Democratizing the UAW
The United Auto Workers has devolved into a stagnant, often corrupt union. It’s in desperate need of a democratic rejuvenation.
Search Result(s) for: “working class”
Domestic Workers Are Paying Dearly for the Coronavirus Crisis
Domestic workers have always been among the hardest hit by recessions. Fear of contagion may make the coronavirus crisis the worst yet — a catastrophe for millions of the most economically vulnerable workers.
How the “Stranger Danger” Panic of the 1980s Helped Give Rise to Mass Incarceration
The 1980s saw the spread of a nationwide panic about “stranger danger,” a supposed epidemic of child kidnappings and murders. Under the guise of protecting children, the media-driven hysteria helped spur mass incarceration.
The Coronavirus Wouldn’t Be Decimating Meatpacking Plants If Company Bosses Hadn’t Busted the Unions
COVID-19 is ravaging the country’s meatpacking plants, turning packinghouse workers into sacrificial lambs. But none of this was inevitable — it’s the result of companies’ decades-long assault on meatpacking unions, which destroyed workers’ ability to have a say over their working conditions.
Democratic Rights Aren’t Willingly Given — They Have to Be Fought For
New South Wales is allowing stadiums to seat up to 10,000 fans right now, but the Liberal state government has used COVID-19 as a pretext to ban all public protests. Vinil Kumar, who faced the NSW Supreme Court on this issue, spoke with Jacobin about the battle to protect our democratic rights amid lockdown.
The Last Days of the BBC?
Streams of reports point out the bias at work in BBC’s politics coverage. As it edges ever closer to Britain’s Conservative Party this election campaign, it’s clear the public broadcaster needs radical reform if it is to be saved.
The Fight for Peace and Justice in Colombia
In Colombia, a mass movement has emerged to challenge the government’s neoliberal policies and failure to honor its historic peace agreement with the FARC. It offers the possibility of a just future for the country.
There Is No Writer Quite Like Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy has a tendency to rile India’s media and political elites like no one else on the subcontinent. Perhaps that’s because no writer today, in India or anywhere in the world, writes with the kind of beautiful, piercing prose in defense of the wretched of the earth that Roy does.
We Have to End the Permanent Wars
The publication of the “Afghanistan Papers” has underscored what a bloody disaster the US occupation has been. Whether it’s Trump or Obama or Bush, we must oppose US imperialism no matter who is in the White House.
The Humanity of American Communism
Communist Party members are often stereotyped as mindless zombies that blindly took orders from Moscow. But for many in the CPUSA, the party allowed them to recognize their own capacity to change the world.
In This Election, Labour Has a Chance to End Thatcherism Once and for All
Not long after Margaret Thatcher rose to power forty years ago, she decimated huge swaths of Britain with deindustrialization, privatization, and cuts. Those same areas now have the opportunity in this election to bury her legacy once and for all.
Why Britain Is in an Uproar Over a Tory Lockdown Scofflaw
The UK’s Boris Johnson had been coasting through the COVID-19 crisis — but that was before his aide Dominic Cummings’s flouting of social-distancing rules set off a nationwide furor. It’s reminded the country of everything they hate about the Tories: their privileged obliviousness and their belief that normal rules don’t apply to them.
Roti and Roses for All
Zohran Mamdani is a Uganda-born rapper, counselor, and socialist running to represent Queens in the New York State Assembly. We spoke with him about the housing crisis, being a socialist in America, and his campaign slogan, "roti and roses" — a play on the old labor chant "bread and roses."
In France, Just Like the United States, We Can’t Breathe
Cities across France are seeing a historic wave of protest against racism and the killing of young black people. The French revolt was sparked by the demonstrations in the United States — but it’s fueled by police brutality at home.
Bernie Won Iowa
Bernie Sanders won Iowa. There are many powerful people who don’t want us to say these words. But we should say them without hesitation, because they’re true.
Woke Capitalism Isn’t Your Friend
Brands like Pepsi, Nike, and Amazon are embracing Black Lives Matter on social media. Don't be fooled: corporate anti-racism isn’t about solidarity – it’s just a marketing campaign.
Why I’m Still Thinking About the Amy Cooper “Black Birder” Episode in Central Park
Amy Cooper’s calling the police on a black man in New York’s Central Park represents an extreme example of racist behavior. But it also offers a window onto the experiences of black Americans that highlights the importance of affirmative action and radical redistributive policies as central to anti-racism today.
Why the Pundit Class Loves Amy Klobuchar
Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar has been crowned by mainstream pundits as a Highly Electable Candidate. There’s only one problem — people hate her platform and no one wants to vote for her.
Why Bill de Blasio Is Such a Schmuck
New York City mayor Bill de Blasio claims he wants to change the most unjust policies of American life in the 21 century. The problem is, he is instinctively hostile to the protests and grassroots organizing necessary to win such change.
“We Are Fighting for Our Lives Against People With Money and Power”
Minneapolis bus drivers provided a model of solidarity during the George Floyd protests by refusing to transport police officers. We spoke with the president of the bus driver union’s black caucus about the inspiring action and the need for a labor movement that fights for more than just bread-and-butter economic gains for its members.