Five Things That #OccupyWallStreet Has Done Right

by Mark Engler #OccupyWallStreet protests are now well into their second week, and they are increasingly capturing the public spotlight. This is because, whatever limitations their occupation has, the protesters have done many things right. I will admit that I was skeptical about the #OccupyWallStreet effort when it was getting started. My main concerns were [...]

New York Public Employees Federation Rejects Contract

AFT LeaderNet News For the first time in the 34 year history of the New York State Public Employees Federation, members rejected their contract with the state. “By a vote of 16,906 ‘yes’ to 19,629 ‘no,’ they have said that they deserve better,” said PEF president Ken Brynien at a union-sponsored press conference Sept. 27 [...]

G20 Labour Ministers Must Not Fail Workers

ITUC OnLine The international trade union movement called on the G20 Employment and Labour Ministers meeting in Paris on 26-27 September to step up to the plate and ensure that the G20 leaders tackle the jobs crisis as the central priority. Sharan Burrow, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation said time is running out, the [...]

William Greider to keynote Detroit Douglass-Debs Dinner

Detroit DSA‘s (Democratic Socialists of America) Frederick Douglass-Eugene V. Debs Dinner is  Saturday, October 1st at UAW Local 600 (10500 Dix Avenue, Dearborn.) Honorees this year are Reverend Ed Rowe, Senior Pastor of Central United Methodist Church and the Restaurant Opportunities Center of Michigan. The  keynote speaker is The Nation’s National Affairs Correspondent William Greider. [...]

Cross Border Union Solidarity

BUILDING A CULTURE OF  CROSS BORDER SOLIDARITY By David Bacon In the period since the North American Free Trade Agreement has come into effect, the economies of the United States and Mexico have become more integrated than ever.  Through Plan Puebla-Panama and partnerships on security, the military and the drug war, the political and economic [...]

3 Big Lies At the Heart of Republican Attacks On the Post Office

by Josh Eidelsohn In nine months in office, the new Republican House majority has amply proven the emptiness of its early promises: to create jobs, run government more like a business and respect small-town America. But there’s no better object lesson in Republicans’ real priorities than their bid to end the Postal Service as we [...]

New Documents Show Charleston was Boeing’s riskiest option

Machinist News Newly uncovered Boeing Co. documents show the company’s own executives believed that “Project Gemini”– their plan to establish a second 787 line in South Carolina – was the highest-risk option for their new Dreamliner jet and the one most likely to fail. At the same time, a report by a public interest research [...]

The Movie “The Constant Gardener” explains what’s wrong with Free Trade

by Stan Sorscher In a somewhat contentious Town Hall meeting, some of my Congressmember’s constituents (including me) were challenging his adherence to free trade policies. In his defense he said, “Go watch The Constant Gardener.” So I did. Many scenes are shot in Africa, with vivid images of urban slums and timeless poverty, where people [...]

Equity and Sensibility

by Leo Gerard A long time ago, in an historical America, lawmakers determined a progressive tax code to be the fairest and most logical for all. The legislators asked more of those who had benefitted most from the advantages America provides. They asked less of those who benefitted least. As time passed, the rich and [...]

When Even the Good News is Bad

by Harold Meyerson There are two ways to look at new four-year contract between the United Auto Workers and General Motors that was unveiled yesterday. The first is to note that by the standards of today’s economy, the auto workers got about as good a deal as anyone could imagine. The second is to note [...]