2023 Was a Good Year for Canadian Labor
In 2023, Canadian unions experienced a banner year marked by successful strikes and legislative victories. These wins should be celebrated alongside ongoing efforts to build an even stronger labor movement.
19244 Articles by: Rob McIntyre
Rob McIntyre is a United Workers Union delegate at the Toll Kmart warehouse in Truganina.
Enzo Traverso: Revolution Is an Idea for the Future, Not Just a Glorious Past
Karl Marx wrote that “revolutions are the locomotives of history.” For Italian historian Enzo Traverso, regaining the idea of revolution is essential if we refuse to accept capitalism as an eternal state of affairs.
The US Labor Movement Experienced a Breakthrough Year in 2023
In 2023, half a million workers, including machinists, teachers, baristas, nurses, hotel housekeepers, actors, screenwriters, and autoworkers, went on strike and won. Their historic gains underscore the momentum of a rising reform movement in US unions.
You Should Know About Minnesota Labor and Civil Rights Hero Nellie Stone Johnson
Minnesota civil rights and labor activist Nellie Stone Johnson was born on this day in 1905. Though little known nationally, she was a key figure in the US democratic socialist tradition who saw struggles for racial and economic justice as inseparable.
The Antiwar Left Saved the Honor of German Socialism Amid the Horror of the Trenches
Germany’s radical left spearheaded opposition to a futile, destructive war after 1914. Alongside famous leaders like Rosa Luxemburg, there were lesser-known figures such as Johann Knief, whose political life illuminates this vital period of socialist history.
This Massive Oil Refinery Illustrates the Challenges of Colombia’s Clean Energy Transition
President Gustavo Petro has pledged to transform Colombia’s energy industry in a greener direction. But the country’s heavy economic dependence on hydrocarbons, illustrated by the legacy of its massive refinery in Barrancabermeja, poses steep challenges.
A Global Movement for Union Solidarity With Palestine Is Underway
From India to Canada to Belgium and many places in between, union members are standing up in solidarity with the Palestinian people, taking action to stop the flow of arms being used by Israel in its destructive war on Gaza.
We Need a Marxist Account That Can Make Sense of Europe’s Reformation
The Reformation was a fundamental transformation in European society, blending religious disputes with political ideology and class conflict. Marx and Engels fully understood its importance for their view of history, and today’s Marxists should do the same.
Psychiatry Won’t Solve Our Mental Health Crisis — Only Politics Can Do That
Politicians want to improve our worsening mental health with big psychiatric initiatives. The problem with this model, says historian of neuroscience Danielle Carr, is that it ignores the social and structural forces causing widespread mental suffering.
When You Want to Fight Unemployment, Shorten the Workday
In the mid-20th century, union leader Harry Van Arsdale Jr became obsessed with a simple idea: fewer working hours would mean a need for more workers, and therefore more jobs. He considered it the solution to unemployment, and his union fought to realize it.
Billionaire-Backed Conservative Legal Groups Are Paying for Judges’ Luxury Vacations
Right-wing legal interests funded by the megawealthy are routinely feting lower-court judges and treating them to all-expenses-paid trips, which effectively function as a reward system for judges who espouse and maintain hard-line conservative legal views.
Hunter Biden’s Corruption Is a Symptom of Grotesque Inequality
Hunter Biden, the president’s problematic son, has finally been indicted for his years of tax evasion. Only in an egregiously unequal society like ours do the children of the rich and powerful get away with corruption for as long as Hunter Biden has.
Spain Says Europe’s Leaders Should Do Everything in Their Power to Stop Israel’s Crimes
Spain is one of the European states most critical of Israel’s collective punishment of Gaza. Here in an op-ed, Spanish social rights minister Pablo Bustinduy calls on Europe to use legal and economic pressure to halt Israel’s crimes.
Australia’s Elites Are Censoring Criticism of Israel by Calling It Antisemitic
In Australia, the political, media, and arts establishment is weaponizing accusations of antisemitism to silence critics of Israel’s war on Gaza. It’s tantamount to blackmail, and the goal is to delegitimize solidarity with Palestine.
Filippo Buonarroti Was a Jacobin and a Revolutionary Conspirator
Filippo Buonarroti was one of the radicals who sought to turn the French Revolution into a profound transformation of society. A theorist of the secret revolutionary conspiracy, his example inspired the rising labor movement of the 19th century.
Javier Milei Has Tapped Into the Discontent of a New, Informal Working Class
Most surprising about Argentina’s election of far-right libertarian Javier Milei was his capture of a large part of the working-class vote. His ability to speak to the anxieties of the country’s growing precarious sector should be a wake-up call to the Left.
Nikki Haley Is an Anti-Worker Fanatic, Not a “Moderate”
Nikki Haley, now second in polls for the Republican presidential nomination, is being portrayed as a broadly appealing, pragmatic alternative to Donald Trump. In fact, she’s a proud union buster with a bloodthirsty neoconservative streak, not a moderate.
This Year’s Climate Summit Ended on a Hopeful Note
As COP28 concluded in Dubai earlier this week, a closing agreement read by the conference’s chair, Sultan al-Jaber, bolstered the case for a just and equitable global transition away from fossil fuels.
Britain Must Suspend Its Arms Sales to Israel
As the devastating Israeli war on Gaza continues, Labour MP Zarah Sultana is introducing a parliamentary bill that would suspend arms sales to Israel and any state that might use them in violation of international law.
France’s Immigration Debate Is Hurtling to the Right
On Monday, Emmanuel Macron’s government lost a vote on a new immigration law, as right-wing parties demanded even tighter limits. Faced with a harshening political climate, France’s 700,000 undocumented workers have little hope of gaining regular status.