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In an Old City, Building a New Common Sense »

May 9, 2011 | Jeff Crosby, Carly McClain

Ten percent unemployment. Poverty wages for most of those still working. An epidemic of home foreclosures. This is Lynn, Massachusetts. In response, our Labor Council formed a coalition of union and community groups whose vision is to be the dominant force in regional economic development.

VIDEO: Wisconsin Governor Gives State Workers Some Love »

May 6, 2011 | Jane Slaughter

With a straight face, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker proclaimed Wednesday State Employee Recognition Day. In response, a group of union state employees proclaimed their own State Employee Depreciation Day Thursday, with a ceremony on the steps of the Capitol.

Nurse Unions: Florence Nightingale Doesn't Work Here Anymore »

May 6, 2011 | Mischa Gaus

National Nurses United marked National Nurses Week this year with strike threats at six hospitals in five states, winning increased staffing levels in some locations and beating back health care cost hikes in others.

Rite Aid Warehouse Workers Win Contract after National Push »

May 6, 2011 | Jenny Brown

Winning a union is half the battle: the other half is securing a first contract. After three years, a union at Rite Aid’s huge California warehouse won an agreement with a campaign that spread to other unions and states.

The Mood in Wisconsin: Shaken, Angry, but Proud »

May 5, 2011 | Jane Slaughter

Wisconsin public sector unionists face a sobering situation after weeks of unprecedented activism—for many, no contracts. Yet their mood is proud and angry. They're acutely aware how their struggle has inspired others.

NY Cabbies, Modern-Day Sharecroppers, Bid for Health Care »

May 5, 2011 | Mischa Gaus

The New York Taxi Workers Alliance released a groundbreaking plan yesterday to win health care for drivers. Classified as independent contractors, the city’s 50,000 licensed cabbies are uninsured at twice the rate of other New Yorkers—52 percent lack coverage, according to a city councilman’s...

Teachers Are Singled Out in Attacks on Public Employees »

May 4, 2011 | Howard Ryan

Like other public employees, teachers find their bargaining rights under fire in the Republican-governed states. But the attacks on teacher job security and the drive to replace public schools with charters are universal—and bipartisan.

AT&T Bid For T-Mobile Boosts Union Drive »

May 3, 2011 | Mischa Gaus

As mostly organized AT&T looks to scoop up union-resistant T-Mobile, the Communications Workers are fast at work attempting to organize its call centers and retail stores. T-Mobile workers worry they’d lose jobs first following the $39 billion mega-merger.

California Grad Students Sit Down for Union Democracy »

May 3, 2011 | Barry Eidlin

Afraid you might lose the vote? Stop the count and run. That’s what incumbent leaders did in United Auto Workers Local 2865, representing 12,000 graduate student workers at the University of California. Members of a reform caucus responded with sit-downs at their union headquarters, demanding...

Health Care for All Takes Big Stride in Vermont »

May 3, 2011 | Jenny Brown

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 »

May 2, 2011 | Eduardo Soriano-Castillo

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.

VIDEO: Student Occupations at Five Campuses »

April 29, 2011 | Kathleen Brower

When it comes to budget cuts and policies that hurt students and campus workers, student activists are refusing to sit down…unless it’s in their president’s office. This week and last, students at five universities staged sit-ins for student and worker rights, and this seems to be only the...

How Do We Stop Workplace Fatalities? Eliminate the Hazards »

April 28, 2011 | Ron Kaminkow

As unions mark Workers Memorial Day, a fatal rail tragedy last month serves as a reminder that "behavior-based" safety programs, which blame workers for their own injuries, aren't fixing the root causes of deadly accidents on the job.



Five Reasons Why Colombia Trade Agreement Is Still a Bad Idea »

April 27, 2011 | Rebecca Van Horn

The U.S. and Colombian governments signed a “Labor Action Plan” on April 7 that sets the groundwork for a Congressional vote on the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. But the trade deal is still a bad idea, “action plan” or no. USLEAP provides five reasons why.


Gains and Losses in LA Teachers Union Election »

April 26, 2011 | Joseph Zeccola

The future of teacher-led education reform in Los Angeles was thrown into question last month, when a bread-and-butter candidate won out over a reformer running on a social justice platform to lead the LA teachers union.

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