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Town Hall Meetings Say No to Cutting Social Security »

July 13, 2010 | Al Benchich

I can’t help but think that the folks behind the “America Speaks” town hall meetings, held June 26 in 19 cities across the country, were shell-shocked by the results. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, and, principally, the foundation of Wall Street financier Peter Peterson...

Do Spreading Auto Strikes Mean Hope for a Workers’ Movement in China? »

July 13, 2010 | Lu Zhang

A flurry of strikes in Honda parts plants in China has produced the longest and most significant work stoppages and wage gains for workers there in recent years. Is this the opening wave in a tide of resistance that will lead to a transformation of work and labor in China? The beginning of the...

Vale Inco Strikers Weigh Their Year of Sacrifice and Vote on Deal »

July 7, 2010 | Jamie West

A tentative agreement has been announced in one of the longest-running and bitter strikes in North America, among the 3,500 nickel and copper miners and mill workers of Steelworkers Locals 6500 and 6200 in Ontario. The Steelworkers union and mine operator Vale Inco are withholding details until...

Another Day, Another Assault on Immigrant Workers in Arizona »

July 7, 2010 | Caroline Isaacs

While the nation reels from its first look at Arizona’s immigrant-bashing lawmaking, advocates here are outraged but not surprised. April's SB 1070 law was just the latest bomb to drop in a long-term assault on the rights of Arizona's immigrants.


Supremes Hand Republicans Map to Hobble the NLRB »

July 2, 2010 | Arthur Fox
The U.S. Supreme Court in mid-June knocked down 600 decisions by the National Labor Relations Board on the grounds that only two NLRB members lacked the authority needed to issue binding decisions. While pulling the rug out from under 600 decisions may seem cataclysmic, the bigger risk is that...

Domestic Workers in New York Win First-Ever Job Protections »

July 2, 2010 | Tiffany Ten Eyck
Domestic workers in New York have won historic changes to the state’s labor law to include protections for their jobs. Final votes on Thursday ended weeks of wrangling between state leaders.

SEIU Buys its Own Version of History »

July 1, 2010 | Steve Early

In the last five years, the Service Employees (SEIU) has gone from being a media darling to generating more bad press for itself than any other labor organization. To bolster its fading progressive brand, SEIU has produced a slick $25 dollar coffee table book called Stronger Together: The Story...

U.S. Social Forum Takes Detroit by Storm »

June 30, 2010

Labor Notes had a presence at the U.S. Social Forum last week, the gathering in Detroit of 15,000 activists from every different social justice movement you can think of. There was a workshop for every cause and strategy, from stopping “fracking” to using puppetry to move your campaign.


Will Rare Contested Election at AFSCME Wake Labor's Dozing Giant? »

June 30, 2010 | Cherrene Horazuk
A race for AFSCME's No. 2 spot could shake up the public sector union. As public workers face mounting furloughs and layoffs, will new leaders mobilize or stick to ballot-box and legal strategies?

As NUHW Files For Huge Hospital Election, A Member Reflects on Labor's Civil War in California »

June 29, 2010 | David Mallon

The National Union of Healthcare Workers is filing for an election today for 43,000 workers at the Kaiser Permanente health care system in California to decertify the Service Employees union (SEIU). A recently published book, Labor’s Civil War in California by Cal Winslow, tells the story of...

Seven Unions Coordinate Six-State Strike, Red Cross Responds with Lockout »

June 29, 2010 | Mischa Gaus

The Red Cross rewarded blood-donation workers with a selective lockout mid-June following a three-day strike in six states. Seven unions coordinated the strike.

Andy Stern’s Next Gig? Board Member at a Bio-Warfare Pharma Company »

June 24, 2010 | Mike Wilzoch

SIGA Technologies, “a company specializing in the development of pharmaceutical agents to combat bio-warfare pathogens,” announced Monday that Andy Stern, “labor leader and prominent advocate for reform,” has joined their board of directors.


GM Workers under Sub-Par Contract Vote Down Further Wage Cuts »

June 22, 2010 | Jane Slaughter

GM workers in Saginaw, Michigan, voted down drastic concessions by a big margin June 17. It was the second time in three months that GM workers already working at substandard pay refused to be chopped any further.

12,000 Minnesota Nurses Ready for Strike »

June 22, 2010 | Nellie Munn

Twelve thousand Twin Cities nurses are facing off against corporate health care, taking a one-day strike June 10 and authorizing an open-ended strike Monday. Like every state without nurse-to-patient ratios, staffing is the key issue.

Bay Area Dockworkers Answer Palestinian Call for Solidarity »

June 21, 2010 | Enku Ide and Kevin Lynch

Bay Area dockworkers refused to cross a picket line early Sunday, leaving a ship loaded with cargo from Israel floating offshore.

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