Troublemakers Blog
February 10, 2011 /
Protests in Egypt escalated this week when thousands of emboldened workers across the country walked off or sat down on the job. A wildcat action that began Tuesday among 6,000 workers in the Suez Canal, however, could rock the Egyptian economy, amplifying the leverage of pro-democracy protesters.
»
February 09, 2011 /
In San Francisco, the Young Workers United worker center takes the long view, building membership and mobilizing to advocate for improved working conditions—with unusual success.
»
February 08, 2011 /
The Mexican-themed fast food chain Chipotle likes to hold itself up as a model of social responsibility, but labor activists in Minnesota say its ethical behavior doesn’t extend to its immigrant workers. Chipotle fired nearly 700 Latino immigrant workers without notice and in some cases without paying back wages.
»
February 03, 2011 / Jenny Brown
Retail worker unions gathered with an association of small supermarkets and city officials Thursday to denounce Wal-Mart as a “job killer” for New York. “For every two jobs, three jobs lost!” was the chant at the City Hall rally.
»
February 02, 2011 /
Education in New York City has turned into a hotbed of activist activity, as demonstrators endured freezing temperatures and blizzards to protest Mayor Michael Bloomberg's destructive schools policies.
»
January 31, 2011 /
Hundreds protested Sunday outside a Southern California resort where corporate executives and conservative political leaders gathered to strategize. Twenty-five were arrested when they sat in the street, blocking the resort entrance.
»
January 28, 2011 / Jenny Brown
Anti-union rhetoric and threats are emanating from new governors in several states, including Wisconsin, Ohio, and Florida. But none has been so explicit as South Carolina, where incoming Governor Nikki Haley has announced her determination to specifically keep unions out of a new Boeing plant near Charleston.
»
January 26, 2011 / Mischa Gaus
January 20, 2011 / Mark Brenner
With state and local governments staring at deep budget gaps, politicians across the spectrum are blaming public sector workers for the river of red ink. “We can no longer live in a society where the public employees are the haves and taxpayers who foot the bills are the have-nots,” crowed Scott Walker, Wisconsin’s newly elected governor, in a recent speech. »
January 18, 2011 /
Activists are strategizing survival tactics at Labor Notes Troublemakers Schools around the country this year: New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Diego, Madison, the Bay Area, Los Angeles. A hundred people turned out in Vermont Sunday for the first 2011 school.
»