Proletarian Portfolios
Union revenues and assets are on the rise — union membership is not.
19446 Articles by: Frances Abele
Frances Abele CM is Distinguished Research Professor and Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy Emerita at Carleton University. She is a research fellow at the Carleton Centre for Community Innovation and the Broadbent Institute. Much of her work focuses on indigenous-Canada relations.
A Strike for All Seasons
When and where organized labor’s been on the move.
Abe Shinzo Haunts Japan From the Casket
From the Moonies to military revanchists, Abe Shinzo was in bed with some dangerous oddballs. His funeral was a battle over their place in Japanese politics.
Queen Elizabeth II’s Ghosts
In between smiling, waving, and running up a $400 million annual bill, the late Queen Elizabeth II was the face of some pretty bad stuff during her seven-decade reign.
The Wrong Side of the Law
Legislation and case law targeting leftists is something like an American tradition.
Issue 47: The Internet Speaks
If you have anything nice to say, slide into our DMs.
Broken Records
If you can’t carry a tune, you can’t take the White House. Here are some of the more memorable campaign songs in American history.
Constitutional Calcification
The process for constitutional amendment is an uphill battle. Since 1789, almost 12,000 amendments have been proposed — but only 27 have passed. It’s been 50 years since one has made its way to the states for ratification.
Posting Cringe
Dispatches from Jeff Bezos’s Washington Post.
Political Football
On November 20, the 2022 World Cup began in Qatar. It is the first time the event has been held in the Middle East. Over the last ten years, countless migrant workers suffered abuse and exploitation, and even died, to make it possible.
Beaucoup
There have been eight coups d’état in West Africa since 2020 — a marked uptick after years on the decline. The US has trained and armed many of the responsible parties. It’s 10 PM: Do you know where your tax dollars are going?
Planning for a White Terror
In 1919, with the US ruling class gripped by fear of a Bolshevik-inspired revolution in America, nativist army leaders made contingency plans for a brutal crackdown. Here’s what they had in store for New York City, the epicenter of immigrant radicalism.
Australia’s New Workplace Laws Will Not Improve Wages
The Australian Labor government’s new industrial relations bill promises to boost wage growth. But the legislation’s key components work to undermine that goal.
As Religious Institutions Decline, the Left Loses Out. We Can Change That.
The decline of religious affiliation in the United States has harmed the Left more than the Right. It has also produced millions of spiritual-but-not-religious Americans who are lonely and hungry for a nourishing community. We should organize them.
The Free Market Can’t Meet Families’ Childcare Needs
American childcare workers like me are confronted every day with a basic fact: the United States has more than enough resources to provide public, high-quality childcare to everyone who needs it, yet it chooses not to.
How to Blow Up a Pipeline Doesn’t Give Easy Answers on Radical Climate Activism
The film How to Blow Up a Pipeline explores themes from Andreas Malm’s book of the same name by way of a heist thriller, in which fictional activists grapple with the real question of whether disruptive action helps or hinders a mass climate politics.
Railroad Workers’ Lives Revolve Entirely Around Their Jobs
We spoke with a longtime BNSF conductor about the labor agreement recently imposed on railroad workers by President Biden. He says he feels betrayed by a president he thought was pro-labor and explains how his job has gotten worse over time.
Neo-Noir From South Africa Gets to the Heart of Social Violence
The South African noir drama Reyka, nominated at the 2022 International Emmys, draws inspiration from real-life crimes. The series depicts a society in which the ruthless pursuit of money turns human life into the cheapest commodity of all.
Everything Revolves Around Housing Affordability
In Uptown, one of Chicago’s most racially and economically diverse neighborhoods, a socialist named Angela Clay is running for city council. We spoke to Clay about her campaign.
The Supreme Court Isn’t Coming for Your Condoms — It’s Coming for Economic Regulation
After Dobbs, liberals are warning of a Supreme Court assault on personal liberties like sexual autonomy, contraception, and even interracial marriage. But the court actually has its sights on social and labor protections — and progressives are unprepared.