Troublemakers Blog
March 21, 2024 /
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. »
March 21, 2024 /
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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Set me up at a wire rack and explained
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March 15, 2024 /
I remember Wisconsin carpenter Tom Crofton trying years ago to convince his local officers to create a worker cooperative to build affordable housing. Housing was an urgent need, he argued—and the union had the skills, the labor power, the organization, and the financial resources to do it. But the officers wouldn’t even consider the idea. »
March 14, 2024 / Barbara Madeloni
Recently I heard members of the Newton Teachers Association recount the path to their 11-day January strike. The audience at the Massachusetts Teachers Association winter skills conference gave them a standing ovation. »
March 05, 2024 /
When street protests seem ignored by the war machine, what are union members to do? »
March 04, 2024 /
Labor Notes staff are busy as a hive, ramping up for our biggest-ever conference. As we do, we’re very grateful to have more capable hands on deck: two wonderful new co-workers plus three terrific interns. »
February 27, 2024 /
One of the occupational hazards of being a labor activist is over-exposure to “corporate bullshit”—on the job, in the community, and in politics. »
February 23, 2024 /
A new podcast, "Organize the Unorganized: The Rise of the CIO," tells the story of the Committee for Industrial Organization (which later became the Congress of Industrial Organizations) and organized millions of workers in the 1930s and '40s. »
January 25, 2024 /
At Local 911, Chief Steward Emma woke up to an angry text from member Jane about having her time off request refused by the boss. »
January 10, 2024 /
Many of us have tried to follow the recent kerfuffle involving Sam Altman’s leadership of the company he founded, OpenAI. In mid-November 2023 he was abruptly fired, then returned to power just five days later. The business press highlighted the implications of this power struggle for the rapid deployment of artificial intelligence and the future influence of »