Labor and Politics

  • Wisconsin Recall Re-Run
    Jim Cavanaugh
    May 24 2012 - 11:45am
    ** Print only

    The June 5 Wisconsin recall election will be a replay of November 2010—Governor Scott Walker vs. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

    Barrett swamped his closest rival, Kathleen Falk, in the May 8 Democratic primary 58 to 34 percent. Falk had the endorsement of all the large public sector unions (and $4 million for TV ads) and the state AFL-CIO. She had some environmental groups and Emily’s List, too.

  • NLRB May Lose Quorum in 2012, Suspending Progress
    Nick Johnson
    Oct 17 2011 - 12:08pm

    The Labor Board, under attack since it investigated Boeing for retaliating against union workers, could be soon crippled. That would shut one of the last avenues for expanding workers’ legal rights.

  • Labor Protections in Trade Deals Are a Cruel Joke
    Jeff Ballinger
    Oct 4 2011 - 5:08pm

    It’s a cruel joke for Democrats to trot out language about “labor standards” to defend trade pacts with Colombia, Korea, and Panama. Previous trade deals make it obvious brands like Walmart like the current sweatshop system just the way it is.

  • Facing Consensus on Austerity This Labor Day, Is Labor Ready to Test Its Independence?
    Mark Brenner
    Sep 5 2011 - 9:27am

    Job growth is zero, but Congress is fixated on deficits, with a bad case of austerity fever. Now labor leaders are making noises about turning their backs on Democrats.

  • Nurses Protest in 60 Cities, Demanding Tax on Wall Street
    Mischa Gaus
    Sep 2 2011 - 1:18pm

    Thousands of nurses descended on local Congressional offices Thursday, demanding Wall Street pay for the crisis it created. They want a Wall Street transactions tax, which the national nurse union says could generate $350 billion.

  • Viewpoint: Let’s Learn the Right Lessons from Wisconsin
    Dave Poklinkoski
    Aug 21 2011 - 4:10pm

    The struggle in Wisconsin last winter was the awakening that labor movement activists had long hoped for. But the recall elections of six Republican senators turned out to be a squandered opportunity for education.

  • Wisconsin Reacts as Anti-Union Bill Is Rubber-Stamped
    Jane Slaughter
    Jun 15 2011 - 5:35pm

    Unfazed by the rebellion that has shaken their state since February, Republican legislators in Wisconsin called an “extraordinary session” to push through every aspect of the right-wing agenda they can lay a pen to.

  • Still Paying Through the Nose, Labor Campaigns for Single Payer
    Andy Coates
    Jun 8 2011 - 10:59am

    A year after President Obama signed his health care reform with strong support from the labor movement, advocates of a single-payer system might be tempted to ask, “How’s that working out for you?” Labor Campaign for Single Payer activists gathered in D.C. to assess their progress.

  • Health Care for All Takes Big Stride in Vermont
    Jenny Brown
    Apr 27 2011 - 1:09pm

    Vermont is as close to winning “single-payer” health care legislation any U.S. state have ever been. Activists are fighting for every inch as they near the goal line: Legislation ensuring health care for all has passed both houses and was reconciled May 3.

  • May Day Marches See Labor Join Immigrants' Struggle for Rights
    Eduardo Soriano-Castillo
    May 2 2011 - 3:53pm

    Tens of thousands marched nationwide May Day, demanding an end to attacks on workers and immigrants. “We have had all we can take,” said an immigrant organizer, noting record deportations.