement also includes funds to support legal clinics for workers to obtain information about their labor rights. This is one of the largest wage justice settlements in Asian American labor history. APALA, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, supported the workers of the Chinese Daily News for years.

labor

How New York's "Fight for $15" Launched a Nationwide Movement

Wendi C. Thomas and Frederick McKissack, Jr. The American Prospect
The combination of fed-up workers, motivated organizers, and political opportunity created a perfect storm for New York City's carwasheros and fast-food workers in the fight for $15.

Strawberry Jam

Frank Bardacke The Stansbury Forum
“In the strawberries, one dies alone.”

Immigrant Workers: Strengths for Unions

David Bacon The Stansbury Forum
Justice for Janitors posting response: Many of the janitors and leaders who fought in Century City were the Central American immigrants coming into LA from the wars. Their experience in their home countries was very important in their willingness to fight, and the use of the tactics of mass demonstrations and even CD in the street. They’re one of the best examples of the way migration, for all the pain it causes migrants, has benefited our labor movement enormously.

The Spiritual in the Struggle: A Book Review

Peter Olney The Stansbury Forum
Living Peace: Connecting Your Spirituality with Your Work for Justice, by Victor Narro 2014, a new book on the spiritual side of organizing, is just over 100 pages long. This little volume is broaching a topic that might raise cynical eyebrows in certain quarters in our labor movement. Narro's thesis intrigued me and in the spirit of self-mindedness I read the book and reflected on my own recent experience with ILWU Local 6 and the Campaign for Sustainable Recycling.

NLRB Says McDonald's is Responsible

Flavia Cabral; Steven Greenhouse The New York Times
BREAKING NEWS: The general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board ruled on Tuesday that McDonald's is jointly responsible for workers at its franchisees' restaurants, a decision that if upheld would disrupt longtime practices in the fast-food industry and ease the way for unionizing nationwide.
Subscribe to union organizing