From the UAW to the Writers Guild, this year’s biggest contract victories have been won by unions in which members directly elect their leaders. That’s a right denied to most US union members — but it may be the key to unleashing broader labor militancy.
When Black and White Tenant Farmers Joined Together to Take on the Plantation South
The Southern Tenant Farmers Union was founded on the principle of interracial organizing. It challenged the Southern landowning class and the Jim Crow white supremacist order, leaving a proud legacy for both the labor movement and the civil rights movement.
Germany Should Stop Outsourcing Its Shame Over Historic Antisemitism to Migrants
German politicians often boast of having atoned for their ancestors’ crimes — but then claim that antisemitism is an ill imported by migrants. Far from a model, German memory culture has created an exceptionalist myth that Germans understand racism best.
People Aren’t Crazy for Thinking the Biden Economy Is Bad
There are many good reasons to be unhappy with the economy today: by conventional social democratic metrics like union density, welfare generosity, and public ownership levels, the economy is not in good shape, and recent trends have been mixed at best.
The UAW Has Had a Big Year. They’re Preparing for an Even Bigger One.
From launching a historic strike at the Big Three automakers to calling for a cease-fire in the war on Gaza, the UAW has had a big year. And 2024 might be even bigger: the union is pushing to organize 150,000 workers at nonunion automakers across the US.
1923
Only the Good Die Young
2023
Edited by
Bhaskar Sunkara
René Rojas
Jonah Walters
Introduction by
Greg Grandin
With Essays by
Aldo Marchesi
Leandro Morgenfeld
Hilary Goodfriend
Alex de Jong
Christy Thornton
And many more!
US Autoworkers on Strike
The United Auto Workers, headed by a new reform leadership, recently waged a historic strike against the Big Three automakers.
The UAW Has Had a Big Year. They’re Preparing for an Even Bigger One.
From launching a historic strike at the Big Three automakers to calling for a cease-fire in the war on Gaza, the UAW has had a big year. And 2024 might be even bigger: the union is pushing to organize 150,000 workers at nonunion automakers across the US.
The United Auto Workers Are Looking to Unionize the Whole Auto Industry
In the wake of its historic strike victory, the United Auto Workers says thousands of nonunion autoworkers have reached out asking for support in organizing their plants. The UAW already has plans in motion to unionize the whole US auto sector.
Unions Should Start Planning for a Mass Strike on May Day 2028
Calls for a general strike usually skip over the hard work of organizing one. But UAW leader Shawn Fain is urging unions to align their contract expiration dates for May 1, 2028 — setting up the possibility of a mass May Day strike.
US Labor Is Having a Movement Moment
The successful UAW strike was the latest sign that the union movement is having a moment. Amid so much gloom in the world, US labor has emerged as an unlikely bright spot with genuine dynamism.
A Jacobin investigation explores Israel’s practice of using the bodies of slain Palestinians as bargaining chips, refusing to return them to their families. Denying the right to bury loved ones, this policy inflicts the anguish of mourning without closure.
George Santos Isn’t Unique Because He’s Corrupt. He’s Unique Because He’s So Bad at It.
Washington is full of dishonest and corrupt politicians. Congressman George Santos, who managed to get himself expelled for his wild shenanigans, just flouted the norms of what polished DC corruption is supposed to look like.
These Remote Islands’ Tax System Shows Why Universal Benefits Are Better Than Means-Testing
The US could learn from the Faroe Islands, a Danish territory where the state automatically removes taxes owed and adds welfare payments to workers’ paychecks. It’s way easier for workers and shows why universal benefits are better than means-testing.
Ridley Scott’s Napoleon Is Mediocre Filmmaking in the Service of Centrist Politics
Ridley Scott’s Napoleon takes one of the most interesting, complex eras in modern history — the French Revolution and its long aftermath — and delivers a morality tale about the dangers of the mob. Even worse, it’s not even compelling viewing.
In Israel, Thai Migrant Workers Are Caught in Other People’s War
Since Hamas’s October 7 attacks killed dozens of Thais in Israel, 8,000 of 30,000 Thai migrant workers have fled the country. Their exposure to a war in which they have no part dramatizes their insecure status as heavily exploited laborers.
The Mainstream Media Is Failing to Highlight the Climate Disaster of Another Trump Presidency
Donald Trump has spent the past month openly courting fossil fuel money and mocking the very idea of climate change. This delusional and catastrophic posture has barely registered in the US news media.
Tyler Perry’s Wealth Is Not Trickling Down to Black Residents of Atlanta
Filmmaker and entrepreneur Tyler Perry is a billionaire. His Atlanta studios receive massive tax write-offs, premised on the idea that his success will inspire others. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s a liberal version of trickle-down economics.
Brazil’s Far-Right Farming Industry Is Testing the Limits of Lulismo
In Brazil, Lula has wagered that concessions to agribusiness elites are necessary to advance his redistributive project. Yet it is these very agribusiness elites that may emerge as the forces most likely to undo his efforts.
The Stop MVP Compilation Is Striking a Chord Against the Mountain Valley Pipeline
STOP MVP, a compilation album of 40 tracks, amplifies the voices of Appalachian artists standing against the Mountain Valley Pipeline. All proceeds from the album support the Appalachian Legal Defense Fund in their battle against environmental threats.