It’s Time to Eliminate Water Bills
Americans regularly lose access to water simply because they are poor and unable to pay their bills. Water bills are cruel and unnecessary. We should just get rid of them.
19517 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.
The Real Estate Industry and New York Progressives Are Headed for a Showdown
Progressives and socialists in the New York State legislature are bracing themselves for a titanic fight with the state’s real estate industry and landlord lobby over “good cause” eviction protections, a long-standing goal of the housing movement.
A Horrifying Report Shows the Miserable Working Conditions at Kroger
A survey of thousands of Kroger workers finds that while its executives rake in millions, homelessness and food insecurity are rampant among its workforce.
Thanks to US Sanctions, Afghans Are Starving
The plight of the Afghan people was crucial for pundits and journalists — as long as they had a war to defend. Now that US troops are gone, Joe Biden’s sanctions are causing starvation and suffering — and the media has been astonishingly silent.
Big Oil Has a Friend in California’s State Insurance Commissioner
California insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara could be playing a key role in fighting climate change in the state. Instead, he has taken campaign money and gifts from fossil fuel interests — and done “almost nothing” to address climate catastrophe.
Bernie Wants Democrats to Fight for the Working Class. They Won’t.
Bernie Sanders is sounding the alarm: working-class people are fed up with Democrats’ failed strategy of behind-the-scenes negotiations. But the party won’t listen. So Sanders and the Squad should take a more aggressive approach against the Democrats.
Colorado Public Sector Workers May Be on the Verge of Winning the Right to Unionize
With a major push from the state AFL-CIO and the support of Democratic leaders in the legislature, a Colorado bill to recognize public sector unions has a real shot at passage.
Canada’s Small Business Lobby Is Working to Cut Wages and Government Benefits
Claiming to stick up for the little guy, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business has consistently fought to further its anti-worker, anti–public sector agenda. The COVID-19 pandemic has made their crusade even more obscene.
Public Pension Funds Are Massive Investors in Fossil Fuels
California’s top investment funds have resisted divestment from fossil fuels and funneled big money into firms like those behind Dakota Access. Not only are these investments dirty, but they’re costing public workers billions in the process.
The Central Banks Made the Superrich Even Richer During the Pandemic
Many claimed early in the pandemic that COVID-19 would flatten inequality in a deeply unequal world. Luckily for the ultrarich, central banks stepped in, making the global elite richer than ever.
Canadian Workers Suffered Under COVID While Their Bosses Made a Killing
By the time they clocked out for lunch on January 4, Canada’s most lavishly paid CEOs had already made the average worker’s annual salary. It’s yet another reminder of the unequal burdens borne during the pandemic.
Starbucks Workers United Brings Union Campaign Home to Seattle
After the historic union victory in Buffalo, Seattle Starbucks workers have filed for union election in the supposedly union-proof company’s hometown. A win in Seattle would be a crack in Starbucks’s mythology.
New York’s Democratic Socialists Are Playing the Long Game
Democratic socialists are slowly becoming a force in New York state politics. But as the movement grows, it faces backlash and new obstacles.
French Socialism Embraced Neoliberalism and Signed Its Death Warrant
In the 1980s, François Mitterrand brought the French Socialists to power. A generation later, they’re in danger of extinction — and they brought it upon themselves.
Teachers’ Unions Are Making Totally Reasonable Pandemic Health and Safety Demands
After a four-day refusal to teach in-person, the Chicago Teachers Union is going back to school on Wednesday, where they wanted to be all along. The city’s lackluster pandemic safety made that impossible.
The Novak Djokovic Battle Is a Distraction. COVID Has Exposed Australia’s Health System.
In Australia, where the per capita rates of COVID are now among the worst in the world, the government has handed the health care crisis over to the free market to handle. The results are predictably catastrophic.
Maine’s Democratic Governor Just Ran Roughshod Over the Rights of Workers
Farmworkers are among the most exploited workers in the country, and a bill in solid-blue Maine would have finally given them basic labor rights. But the state’s Democratic governor just vetoed the bill.
It’s Too Soon to Announce the Dawn of a Chinese Century
Despite the pandemic’s impact, China has a long road to travel before it can surpass US economic power. Inter-capitalist rivalry is driving tensions between Washington and Beijing, not the personalities of Xi Jinping or Donald Trump.
Pete Buttigieg Is Not Disclosing His Dark Money Donors
After his failed 2020 presidential run, Pete Buttigieg started a dark money group. It hasn’t disclosed its donors as promised.
Web3 Can’t Fix the Internet
Web3 is touted as the next generation of the internet, promising to break the grip of giants like Google and Facebook. But far from empowering ordinary users, its token-based model threatens to commodify our online lives even further.