Troublemakers Blog
July 15, 2019 / Bianca Cunningham
Twenty-five Martha’s Vineyard bus drivers are striking for a first contract, exposing the inequality that exists for working people on an island known as the summer home of the rich and famous. »
July 12, 2019 /
This story was first published by Northwest Labor Press. But there’s a Labor Notes connection—one of the workers who led the effort started by reading our book Secrets of a Successful Organizer. Get your copy »
July 11, 2019 /
Since last fall, protestors wearing yellow vests have commanded center stage in France. Their grassroots challenge to the neoliberal regime of President Emmanuel Macron draws on a long tradition of labor militancy, including factory closing fights. »
July 08, 2019 /
A recent article in Politico ("Labor anger over Green New Deal greets 2020 contenders in California,” June 6) alleged that blue-collar workers in California reject the Green New Deal. »
July 05, 2019 /
UPDATE, July 8: EVA Air flight attendants reached an agreement over the weekend to end the strike. Flight attendants will head back to work on July 10. Read more details of the agreement in this article from New Bloom.—Eds. »
July 03, 2019 /
Note: The U.S. Department of Labor authorizes certain employers to pay people with disabilities a fraction of the minimum wage in what are called “sheltered workshops.” At last report there were 1,769 of these employers and 124,066 people getting the subminimum wage. Some workers are paid just a few cents an hour. »
June 24, 2019 /
UPDATE, June 27: Kim was released on 100 million won ($86,421) bail today, following a court ruling that his release would not constitute “a risk of evidence destruction.”—Eds.
The South Korean government has arrested the leader of the country’s largest independent union organization in a stunning break from its pro-labor rhetoric. »
June 21, 2019 / Samantha Winslow
The sad outcome of the United Auto Workers campaign at Volkswagen reminded me of when I entered the labor movement 15 years ago.
Back then the national leaders of the Service Employees (SEIU) had diagnosed labor’s big problem: we weren’t organizing fast enough. As the percentage of unionized workers in the U.S. slipped, so did unions’ influence. »
June 12, 2019 / Chris Brooks
A top employee representative in Volkswagen’s Global Works Council was denied entry into the company’s Chattanooga, Tennessee, factory today as the union election began.
The plant’s 1,700 eligible hourly employees began voting this morning on whether to form a union with the United Auto Workers. The results will be announced Friday night. »
June 11, 2019 /
On-the-job injuries are rampant in auto factories, where many dangerous tasks are still done by hand and in a hurry. It’s one of the main reasons why workers are organizing a union at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The vote »