The UAW and the Bombers
A new UAW T-shirt rightly touts the working class as the “arsenal of democracy” — but it includes a B-24 bomber. Here’s labor historian Nelson Lichtenstein on what he thinks is wrong with the appeal.
19121 Articles by: Wouter van de Klippe
Wouter van de Klippe is a freelance journalist and writer based in Europe. He is particularly interested in organized labor, social and environmental justice, and social welfare states.
Congress Wants You to Be Uncomfortable on Flights
Taking cues from airline industry lobbyists, US lawmakers are keeping an aviation bill free from clauses that would require free water for flight passengers and set minimum dimensions for seats. Why do our representatives want airline travel to be torture?
Trailer Park Residents Are Forming Cooperatives
Across the country, residents of mobile homes are organizing to buy and cooperatively run their communities, with government help, to protect themselves from landlords known for jacking up rents and neglecting infrastructure.
The Canadian State Is Euthanizing Its Poor and Disabled
Canada boasts one of the world’s highest assisted-death rates, supposedly enabling the terminally ill to die with dignity. However, this suicide program increasingly resembles a dystopian replacement for care services, exchanging social welfare for euthanasia.
Sumar Isn’t Making Its Mark on Spain’s New Government
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, seized the initiative this week by slapping down right-wing judicial attacks on his government. But his left-wing allies Sumar seem increasingly overshadowed — and their weak position is exposing divisions in their ranks.
India’s Adivasi Communities Are Facing Brutal Repression
Narendra Modi’s government has launched a brutal crackdown on the Adivasi communities of India’s tribal belt in defiance of the constitution. Its goal is to clear the way for exploiting lucrative mineral resources by trampling on Adivasi rights.
How Labor Can Aid the Student Movement for Palestine
Despite heavy repression, campus protests in solidarity with Palestine have been spreading like wildfire across the US. The support of organized labor can help the movement grow — and increase its leverage to achieve its demands.
Last Night’s Palestine Crackdown Was Authoritarian
Both the police crackdowns at Columbia University and elsewhere, and the propaganda that enabled it resembled scenes from an authoritarian foreign country. So we wrote about them as if they were.
Freedom Under Capitalism Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up to Be
Libertarians argue that capitalism is superior to socialism because in capitalism anyone is free to do anything — including start a worker cooperative. In truth, capitalism constrains our options, while socialism can liberate us to live as we please.
If Only Challengers Were as Hot as It’s Trying to Be
Luca Guadagnino’s tennis pro drama Challengers is a test of Zendaya’s star power. She passes. But the promised hot-and-heavy love triangle doesn’t deliver.
Workers Say PEN America Is Slow-Walking Union Negotiations
Unionized employees, pro-Palestine activists demanding a cease-fire call, writers long-listed for a prestigious literary prize: no one seems particularly happy with PEN America right now.
Why the UAW Should Stand in Solidarity With Palestine
UAW Region 9A is standing in solidarity with Palestine — including publicly supporting pro-Palestine campus protests. We spoke with Region 9A director Brandon Mancilla about the UAW’s antiwar position and why “unions have no business investing in genocide.”
Humza Yousaf’s Fall Leaves Scottish Nationalism in Crisis
Scotland’s first minister, Humza Yousaf, broke a coalition deal with the Greens under pressure from his own party’s right wing. Yousaf’s move sabotaged his own leadership and has weakened the already flagging cause of Scottish independence.
Blame South Sudan’s Civil War on Elites, Not “Ethnic Tensions”
South Sudan’s post-independence instability is often blamed on ethnic tensions. But exploitation by international companies and zero-sum competition over resources between local elites are the real causes of ongoing violence in the country.
Abortion Advocates Should Turn to Direct Democracy
Citizen-driven ballot initiatives are a powerful tool in the fight against abortion bans like the one threatening Arizona. State governments can’t be trusted to execute the popular will. We’ll have to do it ourselves.
When US Labor Leaders Helped Repress the Global Left
During the Cold War, much of labor officialdom collaborated with the US government to repress labor movements and left-wing forces abroad. The conservatism that enabled this sordid alliance still impacts much of the US labor movement today.
They Can Always Find More Money for War
The gargantuan military aid bill that passed last week and the Democrats’ Build Back Better package relied on similar legislative strategies for passage. The party saw the strategy through to secure money for war while abandoning it to fund social programs.
Congress Is Trying to Stop Automatic Flight Refunds
Days after the Biden administration announced a rule mandating flight cancelation automatic refunds, four lawmakers overseeing aviation policy in Congress began pushing legislation to reverse it. All of them take substantial airline industry donations.
Sweden’s Unions Need to Wake Up to New Forms of Exploitation
In Sweden, thousands of migrant construction workers have to deal with employer blackmail and attempts to cheat them out of their pay. Unrepresented by the traditional trade unions, they are resorting to more direct forms of class struggle.
Narendra Modi’s Government Is Falsifying Indian History
Since coming to power, the Modi government has worked to promote a phony version of history in line with its Hindu chauvinist agenda. From school textbooks to academic research, every form of historical education has become a political battleground.