Is It Worth It?
Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò responds to John-Baptiste Oduor’s recent review of Elite Capture.
19216 Articles by: Benjamin Case
Benjamin Case is a researcher, educator, and organizer living in Pittsburgh.
The First Principle of Union Organizing: Spontaneity Isn’t Enough
The seemingly spontaneous upsurges at companies like Starbucks and Amazon are an inspiring sign of life within the workers’ movement. But spontaneity is nowhere near enough to turn labor’s dismal fortunes around.
In New Jersey, Activists Are Learning What “Abolish ICE” Means in the Biden Era
Post-Trump, immigrant justice is far out of the spotlight. But many immigrant rights activists, like those organizing to shutter a dismal ICE facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, haven’t given up, despite a tough slog of fighting the Trump-like policies of Joe Biden.
The Labor Movement Is Gaining Momentum on Both Sides of the US-Canada Border
Union organizing is gaining steam in both Canada and the US, and support for unions is the highest it’s been for decades. The labor movement should take advantage of this moment.
Automation on the Docks Means Fewer Jobs — and Often No Improvement in Productivity
A new report finds that automation has led to significant job losses on West Coast docks. We spoke to an automation specialist and trade unionist who works at a fully automated terminal to see what that transformation looks like for those at the heart of it.
Boris Johnson Was a Creation of the British Media
They may have criticisms of him today, but the British media was all in for Boris Johnson when they saw him as a necessary alternative to Jeremy Corbyn’s socialism. And despite everything, they would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
FDR Was Right to Attack the Supreme Court’s Power. Democrats Should Do the Same Today.
When the Supreme Court’s right-wing justices tried to block Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal programs, he took the court head-on — and won. There’s a lesson there today: directly attacking the court’s power is the only way to rein it in.
Amazon’s “Customer-Centric” Business Model Couldn’t Function Without Abusing Workers
Amazon wants to be both “Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company” and “Earth’s Best Employer.” But it can’t have both. In fact, its customer-dazzling business model is predicated on worker exploitation and endangerment.
When Workers Lose Abortion Rights, the Boss Gains a Bargaining Chip
The Supreme Court’s attack on abortion rights will strengthen employers seeking to maintain their unilateral power over workers within and outside the workplace. Luckily, the labor movement knows that abortion rights are workers’ rights.
In Kent’s Former Mining Villages, the Scars of Thatcherism Remain
Margaret Thatcher’s war on the mining industry was a concerted attack on the trade union movement. It was a successful class war waged from above — and its ill effects are still felt in every corner of Britain.
Boris Johnson, You Won’t Be Missed
Boris Johnson handed Britain’s ruling class just about everything they could have wanted. Savor his fall from grace, but just for a moment: his Tory replacement won’t be any better.
Multinational Corporations Are Sucking Mexico Dry
In Mexico, water has been transformed from a public resource into a commodity to be sold for profit. It means that corporations can consume water in high quantities while people lack basic access to drinking water.
The Antiabortion Movement Is the Rotten Fruit of a Brutally Unequal Society
Abortion bans aren’t a capitalist plot to increase the labor supply. But they are an outgrowth of the brutal inequalities of capitalism, which systematically subordinates women to men.
They Could Never Kill Patrice Lumumba
Belgium has finally returned Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba’s gold tooth — his only remains after his brutal murder. But there will only be justice when the Congolese win back what was truly killed in 1961: his politics of self-determination.
Next On the Supreme Court’s Kill List: Democratic Presidential Elections
As if the Electoral College weren’t antidemocratic enough already, the Supreme Court now looks poised to rule in favor of state legislatures deciding the outcome of the presidential election. That’s good news for Republicans and bad news for democracy.
Starbucks Is Slowly Strangling Its Pro-Union Workers. Where Is “Pro-Union” President Joe Biden?
In response to the tidal wave of unionization at cafés, Starbucks has engaged in a scorched-earth union-busting campaign across the country. The situation is extremely dire — and the Biden administration is not doing anywhere near enough to stop it.
Even Anti-Fascists’ Graves Aren’t Safe from the New Far Right
In Mostar, Bosnia, fascists destroyed the graves of 700 Resistance fighters. The shameful attack is part of a Europe-wide effort to crush the anti-fascist legacy of World War II.
Ghassan Kanafani Is a Martyr to Palestinian Freedom
Today marks 50 years since Israeli agents murdered Ghassan Kanafani in Beirut. Their terrorist attack silenced the Palestinian writer — but failed to extinguish his people’s spirit of resistance.
When Australia Experienced a Mass Shooting, the Government Enacted Gun Reform
When 35 people were murdered by a lone gunman in Tasmania in 1996, the conservative government did something the American government hasn’t: it quickly banned automatic and semiautomatic weapons.
Museum Workers Are Unionizing — and Their Bosses Are Fighting Back
Labor has seen a jolt of new energy recently. Across the United States, museum workers are part of that upsurge.