politics

  • Labor Anti-War Group Refocuses on Afghanistan
    Jane Slaughter
    Oct 29 2009 - 1:04am

    U.S. Labor Against the War is preparing for its third national assembly in December as the original motivation for its founding—the Iraq war—is winding down to a more limited but permanent presence. No worries that the nearly seven-year-old USLAW coalition has outlived its usefulness, though: delegates to the Chicago meeting will debate the Afghanistan war.

  • Outpouring of Protests, then Police "Payback" at G-20 Meeting
    Kipp Dawson, Al Hart, and Paul LeBlanc
    Sep 30 2009 - 4:28pm

    A summit meeting of the Group of 20 in Pittsburgh last week was faced with an outpouring of challenges from social movement activists, community groups, and unions.

  • Mexican Government Seizes Power Plants, Liquidates Dissident Union
    Dan La Botz
    Oct 13 2009 - 5:24pm

    Over the weekend Federal Police seized the plants of the Central Light and Power Company of Mexico, which provides electricity to Mexico City and several states in central Mexico.

  • AFL-CIO Convention: Reform? We'll take it!

    Asked whether the AFL-CIO would stick to earlier statements that the federation will not support a health care reform bill without a government-insurance “public option,” incoming federation President Rich Trumka ducked this morning.

  • Unions Leading Efforts To Return Ousted President in Honduras
    Judy Ancel
    Sep 2 2009 - 10:42pm

    In the early hours of the morning on June 28, the Honduran military shot off the locks on the back entrance to President Manuel Zelaya’s home in Tegucigalpa, dragged him out of bed, and whisked him out of the country in his pajamas.

  • Labor Rallies for Health Care Reform, but Keeps it Vague
    Jane Slaughter
    Jul 15 2009 - 1:56pm

    It’s no secret that the union movement is divided on health care reform. Resolutions favoring “Medicare for All,” a single-payer system, have been passed by 558 unions, central labor councils, state federations, and other union organizations. Yet in practice leaders of many of those same unions have acted as if actual single-payer legislation (Representative John Conyer’s HR 676 and Senator Bernie Sanders’ S703) didn’t exist.

  • Unions Talk Race as Election Nears

    Author(s):
    Jane Slaughter

    Excerpt:
    Labor leaders who want desperately to chase the Republicans from the White House are confronting a hurdle in their outreach to members: the question of race. Obama’s record on economic issues, they say, should put him way ahead of John McCain with working-class voters. But will the facts be enough to overcome some members’ deep-seated prejudice?

    Available Online:
    Yes

  • Day 2 - Anna Burger, Politics and Accountability

    Today was Anna Burger's day in the spotlight. Her stump speech was about the 2008 elections, and why politics was so important to SEIU's future. Burger, who heads up Change to Win, is apparently the czar of SEIU's political operations, and it was nice to hear her say, "There is no question that organizing and politics go hand and hand," acknowledging the link between SEIU's growth and their work in the political arena.

  • Labor’s Political Game Falls Short Without Pressure From Below

    Author(s):
    Chris Kutalik

    Excerpt:
    The noise, exhilaration, and sheer drama of horse races don’t lend themselves to sober reflection. As the political fortunes of the Bush administration have waned, many labor activists have been on their feet with excitement, watching the wide-open presidential primary contest unfold. But serious questions remain. . . .

    Available Online:
    Yes

  • Help Mexico Teach North Carolina About Unions

    Body:
    North Carolina is under new scrutiny for its poor labor standards, this time from a foreign government. Under a side accord in NAFTA called the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation, the Mexican government is challenging the state to implement collective bargaining rights for public sector workers. It has also requested a progress report on a recent inquiry by the International Labor Organization (ILO) into the state’s prohibition against bargaining.

    Earlier this year, the ILO ruled that North Carolina’s failure to comply with “freedom of association principles...has resulted in grievous working conditions for many public sector workers.” It called on the U.S. to ratify and adhere to the ILO’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, which includes collective bargaining.

    Expiration Date:
    Mon, 12/31/2007 - 11:59pm