Chicago Is About to End the Subminimum Wage for Tipped Workers
Brandon Johnson, the labor-backed mayor of Chicago, is poised to deliver his first major victory: scrapping the subminimum wage for tipped workers.
19452 Articles by: T Rivers
T Rivers is a pseudonymous journalist who covers East and Central Africa.
France’s Crackdown on Islamic Dress in Schools Is a Crude Attack on Muslims
France’s education minister has banned girls in public schools from wearing the abaya, a loose-fitting Islamic dress. Emmanuel Macron’s government is whipping up conflict over identity — but ignoring the real problems that face France’s underfunded classrooms.
So Far, Britain’s Employers Have Been Winning the Class War Over Inflation
Since inflation started rising, British capitalists have been raking in massive profits while workers have suffered a disastrous wage slump. Yet the Bank of England still wants to boost unemployment in case workers develop their fighting strength.
Europe’s Migration Deal With Tunisia Is a Humanitarian Disaster
In July, the European Union announced a deal with Tunisia to police migration. The deal allowed the EU to outsource the dirty work of repressing migrants — but it’s done nothing to hide the mounting numbers of desperate people dying in the Mediterranean.
The United Auto Workers Have Officially Escalated Their Strike
The UAW strike just got bigger. The union announced this afternoon that workers at 38 GM and Stellantis locations would join the walkout — and the pressure tactics are already working, with Ford making significant concessions at the bargaining table.
Black Workers in the US Have Been at the Forefront of the Fight for Freedom
The story of the African-American working class is the story of democratic struggle: of pairing the fight against racism with the fight against economic exploitation to push the US to become a freer and more just society.
Google Is on Trial for Violating Antitrust Law. The Verdict Is Unlikely to Change Much.
Google is now on trial for illegally building a monopoly over online search — but given the weak state of US antitrust law, the company is likely to emerge unscathed. To check Google’s power, we need to bring it under public, democratic control.
Did Thomas Friedman Forget About the Iraq War?
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman was one of the loudest cheerleaders for the war in Iraq. His condemnation of Putin’s “war of choice” in Ukraine — a horrific act of aggression, like Bush’s war — could be a word-for-word rebuke of what he wrote then.
Eric Adams Is Playing a Dangerous Game With Migrants
New York City mayor Eric Adams is simultaneously pushing austerity and declaring that migrants will “destroy” the city by straining its public services. These are perilous flames to fan, and the biggest fan belongs to the mayor.
The Vast Fortune of This Auto Boss Is More Than Enough to Make Your Blood Boil
As autoworkers are worked to the bone and face factory closures, dynastic billionaire and Stellantis chairman John Elkann is hanging out on his yacht and attending fancy art galas. No wonder the UAW is on strike.
Ireland’s Working Class Is Still the Key Force for Social Change
Irish politics has been shifting toward greater class polarization in recent years, defying academic predictions about the death of class. The modern working class has taken a new shape, but it still has the potential to mobilize for radical change.
The UAW Has Disrupted Business as Usual. And They May Turn Up the Pressure Tomorrow.
The UAW has given the Big Three until noon tomorrow to make progress at the bargaining table or face a strike escalation. One week in, the historic walkout has already left politicians and bosses alike scrambling amid an utterly justified worker action.
Justin Trudeau’s Milquetoast Policies Aren’t Helping Hungry Canadians
Canadian workers are grappling with a cost-of-living crisis and struggling to afford housing and groceries. The Trudeau government’s response? Politely requesting that grocery bosses be nicer.
Guatemala’s Progressive President-Elect Will Face an Uphill Battle
In Guatemala, the historic victory of Bernardo Arévalo has unleashed the wrath of the country’s conservative elite. The coming months will prove crucial as Arévalo and progressive forces struggle to guarantee a peaceful democratic transition.
Georg Lukács Diagnosed the Irrationalism at the Heart of Right-Wing Thought
Socialist intellectual Georg Lukács was an astute critic of right-wing philosophy and its connections to fascism. For Lukács, philosophers of the Right were united by a reactionary disavowal of reason and justice.
Milwaukee County Is Trying to Kill Accountability for Its Death Trap of a Jail
Despite the best efforts of a socialist official, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors may vote this morning to block any meaningful action on a spate of deaths at the county jail.
The Jacquerie Was a Great Popular Rebellion Against the Rich Nobles of France
In the 14th century, France experienced the biggest popular revolt in its history before 1789. Historians have often denounced or derided the rebels, but they mounted a sophisticated, well-organized challenge to noble power that was brutally repressed.
For France’s Left, Robespierre’s Democratic Radicalism Is as Necessary as Ever
The French monarchy was abolished this day in 1792. Left-wing MP Antoine Léaument explains why the values of the French Revolution can still be an inspiration for the Republic — and why Maximilien Robespierre has been wrongly cast as a violent monster.
It’s Easy to Dramatically Cut Poverty. US Policymakers Just Don’t Want To.
Children, the elderly, disabled people, and students continue to make up the vast majority of the US poor. We could easily slash poverty by increasing the generosity and reach of benefit programs for the nonworking population — but lawmakers refuse to do so.
We Can’t Rely on Private Finance to Fund a Just Transition
Liberal policymakers want to incentivize private finance to make clean energy investments. But private investors are incapable of financing the world’s massive green infrastructure needs — we need robust public investment to drive a pro-worker transition.