Showcasing the Best of Working-Class Cinema
Movies are a uniquely powerful medium to depict working-class life in its full richness. The DC Labor Film Fest, which ends this weekend, has collected the best such worker films for streaming.
21049 Article(s) by: Zola Carr
Zola Carr is a doctoral candidate at Columbia University, working on a dissertation on the development of experimental brain implants for psychiatric disorder.
Despite Everything, Queer Leftists Survived
The history of queer liberation movements is often talked about as distinct from the history of the Left. But in the first half of the twentieth century, queer people were abundant among American radical leftists — decades before the rise of an organized mass movement for gay rights.
Atlassian’s Vision for the Future of Work Is a Cyber-Taylorist Nightmare
Australian tech company Atlassian — best known for its flagship product, Jira Software — presents itself as a humble innovator that wants to improve the world with technology. But its productivity-boosting tools are designed to maximize the exploitation of workers.
Jamaal Bowman Is Right — the Left Should Draw a Line in the Sand Over Infrastructure
On infrastructure, Joe Biden is sliding back into the disastrous “bipartisan” mode of negotiations that sank so may progressive initiatives in the Obama years. Jamaal Bowman has now drawn a line in the sand rejecting that approach — and others in Congress should join him.
Peru Has a Choice: Democracy or a Return to Dictatorship
Chicago city councilor and Democratic Socialists of America member Carlos Ramirez-Rosa writes from Peru that the country’s elections this weekend offer two stark choices: a deepening of democracy or a return to right-wing dictatorship.
Helen Keller’s Socialism Has Been Whitewashed
You wouldn’t know it from the whitewashed image of her as an angelic, unthreatening icon, but Helen Keller — yes, that Helen Keller — was a socialist.
“Ethical” Brand Lush Cosmetics Is Actually a Terrible Place to Work
Lush prides itself on a progressive image, but the company’s union-busting in Toronto tells another story.
Joe Biden Is Not Protecting Workers From the Pandemic
Joe Biden promised to safeguard workers in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, that hasn’t happened.
In Britain, Seasonal Farm Laborers Toil for Subminimum-Wage Piece Rates
Since the end of free movement within the EU, Britain’s farms have relied on seasonal migrants allowed into the country for just a few months at a time. Denied almost any possibility to change jobs, their situation shows how bosses can use visa rules to blackmail a pliant workforce into swallowing the most degrading conditions.
How Australia’s First Mardi Gras Fought for Gay and Lesbian Liberation
In 1968, Ken Davis became a socialist while still in high school — ten years later, he helped to lead the first Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney. As Davis explains, the struggle for gay rights in Australia formed part of a global fight for liberation.
Not All Labor Law Reforms Are Created Equal
Two major pieces of labor law legislation, both rooted in the concept of “sectoral bargaining,” are now being weighed in California and New York. California’s would represent a genuine advance for low-wage workers; New York’s would be a disaster.
Joe Biden Is Almost as Pro-Drilling as Trump
Despite pausing oil and gas leases on public land, Joe Biden approved nearly 1,200 drilling permits in a mere three months — a number almost as high as Donald Trump’s over a similar period at the end of his term.
On Police Reform, the AFL-CIO Has a Lot of Catching Up to Do
The AFL-CIO’s new report on police reform doesn’t come anywhere close to what’s needed. Written largely from the perspective of police officers, it rejects calls to defund the police, embracing the failed approach of trying to weed out bad apples.
Naomi Osaka Was Right to Stand Up to the Tennis Bosses
The standoff between Naomi Osaka and the French Open is more than a sports drama — it’s about how much control workers have over their own labor. And we could all learn a thing or two from her gutsy decision to draw a line in the sand.
Let’s Deal a Blow to Big Pharma
For years, Bernie Sanders took trips to Canada to spotlight how Big Pharma was ripping off US patients. Now, Joe Biden has the chance to allow lower-priced imported drugs — giving patients much-needed relief and reining in Big Pharma’s exorbitant profits.
Germany Auto Is Going Electric — But It’s Not Helping Workers
Tesla has announced plans for a nonunion factory in Berlin. Auto manufacturing going green was supposed to help workers, not hurt them.
Gough Whitlam’s Government Was the Victim of a Right-Wing Coup
In 1975, an Australian constitutional coup brought down Gough Whitlam’s reforming Labor government, with the Queen’s governor-general delivering the fatal blow. Whitlam’s fate was a crucial lesson for left-wing movements everywhere: capitalists will only allow so much democracy before pushing back.
Neoliberalism Has Always Been a Threat to Democracy
More than just a set of free-market policies, neoliberalism has always sought to alter society’s balance of power in favor of bosses. Its assault on democracy and undermining of unions is now playing straight into the hands of the far right.
Chicago’s Thompson Center Is a Palace for the People
Downtown Chicago’s wonderfully futuristic, bizarre Thompson Center integrates government, business, public art, affordable eating, and public protest space — and it’s currently in danger of demolition. The Thompson Center must be preserved; its architectural spirit is too interesting — and the public space it provides too exceptional — to discard.
Canada’s Housing Market Is Out of Control
House prices and rents in Canada are skyrocketing. There’s only one solution to the social crisis this has caused: a massive expansion of public housing, releasing people from dependence on a rigged market.