Troublemakers Blog

July 02, 2011 /
On June 24 the California Zephyr, Amtrak passenger Train #5, was struck broadside at a Nevada crossing by a tandem gondola truck. Human error played a role, apparently—but what measures could actually help keep workers and passengers safe? »
July 01, 2011 / Mischa Gaus
Ohioans needed 231,000 signatures to put a repeal of their state’s union-busting bill before voters this fall. They blew away expectations this week, filing a record-breaking 1.3 million signatures. »
June 30, 2011 /
Profits over people: Call it the silent killer. The investigation into the death of 29 miners at the Massey Upper Big Branch coal mine in April 2010 has revealed that the company maintained two sets of safety records. The practice kept hazardous conditions secret so Massey could keep digging for coal. »
June 30, 2011 / Mark Brenner
As state and city budget battles come to a head everywhere, FOX News is stepping up its steady stream of public sector union-bashing. This week I had a chance to counter with my two cents, laying out who’s responsible for the red ink and what we can do about it. »
June 28, 2011 / Steve Early
The union now headed by James P. Hoffa is spending millions of dues dollars this week on the care, feeding, housing, and entertainment of a small fraction of the Teamsters membership, consisting mainly of delegates fond of his leadership (to varying degrees), along with two groups of dissenters whose presence is only grudgingly tolerated. »
June 27, 2011 /
Coming together under the banner of “The Spirit of Wisconsin,” an army of troublemakers 325 strong descended on Oakland’s Laney Community College in mid-June. »
June 27, 2011 /
The need for comprehensive immigration reform has become even more pressing as immigrants face a hodgepodge of state and local legislative efforts and federal enforcement programs that vary from county to county. Yet instead of leadership, we are left with rhetoric divorced from reality as conservatives pursue a mandatory “E-Verify” system to check work »
June 22, 2011 /
Fifty activists picketed an awards dinner June 13, telling New York state AFL-CIO head Denis Hughes his support for investments in Israel betrays basic principles of labor solidarity. »
June 20, 2011 /
The Los Angeles Labor Notes Troublemakers School on June 11 drew 110 union leaders and rank and filers together to learn from each other. »
June 17, 2011 /
In an eye-opening interview with Labor Notes about assaults on workers in Iran and their efforts to organize free trade unions, an organizer based in Tehran delves into the volatile situation for advocates of union democracy in a closed society. »

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