The US Labor Movement Had a Banner Year in 2023
From logistics to Hollywood to higher ed to auto, 2023 saw a promising upsurge in US labor militancy. Unions must seize this historic opening to reverse decades of decline.
328 Article(s) by: Alex N. Press
Alex N. Press is a staff writer at Jacobin who covers labor organizing.
In 2023, the US Working Class Fought Back
More than half a million workers in the US went on strike this year, winning gains not only for themselves but for nonunion workers too. While there’s much more work to be done, 2023 was a year when the working class punched back at the capitalist class.
During the 2023 Writers Strike, This Book Helped Me Understand the Depravities of Hollywood
As I covered the Hollywood strike this year, perhaps the best guide was a 1941 novel by a former Communist Party member about the dog-eat-dog scumbaggery of movie executives and the lying and artless bragging that Hollywood runs on.
Teamster: “Solidarity Is the Most Powerful Word in Labor, and You’re Seeing It This Year”
A Teamster organizer reflects on 2023, a year of labor upsurge: “Corporate America, you’re on notice — we’re not fucking around.”
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.
In SAG-AFTRA Ratification Vote, AI Is the Biggest Source of Contention
After a 118-day strike, 160,000 SAG-AFTRA members are voting on whether to ratify a new agreement. AI has emerged as the key source of division, with some members unsatisfied that a ban wasn’t on the table.
The US Labor Movement’s Pro-Israel Consensus Is Starting to Crack
Unions in the US have a long history of supporting Israel and suppressing rank-and-file solidarity with Palestine. Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, and the targeting of US workers who oppose it, is starting to change that.
The UAW’s Next Fight: Organizing Nonunion Companies Like Tesla
After securing historic deals with the Big Three automakers, the UAW is continuing to go on the offensive. It has set its sights on nonunion automakers, from Toyota and Hyundai in the South to Tesla in California.
Boots Riley: “The Only Answer Is Organizing on the Job”
Director, musician, and organizer Boots Riley puts class struggle front and center in all his work. He spoke with Jacobin about this year’s entertainment industry strikes, Israel’s war on Gaza, and how to jam radical politics through the Hollywood pipeline.
The UAW Now Has Tentative Deals With All Three Automakers — and They Look to Be Historic
After six weeks on strike, the UAW has secured tentative agreements with all of the Big Three automakers, including apparent wins on everything from pay and tiers to reopening an idled plant. The deals will soon go to the membership for a ratification vote.
Artforum’s Editor Just Got Axed After Printing a Letter Opposing Israel’s Assault on Gaza
Last night Artforum fired its editor after he published a letter from artists calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. It’s just the latest instance of the magazine’s corporate owner, Penske Media, quashing editorial independence and siding with the rich.
The UAW Has a Tentative Agreement at Ford
Forty-one days into its strike against the Big Three automakers, the UAW has reached a tentative agreement with Ford. Union leaders are calling it a major victory, but workers will have the final say about whether to accept the deal.
The UAW Strike Just Keeps Expanding
This morning, the United Auto Workers added GM’s largest plant to its strike, just one day after calling on workers at Stellantis’s most profitable plant to walk out. The UAW is turning up the pressure, with 45,000 autoworkers now on strike.
The Great Amazon Heist Takes the Piss Out of a Terrible Company
In his new special taking on Amazon, prankster Oobah Butler gets a job at a fulfillment center, films the brutal working conditions, and sells a drink made of Amazon drivers’ pee on the company’s platform. Amazon isn’t happy with his work.
Hollywood Actors Are Still on Strike After Four Months
After Hollywood writers ratified a contract earlier this month, it seemed that striking actors might get a deal soon, too. But the studio bosses are still playing hardball, and actors continue to press for a better deal on residuals and the use of AI.
Hollywood Is on Strike Against High-Tech Exploitation
Will average entertainment workers be able to eke out a living in an industry awash in cash, or will studio executives use new tech like AI to gobble it all up?
Trump Is Speaking Tonight in Michigan at a Nonunion Auto Shop, as a Guest of Its Boss
For days, the mainstream media has said Donald Trump is going to Michigan to speak to union autoworkers. That’s completely false: he is traveling there today to speak at a nonunion auto-parts shop, at the invitation of its boss.
After 146 Days on Strike, Hollywood Writers Have Reached a Tentative Agreement
Late last night, the Writers Guild of America announced they have reached a tentative agreement with the Hollywood studios. The union’s negotiating committee is calling the deal “exceptional,” but it’s now up to rank-and-file writers to vote on it.
The UAW Has Disrupted Business as Usual. And They May Turn Up the Pressure Tomorrow.
The UAW has given the Big Three until noon tomorrow to make progress at the bargaining table or face a strike escalation. One week in, the historic walkout has already left politicians and bosses alike scrambling amid an utterly justified worker action.
The UAW Strike Matters for the Entire US Working Class
The United Auto Workers, headed by a new reform leadership, are set to strike the Big Three automakers at midnight tonight. The entire working class will be watching to see if autoworkers can claw back decades of concessions and win a transformative contract.