Troublemakers Blog
January 17, 2015 /
On a windblown, gray Chicago day 100 years ago, January 17, 1915, Ralph Chaplin left his home on the South Side for a raucous, poor person’s rally at the city’s famous women’s center, Hull House. He asked a visiting friend he’d met organizing coal miners with Mother Jones to listen to the lyrics of a new tune he had been working on: »
January 15, 2015 /
Imagine you’re trapped at the bottom of a mine, 2,000 feet belowground. It is dark, dirty, wet; you have very little food; the water is tinged with oil. And you share this predicament with 32 of your co-workers.
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January 14, 2015 / Alexandra Bradbury
The Laborers union says senators who voted against the Keystone XL Pipeline "killed thousands of jobs." Meanwhile, jobs are killing us.
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January 12, 2015 /
Even public employers are dipping their toes into the "permatemp" economy. Workers designated "trainees" clean Santa Monica bathrooms and lifeguard stations, earning half of what permanent workers earn for the same job.
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January 08, 2015 /
Ever heard of a “FICA alternative plan"? The university implied it would amount to a pay raise and give us more flexible retirement options—but we were skeptical.
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January 07, 2015 /
This significant, comprehensive new history collects for the first time the stories of many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer labor activists. It's essential to a contemporary understanding of union solidarity.
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January 05, 2015 /
The president stressed that he would strengthen workplace enforcement—counter to the demands of most unions and communities that have suffered from audits and firings.
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December 31, 2014 /
Pundits are crowing that a Swiss referendum proved people prefer private insurers. Don't buy it.
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December 30, 2014 /
'Tis the season to curl up indoors with a mug of something warm and an interesting book. These 19 titles include fascinating unsung histories and sharp takes on today’s debates.
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December 19, 2014 /
With a crucial assist from their counterparts in Spain, Lisbon dockworkers beat back job cuts being pushed by the Troika of international banking institutions.
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