US Labor Unions Still Need to Get Serious About Organizing
With union popularity at historic highs and organized labor’s war chests overflowing, now is the time to spend big on strikes and new organizing. So far, unions mostly aren’t doing that.
21041 Article(s) by: Abigail Torre
Abigail Torre grew up in Chile and now lives in Berkeley, California where she is cochair of the East Bay chapter of Democratic Socialists of America.
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Eugene Debs: “The Scab Is the Natural Born Foe of Labor”
This Labor Day weekend, we share Eugene Debs’s 1888 broadside against that most hateful of characters: the strikebreaker. The scab “sinks to the level of a loathsome reptile,” Debs writes. “He becomes a walking, breathing stench.”
How Indiana Kroger Workers Won a Groundbreaking Contract
Organizing in a right-to-work state and a highly multilingual warehouse, Indiana Kroger workers faced long odds heading into contract negotiations. Holding open bargaining sessions and work-to-rule actions helped them win big.
Learning From Italian Antifascism
You cannot understand antifascism if you don’t understand fascism, both in its contemporary guises and historically in countries like Italy.
Easington Under Occupation
This week 40 years ago, police from across the UK descended on the mining town of Easington to quash the historic miners’ strike. The police left, but deprivation from deindustrialization and neglect remain.
The Rich Want You to Fear Tax Fairness
Canada raised its capital gains tax inclusion rate, sparking outrage from the investing class, who warned of economic disaster. The data shows that their histrionics were groundless.
Why Socialists Shouldn’t Reject Liberalism
The historical shortcomings of liberalism don’t mean that socialists should throw liberalism out wholesale. On the contrary: socialism needs liberalism.
A Climate Disinformation Focus Takes Us the Wrong Way
The concept of “climate disinformation” does not lead us to genuine solutions for the problem of climate change — it leads us toward new risks.
Another Chance for AOC to Step Up on Palestine
AOC let down the Palestine movement at the Democratic National Convention. But it’s not too late to make up for it.
Kamala Harris’s CNN Interview Didn’t Inspire Confidence
Kamala Harris cleared the low bar of avoiding a disastrous interview moment last night. But her answers suggested plenty of opportunities for disasters to come.
An Ode to the Art of Economic Survival
The Exit Is the Entrance chronicles a working life spanning some 30 jobs across eight states. Author Lydia Paar went AWOL from the military at age 20 and never stopped moving, an escape artist evading everything but her student debt.
How Dark Money Groups Bought a Tax Cut in Colorado
Dark money groups extracted huge tax cuts from Colorado lawmakers by threatening to push ballot initiatives that would slash taxes even further. Referenda should promote democracy — yet billionaires are using them to blackmail the state.
In Former East Germany, the Left Is Paying for Its Failures
Three states in former East Germany face elections in September, with the far-right Alternative für Deutschland leading polls. The party is exploiting voter discontent with the fallout of reunification — and the Left’s lack of a convincing alternative.
Universities Are Cracking Down on Free Speech Over Gaza
The school year is kicking off, and American universities are starting the semester with scaling back students’ First Amendment rights, with the goal of stopping criticisms of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
Biden May Be the President Who Kills the Two-State Solution
Joe Biden convinced himself he could rescue his legacy by securing Palestinian statehood. His blank check to Israel could now make him the leader who killed it for good.
Fighting Climate Disinformation Is an Urgent Priority
The fossil fuel industry runs a sprawling, lavishly funded operation spreading lies about the climate crisis. Pushing back against that disinformation needs to be a priority for the climate movement.
Texas Has Set Up a System of Oil-Friendly Business Courts
Texas is about to open its business courts, a new legal system backed by Big Oil that is expected to have immediate impacts on environmental cases in the state. The courts’ judges were handpicked by Gov. Greg Abbott, a major recipient of oil industry cash.
Austerity Is a Choice
Despite what new Labour prime minister Keir Starmer says, there’s nothing inevitable about another round of austerity — it is a deliberate decision to avoid confronting the powerful and presenting a real alternative for working-class people.
Fred Halliday’s Study of Iran Is a Marxist Classic
On the eve of the Iranian revolution, Fred Halliday published a classic study of the shah’s US-backed dictatorship and the social forces working to undermine it. It’s an essential text for those who want to understand the politics of the Middle East.