The New York Left Is Continuing to Make Gains at the State Level
Last week brought signs that the balance of power in New York state politics is shifting left.
19372 Articles by: Yi San
Yi San is a freelance writer based in New York.
Nigeria’s Election Could Break the Political Mold, But It Won’t End the Social Crisis
An outsider candidate, Peter Obi, is the surprise favorite in this week’s Nigerian presidential election. Obi has attracted support from labor and youth activists, but his neoliberal economic agenda won’t address the dire social conditions afflicting Nigeria.
As Rail Executives Grow Richer, Train Derailments Have Become Commonplace
The East Palestine disaster is a horrifying, spectacular version of what has become the normal occurrence of train derailments in America. Joe Biden could use this as an opportunity to overhaul a crooked and dangerous industry. So far, he appears uninterested.
Women Talking’s Pop Feminism Can’t Confront the Messy Reality of Women’s Oppression
Sarah Polley’s film Women Talking depicts the brutal true story of rape in a Mennonite colony. It’s a poor fit for the oversimplified, “you go, girl” feminist message of its framing.
How Inflation Became a Fact of Life
We tend to associate the inflation problem with the 1970s. But it was years earlier, in the era of Sputnik and Elvis, that the world first woke up to the reality of chronically rising prices. We’re still coping with that episode’s wrongheaded “lessons” today.
In Catalonia, Class Struggle and National Dispute Have Gone Hand in Hand
Catalonia has a proud history of popular protest, from the 15th-century peasant revolts to an anarchist-led revolution, and the anti-Franco resistance that followed. This has not been hindered by Catalans’ desire for independence, but nurtured by it.
A Parliament of Landlords Will Not Solve Australia’s Housing Crisis
The overwhelming majority of Australian Labor Party federal MPs are landlords. Maybe that’s why they can’t solve the housing crisis.
South Korean Truckers Provide a Model for Labor Organizing Among Independent Contractors
In December 2022, TruckSol, a trade union of South Korean truck drivers, waged a massive 16-day strike that cost employers over $2 billion. The union’s history and organizing strategy have lessons for precariously employed workers around the world.
Only US Warmakers Could Create a Panic as Absurd as the “Spy Balloon” Fiasco
The US government and media instigate international fearmongering and saber-rattling on a regular basis. But the recent Chinese spy balloon incident belongs in the Hall of Fame as one of the most idiotic panics by a jittery, trigger-happy warfare state.
Searching for an Alternative to Neoliberalism and Right-Wing Nationalism
From Brexit to Donald Trump and Joe Biden’s anti-China policies, elites are offering their own challenges to the free-trade consensus — just as they did during the early 20th century’s pushback against “globalism.”
Canada Should Nationalize Dental Corporations
Corporate dentistry is on the rise in Canada, lining investors’ pockets at the expense of patients’ oral health. Dental treatment should be fully incorporated into Canada’s universal health care system to prevent the nightmare of American-style dental care.
Claudia Jones Was a Giant in the Struggle Against Oppression
Born on this day in 1915, Claudia Jones became a leading figure in the US anti-racist movement who highlighted the oppression faced by black women. The US authorities deported Jones for her communist views in 1955, but they couldn’t snuff out her legacy.
Inside the Teamsters’ Preparations for a UPS Strike
This summer could see 350,000 UPS workers walk off the job, the United States’ largest strike in the 21st century thus far. The Teamsters are getting ready. Here’s a look at how.
In Philadelphia, Starbucks Workers Just Won Another Victory Against Their Bosses
Last week the NLRB ruled that workers fired from a Philadelphia Starbucks for unionizing should be reinstated. The decision is part of a series of recent worker victories against a company intent on putting an end to all unionization efforts.
The Technocratic Socialism of Otto Neurath
The Austrian economist and philosopher Otto Neurath devised elaborate ideas for a democratically planned economy. They are a monument to the most optimistic strands of the interwar socialist movement.
The Labor Movement Must Learn How to Exploit “Choke Points”
US labor union density is at historic lows, and multinational corporations seem more powerful than ever. But by organizing to take advantage of strategic vulnerabilities in supply chains, workers can still score major victories.
The Anti-Capitalist Origins of the Monopoly Man
The new PBS documentary Ruthless: Monopoly’s Secret History tells the story of how a board game intended to warn Americans about inequality ended up teaching them how to be good little capitalists.
The Great Slave Strike That Helped End Slavery
Today, on Presidents’ Day, we rightly celebrate Abraham Lincoln for helping end slavery. But we shouldn’t forget the unstoppable force that also brought down the Slave Power: the several million slaves who left the plantation, many of whom joined the Union Army.
Abraham Lincoln Is a Hero of the Left
From Karl Marx to Eugene Debs to 1930s American Communists, leftists have regarded Lincoln as a prolabor hero who played a crucial role in vanquishing chattel slavery. We should celebrate him today as part of the great radical democratic tradition.
A Starbucks Worker Fired for Organizing Got His Job Back Thanks to NYC “Just Cause” Laws
A Queens Starbucks worker was one of many across the country fired in retaliation for union organizing. Thanks to NYC laws that require due process for firing fast-food workers, he was reinstated.