Troublemakers Blog

Steward’s Corner: Taking Bottom-Up Action Changes the Balance of Power

Several people sit around a table in discussion.
May 09, 2024 / Ellen David Friedman
Consider two different ways a union can take action to solve problems. A top-down approach may solve the immediate workplace problem, but it may not change the balance of power. Engaging as many members as possible in a bottom-up approach may accomplish both goals. »

The Origin of A Troublemaker’s Handbook

Seen from the side/back, Shawn Fain in a red hoodie holds up a battered purple copy of A Troublemaker's Handbook. Arrayed in front of him can be seen a huge seated crowd in the ballroom for the closing plenary.
May 08, 2024 / Dan La Botz
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain recently called A Troublemaker’s Handbook his “other bible.” Author Dan La Botz recalls how this classic Labor Notes book came to be. It was published in 1991 and is now out of print, but available for free »

Pulsing with Life: 2024 Labor Notes Conference

Four women in red scrubs, of various races, stand, all masked, raising their fists in the air, some clasping one another's hands. They are at the front of a large crowd in the ballroom.
April 26, 2024 / Alexandra Bradbury
Video Links Scroll down for embedded videos. Thanks to Act.tv and More Perfect Union for their work to livestream and circulate these sessions! »

With a Velvet Glove, Mercedes Tries to Punch Down Alabama Union Momentum

April 10, 2024 / Luis Feliz Leon
Workers at Mercedes-Benz in Alabama were forced to attend 20-minute anti-union meetings with the company’s top management today. Recordings obtained by Labor Notes show top management dangled carrots and put on a contrite-boss act, promising to do better. »

Momentum for Open Bargaining Grows in the Letter Carriers

Postal workers rally outside a post office. There is some snow on the ground. A big blue banner says "Staffing, Safety, and Service: Letter Carriers Need a Raise! NALC Branch 9, Minneapolis." Printed picket signs say "End Mandatory Overtime," "First Class Service, First Class Pay," and "Fair Contract Now."
April 10, 2024 / Tyler Vasseur
Hit by years of inflation, and inspired by last year’s contract struggles and big wins by Big 3 auto workers and UPS Teamsters, members of the Letter Carriers (NALC) at the U.S. Postal Service are getting organized to fight for open bargaining. »

Anne Feeney: Pittsburgh’s Hellraiser, Memorial Events Planned for May 1

Two images of Anne Feeney. In the one on the left she is younger with long hair, standing on the bed of a pickup truck, singing into a mic, wearing a red "Solidarity Forever" T-shirt. In the one on the right she is older with shorter hair, singing into a mic indoors at the Labor Notes Conference, one fist in the air, wearing a black "Railroad Workers United" T-shirt, with a "Troublemakers Union" banner hanging on the wall behind her.
April 09, 2024 / Evan Greer
Friends and family of legendary labor singer Anne Feeney have announced the first in-person events celebrating the life and work of “Pittsburgh’s hellraiser,” who passed away following complications from Covid in 2021. »

Dennis Serrette ¡Presente!

Chest-up photo of Dennis Serrette, a Black man, leaning back in a wooden rocking chair, resting his face gently on one hand, smiling warmly, bathed in warm evening light, with some greenery behind him.
April 01, 2024 / Gene Bruskin
Dennis L. Serrette, a passionate advocate for civil rights, labor rights, and social justice, passed on March 7 at the age of 83. Dennis leaves behind a legacy of tireless activism, unwavering dedication, and boundless compassion that touched countless lives. We lost a treasure of a human being and a fierce fighter for social justice. »

Rail Workers Push for One Member, One Vote

Workers in orange vests and hardhats crouch around a track. They are framed by a big yellow piece of equipment in the foreground. The day is very sunny.
March 28, 2024 / Joe DeManuelle-Hall
Railroad track workers have launched a campaign to get their union officers elected by the members, rather than by convention delegates. »

UE Demand for Ceasefire Was Built on Decades of Membership Education and Debate

A chanting crowd stands in front of the White House fence. Three people are helping hold a large cardboard sign that says "UE stands with Palestine" with the union's lightning-bolt logo and a slice of watermelon. Other printed signs say "American Postal Workers Union: Fighting for Justice" and "Biden, you are starving Gaza. Permanent ceasefire now!"
March 21, 2024 / Carl Rosen
Unions representing more than half of the U.S. labor movement have now called for a ceasefire in Gaza, as has the AFL-CIO and some 70 city councils—the result of actions by many local and international unions and rank-and-file activists. »

Seeking Today’s Workplace Poets

Black-and-white photo looks upward at a woman in a plaid shirt and bedazzled hardhat, gesturing and speaking
March 21, 2024 / Susan Eisenberg
Almost Killed Myself: Day One, Apprentice Electrician He needed an extra pair of hands for the day.
Set me up at a wire rack and explained
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