Obama’s War Grows as Support Shrinks (tags)
Some careful listening has exposed the lie that a U.S. attack (war) against Syria would be, as Obama put it, “a shot across the bow,” i.e. a “tiny war.” But even before the first missile is launched the birth of Obama’s baby war began to grow, and when it’s eventually unleashed it will resemble any other fully matured war, complete with massive destruction, the death of untold innocents and yet another Middle Eastern nation torn to pieces.
Why Mass Marches Still Matter: 2013’s March on Washington (tags)
In terms of the numbers it attracted, the August 24, 2013 March on Washington was an inspiring success. The question remains, however, how politically effective was it?
Why No Revolution Exists in Syria (tags)
The era of Arab Spring euphoria is long ended, having devolved into doubt, confusion or wholesale rejection. Libya and Syria put an abrupt end to the Arab Spring celebrations, with the current situation in Egypt adding to the frustration.
SF Labor: Calls on Labor Movement to Mobilize in Washington, D.C. August 24 (tags)
In Support of the SCLC and King Center call for a March and Rally in Washington, DC on August 24, 2013 and in Support of the July 2 Northern California Demonstration to Demand a Massive Federally Funded Jobs-Creation Program and No Cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid
Austerity — the 1%’s Global Battle Cry (tags)
Whether we are left with the Fiscal Cliff or a Grand Bargain, workers in the U.S. face massive cuts to programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, unemployment insurance, Food Stamp assistance and other needed social safety nets. This is an example of “austerity” which has largely been pursued in the U.S. until now, on a statewide and local level.
U.S. Labor Movement Faces Choice of "Lesser Evils" in Coming Presidential Election (tags)
Interview with Steve Early, union organizer and author, conducted by Scott Harris
Houston Janitors Strike for Economic Justice (tags)
Echoing the story of David vs. Goliath, janitors in Houston are on strike and taking on such corporate giants as JPMorganChase and Exxon Mobile in an effort to pressure the janitorial companies they employ to agree to the workers' modest demands. It is these big business behemoths that are the real powers behind cleaning contractors such as ABM, GCA, ISS etc. By striking against these contractors, and publicly targeting these contractors' employers, the janitors are using their collective power in a showdown that has great significance for not only the Labor Movement but all workers.
A Conversation Worth Having (tags)
The Nation magazine recently held a roundtable blog discussion that debated the effects of the failed Wisconsin recall. The discussion is important because of the seriousness of its subject. Such open and frank conversations have been sadly quite rare, so it is something of a credit to the Nation that they hosted this discussion.
The U.S. Labor Movement at the Crossroads, in the Crosshairs (tags)
The labor movement had better do some deep soul searching, and fast. Although the defeat in Wisconsin is the horrible end to a local drama, the corporate winners hope to turn their victory into the beginning chapter of a national novel.
Imagining the Post-Occupy Social Movement (tags)
If one were to honestly assess Occupy's current strengths and weaknesses as a movement, confusion must be the inevitable result.
The Labor Movement in Portland, Oregon, Takes a Step Forward (tags)
On only the second sunny weekend of the year in Portland, Oregon, 60 plus labor activists decided to spend their Saturday at the Electricians union hall (IBEW Local 48), at the United Labor Strategy Meeting ? an event unlike any other happening in the country. What made the meeting unique was both its perspective and the diversity of unions that participated.
Defeat in Victory: The Democrat's Health Care Bill (tags)
What looks like a big victory for Obama and the Democrats may be their greatest undoing. It’s true that the passage of Obama’s health care bill represents a significant political victory for the Democrats. But sometimes a battle won could equal a lost war. It’s telling that Obama had so much trouble in getting his own party to pass the bill on a simple majority basis: the bill was so blatantly watered down with the corporate hose that anyone with their name attached to it feared future electoral doom.
Dueling Strategies in the Defense of Public Education, Part I (tags)
The massive turnout across the state of California on March 4 in defense of public education provides indisputable evidence that this movement is just at the beginning stage. And much credit is due to the countless number of students, staff, and teachers who committed many, many hours of their time, tirelessly organizing for March 4; without this dedication, the event would have sputtered to a stop.
How Obama's Health Care "Reform" Kills Health Care (tags)
It’s difficult to understand a subject when those explaining it are motivated not by truth, but profit. In the case of health care, both Democrats and Republicans have huge financial incentives to obscure, mislead, or lie. Instead of common sense and honesty directing the debate, bags of money facilitate the conversation, funneled in from the health care industry via lobbyists into Congressmen’s pockets. This is the real reason that Obama’s “health care summit” was full of free-market jargon, staged debate and fake rage.
AFL-CIO’s Dull, Narrowly-Based Culture Has No Appeal to Young Working People (tags)
Harry's over 90 years old, but he's nailed one of the big problems of the AFL-CIO's labor movement - it has no appeal to young working people. It's a bunch of old people - grandparents and great-grandparents.
A Union for the Jobless (tags)
With unemployment in LA over 10%, and probably closer to 20% in our working class communities, the time has come for an organization for the unemployed. Harry Kelber is a writer whose been in the labor movement since the 1930s, a real veteran.
Can we rebuild the labor movement with the Employee Free Choice Act? (tags)
Much has been said in the United States labor movement around the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), a bill many mainstream leaders tout as the solution to the decline of unions. With the recent election of Barrack Obama and the Democratic Party holding the majority of seats in both houses of the US Congress, these same leaders have their hearts set that their millions of dollars in campaign contributions will pay off with the passage of the bill.
President John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas, TX, as the result of a conspiracy. Why did the Shadow Government decide to eliminate him? We now know he wanted to get U.S. troops out of South Vietnam. JFK had also been taking on Wall St. and The Fed. He threatened to disband the CIA and close tax loopholes beneficial to “Big Oil” and the multinationals. JFK made a lot of powerful enemies--one too many!
AFL-CIO’s John J. Sweeney Fears “an American Nightmare!” (tags)
On April 8, 2008, John J. Sweeney said in Baltimore, MD, that the country is going down the tubes and dragging working class people with it. He’s the head of the national AFL-CIO. He added that in November: “We have an opportunity to reverse these awful trends.” On May 1, 2008, West coast dockworkers are calling a work stoppage to protest the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Perhaps, Mr. Sweeney will join them on the picket line. Stay tuned.
SEIU International Attacks Labor Gathering - Conference Goers Assaulted. (tags)
When you are trying to put the movement back into the labor movement, you’re going to meet resistance.
Oh, That Trillion Dollar Financial Bubble, It’s Leaking! (tags)
It’s here! Author Charles R. Morris calls it: “The greatest credit bubble in history!” He insists that the “writedowns and defaults” of credit devices will “come out about $1 trillion.” Problem: President George W. Bush, Jr. is in denial about the crisis. Like that amiable dunce, President Ronald Reagan, he contributed to this horrible mess by turning the country over to the Vulture Capitalists and also by launching the Iraq War with its price tag of $3 trillion!
LABOR DAY SCORECARD 2007 (tags)
COMMENTARY
Rep. John Conyers: “Congress Can Fire Bush!” (tags)
A massive anti-Iraqi War rally was held, in D.C., on Sat., Jan. 27, 2007. The Chairman of the House’s Judiciary Committee, Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), sent an unmistakable warning to President George W. Bush. Conyers said he wants the “war stopped.” He reminded Bush, that the U.S. Congress “can fire him.” Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) said Bush “tricked the American people” into the war. She said, to loud applause: “Bush isn’t the decider. He’s the liar!”
LABOR DAY SCORECARD-2006 (tags)
TOUGH TIMES FOR THE AMERICAN LABOR MOVEMENT -AND THAT AINT NO LIE
THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM STOPS HERE!
Should Noam Chomsky Reset His Compass? (tags)
Noam Chomsky was interviewed for the 2005 book, “Imperial Ambitions.” In it, he addressed the Iraqi War, but he failed to take on the hawkish Neocons. Chomsky said the war was about the “control of oil.” He also ignored the influential Israeli Lobby’s role in agitating for the conflict. In the introduction, a colleague said that he “misses nothing.” Question: How can that be true, if Chomsky missed the six ton elephant in the room - the Israeli Lobby?
What an Odd Bird that Elie Wiesel Is! (tags)
To some, Elie Wiesel is a “messenger to mankind.” Well, Alexander Cockburn doesn’t think so. He said that Wiesel, a devout Zionist, failed as a messenger when it comes to those “victimized” by the policies of the U.S. and Israel. After the first Persian Gulf War, Wiesel gave Dubya’s daddy, Bush I, a humanitarian award and called that bloodbath “a magnificent victory!” This supposed moralizer has also been silent about the evils of the Iraqi War.
Beyond Mere Survival in the American Dystopia (tags)
...1984 has come to pass, both chronologically and in the Orwellian sense. Americans are "liberators" in Iraq. Opponents of this "peace initiative" are "doubleplusungood". Unchecked by the judiciary, the NSA electronically trolls for perpetrators of "crimethink". Pundits and the "liberal media" (owned by a handful of monolithic corporations despised by people with the values which many define as liberal) have become the Ministry of Truth for the Party...
AFL-CIO in Solidarity with Locked Out Canadian Workers (tags)
On 09/12/05, a rally was held in Washington, D.C., in solidarity with the 5,500 Canadian Media Guild (CMG) members, who have been locked out of their jobs. Linda Foley, President of the TNG-CWA; Larry Cohen of the CWA; and John Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO, all blasted the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) for their deplorable tactics. They then presented letters of support for the CMG to an Embassy of Canada official.
Iraqi Union Leaders Speak (tags)
US Labor Against the War includes affiliates from Nat'L labor organizations, Central Labor Councils, Regional Labor Organizations, Large Locals, (10,000 + members), Small Locals(10,000 - members), Allied Labor Organizations, Labor Anti-war groups, and other Labor Organizations.
Black trade unionists urge labor unity (tags)
PHOENIX — “There are no more common allies than the broad community and organized labor, and there are no more natural allies than organized labor and the African American community,” Coalition of Black Trade Unionists President Bill Lucy told the estimated 1,500 delegates at the 34th annual CBTU convention here May 26.
New industrial union pushes working-class power (tags)
LAS VEGAS — It was the fire from below that powered up the merger convention of the USWA and PACE, held here April 11-14. Five thousand workers, their families and guests shared stories of battles on picket lines and in battleground state polling places. Many conversations started with, “Let me tell you what that son of a Bush did in Ohio …” or Texas, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Indiana or Southern California.
Labor can't win in a house divided (tags)
Like no other time in the last 50 years, a united labor movement is critical to defending the working class and the American people. It is decisive to any hope for a progressive agenda for the whole nation, not just for union members.
Building Bridges Radio: Social Insecurity Bush Style & Working the Unfriendly Skies (tags)
Building Bridges : Your Community and Labor Report presents this 28 minutes radio program. TO LISTEN CLICK ON WEB ADDRESS LINK BELOW
Building Bridges Radio: Social Insecurity Bush Style & Working the Unfriendly Skies (tags)
Building Bridges : Your Community and Labor Report presents this 28 minutes radio program. TO LISTEN CLICK ON WEB ADDRESS LINK BELOW
Building Bridges Radio: 1.Workers' Advice Center;2.Revitalizing the Labor Movement (tags)
Building Bridges: Your Community and Labor Report presents his 28 minute radio program. TO LISTEN CLICK ON WEB LINK BELOW.
Million Worker March in Washington defies AFL-CIO and calls for a fighting labor movement (tags)
The forward thrust of the March stood in stark contrast to the AFL-CIO’s failed strategy of support for John Kerry.
Andy Stern and SEIU Offer the Same Worn-Out Policies (tags)
To Many young activists, SEIU is considered the progressive Union. But, in the last analysis, the policies of SEIU's leadership are no different from those of any other AFL-CIO Union. They fail to take on the employers in a serious way and refuse to break politically with the Democratic Party.
Ding Dong The Witch is Dead (tags)
Reagan's death is time to celebrate for working people
Ding Dong The Witch is Dead (tags)
Reagan's passing is a time to celebrate for working people
Building Bridges Radio-Some Strategies Towards Revitalizing the Labor Movement (tags)
Building Bridges Radio : Your Community and Labor Report presents this 27 minutes minute radio program. TO LISTEN CLICK ON LA INDY MEDIA AUDIO LINK
A Message to Young People Who Are Considering Taking a Job as a Union Staffer
AFL-CIO Leadership Give the Employers Another Victory (tags)
Defeat in southern California confirms the need for regime change atop the AFL-CIO
Memphis 1968: We remember (tags)
An assassin’s bullet felled the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968. King had come to Memphis to support a strike by the city’s sanitation workers.
Job Posting: AFL-CIO Media Outreach Internship (tags)
AFL-CIO Media Outreach Internship
Voices of Anarchist Union Organizers (tags)
I asked a few folks to tell me a little about themselves and their views on organizing for unions. These six people identify as either an anarchist (with or without adjectives) or as an anti-authoritarian (an anarchist that doesn't know it yet!). They all work as union organizers or have worked as union organizers.
Bush visit to Portland, an invitation (tags)
ILWU Local 5 resolution regarding the upcoming Bush visit to Portland, OR>
Anarchism and the Labor Movement (tags)
The differences between Labor and anrachists need to be understood in order for any successful revolution is to take place
ART AGAINST SWEATSHOPS! (tags)
Mark your calendar for this one... and spread the word to all Los Angeles Artists and Labor Activists! Avenue 50 Studio in L.A. will be presenting an important Art Exhibition on Immigration, Exploitation, and Sweatshop Labor. The Exhibit Reception takes place on Saturday Jan. 12th. Listings of other Cultural events can be found on the ART FOR A CHANGE Website.
Globetrotters, Come Home (tags)
It is time for all the globetrotters chasing after these conferences to come home. You made your point and now the hard work of organizing the unorganized needs to be done. We need a labor movement in this country, and for that, we need millions of union cards handed out. There can be no revolutionary change without organization, and that organization must be of, by and for the workingclass.