After five months of struggle and violent repression, Local 22 of the Mexican Teachers Union and the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca continue their fight to remove Oaxaca Governor Ulises Ruiz. . .

From auto parts to carhauling to airlines, employers have used bankruptcy to gut union contracts. Now companies are using the courts to throw out unions’ right to strike. . .

Tom Leedham’s campaign for Teamster General President did more than win 35 percent of the vote. It strengthened our union for the future. . .

When auto parts maker Delphi first announced that it planned to toss out its union contracts through bankruptcy in October 2005, the unions representing the tens of thousands of workers at Delphi didn’t have much to say. Then reports of a group of angry auto workers began to surface. . .

After being out on strike for 41 days we have settled in for the long haul. The road has been long and brutal. Some friendships have been broken by people crossing the line and becoming scabs, and some new friendships have been formed. We have stood together in solidarity and will continue to stand strong. The community has been very supportive of our efforts and we really appreciate it...

Striking mechanics and cleaners at Northwest Airlines voted November 6 to end their 15-month strike. This marks a new stage in airline employees’ fight to turn back an orchestrated assault on wages, benefits, and working conditions.

Touted as one of the most significant achievements of George W. Bush’s first term in office, the “No Child Left Behind” Act fundamentally changed the federal government’s role in public education. . .

Touted as one of the most significant achievements of George W. Bush’s first term in office, the “No Child Left Behind” Act fundamentally changed the federal government’s role in public education. . .

U.S. Labor Against the War was founded in January 2003 as an ad hoc coalition of labor organizations that wanted to prevent the war on Iraq. In the brief time since its establishment, USLAW has accomplished a great deal in creating and maintaining a national network for union members opposed to the war. . .

Members of the American Postal Workers Union protested nationwide on October 26 against the U.S. Postal Service’s plan to close and consolidate postal facilities across the country. From major cities like Miami and Seattle to smaller towns like Norman, Oklahoma and Helena, Montana, APWU members from more than 100 locals picketed with the support of labor, community, and religious activists.

The most immediate effect of Judge Victor Marrero’s injunction ruling (and Judge Gregory Kishel’s) is to undercut the right of workers in the airline and rail industries to strike when faced with contract rejection in bankruptcy. That right had previously been upheld in other cases, where the workers were covered by the National Labor Relations Act; the courts in those cases took for granted that, of course, workers would have the right to strike if management rejected their contracts.

When an employer begins to hire permanent replacements, the union must carefully evaluate its position. If the numbers of replacements are small, the union may be able to shrug off the hiring as a scare tactic. But if the employer appears intent on replacing a sizable portion of the bargaining unit, the strike, and indeed the union’s future, may be in jeopardy. Three options are available. . .

Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from Strikes, Picketing, and Inside Campaigns: A Legal Guide for Unions. It describes the “Trojan Horse” approach to saving a strike once an employer begins to hire scabs as permanent replacements.

The author offers this word of caution: “Applying the Trojan Horse method in a timely fashion can prevent a bad situation from becoming worse. If, however, the employer has already hired a large number of permanent replacements, an all-or-none offer may be a better choice.”

When an employer begins to hire permanent replacements, the union must carefully evaluate its position. If the numbers of replacements are small, the union may be able to shrug off the hiring as a scare tactic. But if the employer appears intent on replacing a sizable portion of the bargaining unit, the strike, and indeed the union’s future, may be in jeopardy. Three options are:

Thousands of immigrant workers at Cintas, one of the world’s largest laundry and uniform companies, face firings if the company follows a discriminatory government proposal.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has encouraged employers to fire workers who fail to correct mismatched social security numbers or re-verify their authorization to work in the United States. The proposal is not yet law.

Cintas, headquartered in Cincinnati, designs and manufactures products such as uniforms, entrance mats, bathroom supplies, and fire safety equipment. Cintas runs 350 work sites in the U.S. and Canada. Most Cintas employees are immigrants. Workers in California, Illinois, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Wisconsin may lose jobs under the DHS proposal.

Clover Group International, a Hong Kong based lingerie company, shut down its Gina Form Bra factory in Thailand on October 20. Workers were locked in the factory while police and military personnel stood by. They were pressured to sign “voluntary” resignation letters accepting lower severance pay than legally mandated. Sixteen hundred Gina workers formed the Gina Relations Workers Union (GRWU) in 2003; now they could be out of a job.

Clover Group produces for brands such as Limited, which owns Victoria’s Secret and Express; Gap; and Calvin Klein. Just before the factory closure, the GRWU won wage increases, production bonuses, paid union leave, lunch benefits, and ongoing monitoring of the factory’s health and safety conditions.

The University of Vermont (UVM) Board of Trustees refuses to pay its workers a livable wage.

The board had ignored a recommendation from its own Basic Needs and Equitable Compensation Task Force to support lowwage workers with a livable wage policy, even if they are not part of the UVM service workers’ union, UE Local 267.

UVM created the Basic Needs and Equitable Compensation Task Force following a series of protests by Student Labor Action Project.

A livable wage is hourly pay or annual income that provides for the basic needs of a family, plus taxes. Basic needs include food, housing, childcare, transportation, health care, clothing, household and personal expenses, insurance, and a small amount of savings. A single person living in Burlington with no children would receive $12.43 an hour if livable wages were implemented, according to a 2005 study by the Vermont Joint Fiscal Office.