Troublemakers Blog

January 20, 2022 /
Mike Parker, the author of four Labor Notes books and a close supporter and key strategist throughout our 43-year history, died January 15 of pancreatic cancer. Read more about Mike his contributions to the labor movement here. —Editors »
December 23, 2021 / Alexandra Bradbury
To protest the unfair firing of a co-worker, on the morning of Tuesday, December 21, 150 UPS drivers in Chicago took a simple action: they didn’t go into work early. Instead, they gathered outside with an inflatable fat cat. They grilled food, played music, and then walked in together, right on time. »
Kids stand in a row, with Santa among them, inside the union hall at a Christmas function
December 22, 2021 / Luis Feliz Leon
This Christmas, as millions of families settle in to adorn fir trees, the children of striking coal miners in Alabama have asked mainly for practical gifts. Shoes and clothes top their lists, followed by Barbies and Rainbow High dolls, Legos, Nerf guns, and makeup kits. »
December 22, 2021 / Barbara Madeloni
When Frank Carrico talks about why he and his co-workers at the Heaven Hill distillery went on strike, he talks about family. “I missed out on my kids’ activities” because of forced weekend shifts, he says. »
December 20, 2021 /
Several years ago, Don Cohen, a former central labor council staffer from San Diego, appeared on a panel discussing the privatization threats faced by union members across the country. He and other speakers were addressing a conference of state, county, and municipal workers represented by the Communications Workers (CWA). »
People in masks and nametags seated inside. One woman in red sweater is gesturing while speaking; others are listening.
December 16, 2021 /
“They called us essential workers, so we believed them.” The labor shortage taught workers we could use the crisis to our advantage. A hundred thousand American workers either went on strike or authorized strikes in Striketober. And on November 20, 210 union members and allies showed up for a Troublemakers School in Detroit, eager to learn how to build power in »
December 08, 2021 / Jane Slaughter


Since the Chief Nurse Executive was “in a meeting,” the nurses taped their petition to a door with a red bow... »
December 08, 2021 / Alexandra Bradbury
A new spirit of defiance is spreading on the wind that whips through the North Pole workshop complex. Elves are chafing against long hours and discovering their increased leverage—both resulting from a labor shortage that has jammed up critical points in the supply chain. »
Three workers stand in front of a liquor store holding a banner that reads "This Store Too High a Price for Liquor"
December 02, 2021 / Dan DiMaggio
For more ideas on taking your campaign to consumers, see the Steward's Corner by Robert M. Schwartz, "How to Picket Stores That Sell Your Employer's Products." »
November 24, 2021 / Alexandra Bradbury
It’s inspiring to see members in revolt against two-tier at the farm equipment maker John Deere, the hospital chain Kaiser »

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