Troublemakers Blog
November 16, 2020 /
On November 4, as the country was awaiting the results of the previous day's presidential election, my co-workers and I held our breath as we watched the proceedings of another election play out over Zoom. Our vote, for union recognition at Detroit's bikeshare company, was less controversial: the ballots were unanimous in favor of unionizing. »
November 12, 2020 /
California’s Proposition 15, a labor-backed progressive tax measure, gave up the ghost on November 10 after a weeklong vote count. The measure had proposed to close a corporate tax loophole worth $10 to $12 billion a year for schools and services. »
November 08, 2020 /
Now that Biden and Harris have won a decisive victory, not only in the popular vote but also in the electoral college, it is more important than ever for workers and their organizations to remain vigilant and not de-mobilize while making sure every vote is counted. »
November 04, 2020 / Joe DeManuelle-Hall
Note: This article was posted at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 4, as results from around the country were still coming in.
Like everyone else, we’re anxiously watching for updates on the presidential vote-count and consequential down-ballot races. Those results could have significant implications for the battlegrounds for labor in the years ahead. »
November 03, 2020 /
During this election cycle, companies like Uber, Lyft, and Doordash—the so-called “gig economy” giants—have spent a record-breaking $200 million to pass Proposition 22 in California. The proposition would exempt these companies from basic labor law. »
October 30, 2020 /
American unions are stuck in a trap, and it’s partly of our own making. How did we get here, and how do we spring the trap’s jaws? »
October 30, 2020 /
Us vs. Them: Organizing for Worker Power Click here for a printable PDF of this puzzle.
»
![On a boarded up section of a brick wall, three posters. The outer two show Snoop Dogg's face, and the middle one shows a hand making a "V" gesture. Text of the 3 posters: 1. "I'm voting because I want to end police brutality." 2. "We need your vote. Black lives matter. Black votes matter. Register here. [QR code.]" 3. "I'm voting this election for the first time because I can't stand to see that punk in office another year."](https://labornotes.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_thumb/public/main/blogposts/Untitled%20design%20%2811%29.png?itok=BJw-EePj)
October 29, 2020 /
“It can’t happen here.” That is the complacent mantra that a society with long-standing “democratic” institutions couldn’t possibly succumb to authoritarian dictatorship. »
October 28, 2020 / Joe DeManuelle-Hall
As the recession deepens, unions will have to battle concession demands and budget cuts. But beyond these defensive fights there’s a demand whose time has come: let’s soak the rich.
Put another way: tax the hell out of them. Claw back the profits they’ve made off the backs of workers. Take that money, and put it to work expanding public services and giving »
October 22, 2020 /
During his 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump dissed a Gold Star family that had lost a son in Iraq. He called Senator John McCain, America’s most famous prisoner of war, a “loser” for being captured in Vietnam. When asked about widespread sexual assault in today’s military, he dismissed it as a problem. »