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Full-Bore Assault in the Midwest »

March 14, 2011 | Labor Notes Staff

The Midwest has become the flashpoint, as unions and their allies fight a raft of union-busting bills and ballot measures that look to cripple unions and scale back workers’ rights. Here’s a round-up of what’s at stake.

L.A. Teachers Use Privatization Fight to Build Community Power »

March 11, 2011 | Noah Lippe-Klein, Sherlett Hendy

When the Los Angeles school district announced that Dorsey High School was subject to takeover by a corporate charter company, the Dorsey community was ready to fight. People were ready to spring into action because teachers had spent years building their union chapter and organizing the...

Ontario's 'Days of Action' - A Citywide Political Strike Offers A Potential Example for Madison »

March 9, 2011 | Dan La Botz

With events in Madison unfolding by the hour, we are reposting the story of the Ontario "Days of Action" to offer practical advice for mounting huge strikes and demonstrations. In the late '90s, unions in Ontario, Canada, conducted 11 citywide strikes against the Conservative government's...

Troublemakers on the West Coast, Too »

March 9, 2011 | Greg Robinson

Far from the snowy battles of Wisconsin and Ohio, organizers had hoped for 100 people to attend the Labor Notes Troublemakers School in San Diego last Friday. But 284 packed the halls and classrooms.

Airport Screeners Election Kicks Off »

March 9, 2011 | Jenny Brown

The much-maligned airport security workforce will finally have a chance to vote on a union and bargain collectively. The election starts today and runs through April 19. A February decision by TSA administrator John Pistole set the stage.

How We Beat ‘Right to Work’ »

March 8, 2011 | Jerry Tucker

In an astonishing turnaround, a 1978 ballot initiative by the National Right-To-Work Committee to turn Missouri into a right-to-work state was defeated by a 3-2 margin. Workers in 12 new states are threatened by right to work this year. What can we learn from labor’s victory in Missouri last...

Citing Unstable Staffing, D.C. Nurses Strike »

March 4, 2011 | Mischa Gaus

Nurses at D.C.’s Washington Hospital Center took a one-day strike Friday to protest short staffing and compensation cuts. Hospital administration said they will lock out the 1,600 nurses, represented by the National Nurses United, for four additional days.


Sportstalk and the NFL Labor Dispute: Keep It Stupid, Simple? »

March 4, 2011 | David Finkel

I can’t count how often I’ve heard radio sportstalk jockeys offer the following wisdom: “The fans want their pro football on Sunday. They couldn’t care less about millionaires fighting with the billionaires about dividing the NFL pie.” It’s not just the assumption that “the fans” are willfully...

Don't Target Our Mentors, Say Young Teachers »

March 3, 2011 | Mischa Gaus

What damage is done to schools if teaching becomes a revolving door job? Young teachers say they’d prefer not to find out. A group in New York schools called on state leaders this week to preserve “last in, first out” seniority rules.

NUHW Nurses Strike in Los Angeles over Staffing Levels »

March 3, 2011 | Mark Brenner

More than 1,000 nurses at Kaiser-Permanente’s Los Angeles Medical Center walked off the job Wednesday over staffing levels they say threaten patient care. The nurses—members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers—say Kaiser is stalling contract talks and refusing to improve nurse to...

From California, and into Wisconsin's Friendly Roar »

March 2, 2011 | Gerry Daley

The wave of protest cresting in Madison is amazing: students, workers, seniors, everyone is coming together in peaceful but unyielding opposition to Governor Scott Walker’s attack on democracy. Our contingent from the LA County Fed arrived to find the self-organized, old-fashioned Tom Paine...

The Media Fail Workers in Wisconsin, as Usual »

March 2, 2011 | Dave Saldana
Wisconsin's Governor Walker insists he needs to strip state employees of their right to negotiate as a means of cutting costs. And the media dutifully repeat that language, never questioning whether it’s accurate, despite abundant evidence that it is not.

New Voice in Wisconsin Protests: No Concessions, No Cuts »

March 2, 2011 | Colette Brown

With the largest protests in Wisconsin history unfolding, labor activists are drawing on a new sense of power to reject both union leaders' concessions and the governor's massive service cuts.

Solidarity with Wisconsin, in All Corners »

March 1, 2011 | Dawn Maturen

Around the country union members have been inspired to go to Madison to join the protests and to organize solidarity actions back home. Here are a few reports of what they saw in Wisconsin and how they're bringing the spirit back. Note: you could try this at home.

Wisconsin Diary: ‘A Fantastic Tale for a Winter’s Night’ »

March 1, 2011 | Barbara Smith

When the workers in Wisconsin rose up, I was as surprised as everyone else. I did not see this coming. I doubted we were capable of it. Now I know. Every evening is a winter carnival, every noon a “power hour.” ... One day it’s the building trades, another the Teamsters or the Letter Carriers...

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