Workers Are Treading Water
US household incomes saw a small uptick in 2017. But for the working class, the larger picture remains largely bleak.
19182 Articles by: Opal Lee
Opal Lee is a writer.
Teachers’ Strikes Are Escalating in Washington
To win their walkouts for better pay and better schools, educators are defying court injunctions and district-organized strikebreaking across Washington state.
There Is Nothing Confusing About Medicare for All
Medicare for All is good policy. It’s also very easy to understand.
Twilight of the Superdelegates
Desperate for unity, the Democrats have clipped the superdelegates’ wings. It’s another win for the Bernie wing of the party.
Richard DeVos, Great American Scam Artist
Right-wing billionaire Richard DeVos, who died at ninety-two last week, tried to cover up his life’s record — pioneering the cruel pyramid scheme Amway, attacking organized labor, fighting LGBTQ equality — with philanthropy. But he should be remembered as a bigoted con artist.
The UFT’s Opposition to the Community Control Movement
The New York teachers’ union in the 1960s was stridently anticommunist and embraced an elitist sense of professionalism — producing an obsessive opposition to community involvement and black nationalism and the 1968 Ocean Hill-Brownsville strikes.
Ocean Hill-Brownsville, Fifty Years Later
On the fiftieth anniversary of the “strike that changed New York,” the Ocean Hill-Brownsville teachers strikes have much to teach us about building a strong anti-racist labor movement made up of both workers and community members.
The Shocking Attack On Teacher Pay
Working three jobs, renting out their homes: decades of regressive tax cuts have driven the teacher wage penalty to record levels — and are forcing educators to take desperate measures.
Free Max Zirngast
One of our contributors, Max Zirngast, has been taken into custody by Turkish police. This is an appalling abridgment of democratic rights.
A Thousand Days of Democracy
The violent overthrow of Salvador Allende on September 11, 1973 brought to a brutal close a thousand days of popular participation and radical democratic ferment.
Emperor Musk
The disappearance of kings and emperors didn’t end domination by powerful individuals — capitalism just transformed it. Julius Caesar has given way to Elon Musk.
Allende’s Last Speech
Salvador Allende died 46 years ago today in a US-backed coup. Here’s his final address, broadcast over the radio while he was barricaded in the presidential palace.
Thanks, Obama?
Barack Obama thinks Medicare for All is a good idea. His support is welcome — but this time, we won’t accept any compromises on a universal, free public health program.
Iran’s Quiet Counterrevolution
Decades of neoliberalism have reshaped Iranian society — leaving its battered Left in a quandary.
Picking Up Their Weapons
Maoists have ruled Nepal for almost a decade, after helping end centuries of monarchy. But hard-liners disappointed by their record are returning to the armed struggle.
The Graying of Bankruptcy
For decades, capitalists have held down wages and cut social programs. Now the chickens have come home to roost: older Americans are going bankrupt at record rates.
US Workers Are Striking Again
Halfway through the year, the number of large strikes in the United States is at the highest level in decades.
The Immodest Victorian Socialists
Socialists have long been on the margins of Australian political life. That’s beginning to change.
Brazil’s Anti-Politics Election
The soft coup in 2016, an unending economic crisis, and deep disillusionment among voters have led to a volatile and fragmented election in Brazil.
The Paradox of the Pro-Trump #Resistance
Jon Kyl will make a fitting Senate replacement for John McCain. He’s hailed by Trump critics — and a stalwart supporter of Trump and his agenda.