Americans Are Starting to Love Unions Again
Labor union approval is now higher than at nearly any point in the last 50 years. The reasons: shit pay, teacher strikes, and Bernie Sanders.
19052 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.
Ask Labor Jane: “I Quit My Job to Dedicate Myself to Organizing. What Now?”
Introducing our new organizing advice column, with labor organizer and strategist Jane McAlevey.
East Germans Still Feel Powerless
Almost thirty years since reunification, the Alternative für Deutschland is making its strongest gains in the former East. But the far right’s growth doesn’t just owe to Eastern xenophobia — it owes to millions of people’s sense of being mere second-class citizens.
US Sanctions Are Designed to Kill
US sanctions are killing ordinary Iranians by the thousands. Through its control over the world banking system, America’s sanctioning power flouts international human rights law and poses a threat to the world.
Why We Should Fight for the Veterans Health Administration
Republicans and centrist Democrats love to pour money into more and more wars. But when it comes to providing public health care for the soldiers they put in harm’s way, they try to privatize and starve vets’ programs. We have to stop them.
Macri’s Yellow Balloons
Argentina’s recent primary elections demonstrated that, after Mauricio Macri’s failed promises, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is poised for a comeback.
Manners — Revolutionary and Bourgeois
It’s easy to dismiss manners as simply markers of social hierarchy. But manners can perform an egalitarian, progressive function — and they’re essential to any democratic organization.
Joe Biden Wants to Take Away Your Music
Joe Biden hasn’t changed much over the years. So it’s safe to assume that the version of him that you see in a recently surfaced video threatening to jail rave promoters and destroy our right to culture is the version of him we would get in a Biden White House.
A Chance to Defend Gig Workers’ Rights in California
A new bill in California would end the legal loophole that allows Uber and Lyft to pay drivers incredibly low wages and avoid paying benefits. It’s no surprise that the companies are mobilizing against the law: their business model is based on abusing their drivers.
From Harvard to East Berlin
In 1952 the Harvard grad Victor Grossman defected to East Germany, hoping to help build socialism on the ruins of Nazism. Thirty years after that state collapsed, he insists that we should see it as a land of contradictions, not just a totalitarian monolith.
Adjunct Faculty in an Adjunct Country
The precarious status of adjunct faculty at the University of Puerto Rico is a microcosm for the broader issues faced by the island.
Socialize the Grid
Energy companies are more concerned with raking in profits than delivering affordable, sustainable energy. We need to wrest control away from them — and socialize the electrical grid.
Take Tom Steyer’s Money Away From Him, For His Own Good and Everyone Else’s
As he continues to burn millions in futile pursuit of the presidency, Tom Steyer’s vanity demonstrates that even progressive billionaires don’t know how to use their wealth responsibly. That’s why we need to take it from them.
Bernie on the AT&T Picket Line
Strikes are on the rise in the United States, not just in education but also in the private sector, as we saw in this week’s AT&T strike in the South. We can’t understand the rise in labor militancy without understanding the role Bernie Sanders has played in stoking that militancy.
“The Electorate Is Already on Board with Socialism”
We spoke with Paige Kreisman, who’s running as the first-ever trans candidate for the Oregon state legislature. She’s a military veteran and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Her message: “We need to engage in the politics that matter to working-class people.”
Hindutva on the March
Progressive Indians must oppose governmental violence against Kashmiris. The powers that would seek to deny the oppressed people of Kashmir the right to freely pursue their goal of collective self-determination must be stopped.
“Candidate Lightfoot and Mayor Lightfoot Seem to Be Very Different People”
Lori Lightfoot, Chicago’s new mayor, ran as an anti-machine candidate that would shake things up in the deeply unequal city. But instead she’s employing the same team as Rahm Emanuel — which could force the Chicago Teachers Union to call another strike.
The DNC Doesn’t Want a Climate Debate for a Reason
The DNC has banned the Democratic presidential candidates from taking part in any debate on the most urgent issue of our time: climate change. The party’s fealty to plutocratic donors and centrist has-been politicians has never been more apparent.
Against Happiness
Self-help gurus and positive psychologists tell us that we should be coaching ourselves to happiness. The painted-on smiles they want to sell us are a pathetic substitute for actually improving our societies.
From Populism to Socialism and Back
Socialists and populists have found plenty to disagree about over the years, from private property to trust-busting. But their shared commitment to fighting corporate power often brought them together — and it should today, too.