How Union Reformers Took Over the Vermont AFL-CIO
In 2019, local union members of the Vermont AFL-CIO elected officers to top positions in an attempt to make the federation more progressive, democratic, and effective. Their record is impressive.
19112 Articles by: Jonathan Sas
Jonathan Sas has worked in senior policy and political roles in government, think tanks, and the labor movement. He is an honorary witness to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. His writing has appeared in the Toronto Star, National Post, the Tyee, and Maisonneuve.
Why Spain Opposed the West’s Punishment of UNRWA
When the US suspended aid to the main UN aid agency in Gaza, the Spanish government increased its funding. While most Western countries follow a dogged pro-Israel line, left-wing ministers in Spain have been a rare dissenting voice.
Lyft Wants to Run LA’s Bike Share. Workers Are Saying No.
Los Angeles County has proposed that Lyft take over its public bike share program. LA bike share workers fear Lyft will gut their program and undermine their union — so they’ve joined with public transit advocates to fight privatization.
Rafah Has Long Suffered Under Brutal Israeli Assaults
Rafah, one of the last refuges for Palestinians fleeing Israel’s vicious assault on Gaza, is now under intense bombardment. The episode is just the latest chapter in a long history of violence the small border town has suffered at Israel’s hands.
Colombia’s Right Is Trying to “Soft Coup” Gustavo Petro
Colombian elites are determined not to let leftist president Gustavo Petro serve out his full term. As top judicial officials target him and his cabinet, drug cartels and their links to the far right remain uninvestigated.
The Pentagon Has Decided to Battle Chinese Film Censorship
A new Pentagon policy bars the US Defense Department from working on films that cooperate with Chinese censorship demands. It’s a new front in the economic battle with China — and it ignores the Defense Department’s own influence over film content at home.
Why We Occupied the British Museum
On Sunday, activists occupied the British Museum to demand that it end its partnership with BP after Israel granted the energy firm gas exploration licenses off the coast of Gaza. Here, the activists write about why they occupied the museum.
Rafah May Prove the Most Dire Moment in Israel’s War on Gaza
An invasion of Rafah would be the most dangerous stage of Israel’s genocide of Palestinians yet, causing death on a scale unseen even in these four months of sheer brutality.
Officials Keep Admitting Biden’s Anger at Israel Isn’t Real
Since October 7, US officials have been quietly admitting in the press that Joe Biden fully supports Israel’s war — and that talk about the president’s supposed anger at massive civilian casualties in Gaza is purely PR to keep the war going.
North Carolina School Privatizers Are Subverting Democracy
Across the US, right-wing state legislatures have disregarded popular will to enact costly school privatization plans. In North Carolina, they flouted democracy to advance their agenda.
Kenyan Courts Keep Telling Meta to Let Workers Unionize
Last year Kenyan courts ruled that Meta, Facebook’s parent company, broke the law by firing workers who had attempted to unionize. Meta responded by refusing to pay its employees for over eight months and fighting labor law.
How the Ruling Class Became Vulgar
Old-money WASPs once ruled America with an air of clannish exclusivity. Then the economic crises of the 1970s upended their world, opening the corporate floodgates to new-money barbarians — and replacing elite social norms with wanton money lust.
St Valentine’s Hometown Has Fallen Out of Love With the Left
Each February 14, tourists flock to Terni, Italy, hometown of third-century martyr Saint Valentine. Yet Terni’s “city of love” identity is itself rather new, as politicians seek tourist dollars to replace its once-mighty steelworks.
If You Care About the Hostages, Demand a Cease-Fire
Cynical politicians like John Fetterman and Benjamin Netanyahu are trying to pit calls for a cease-fire in Gaza against efforts to bring Israeli hostages home. The reality is a cease-fire is the only way to do just that.
How Socialists Won Historic Tenant Protections in Tacoma
Last fall, democratic socialists in Tacoma, Washington, led a victorious campaign to establish robust protections for the city’s renters. Jacobin spoke with two campaign leaders about the effort.
Unions Must Go Beyond Calling for a Cease-Fire in Gaza
The growing swell of American unions demanding a cease-fire in Gaza is heartening. But labor will have to take its antiwar commitments further than issuing statements to stop Israel’s wanton slaughter.
Wall Street Is Finding New Ways to Milk the Prison System
Some states have taken on the cost of prison phone calls to keep private equity–backed telecom companies from price gouging inmates and their loved ones. Yet these companies have found new ways to exploit prisoners.
Sara Nelson: Let’s Show Bosses They’re Lucky to Have Our Work
For 50 years, bosses have extorted concessions from workers while saying we’re “lucky to have jobs.” Now, Association of Flight Attendants president Sara Nelson writes in Jacobin, workers need to make bosses understand they’re lucky to have our work.
A Philly Sex Shop Fired Its Workers When They Started a Union
Last month, Passional Boutique and Sexploratorium, a Philadelphia sex shop with a reputation for “inclusivity,” laid off its entire staff after they asked the store to recognize their union. Jacobin spoke with one of the workers.
The AFL-CIO Gaza Cease-Fire Call Is Historic
Labor has enormous power to demand an end to Israel’s murderous assault on Gaza. The AFL-CIO’s call for a cease-fire is a huge step toward the entire labor movement using that power.