Tag: workers
Why Colombians support Gustavo Petro, their new president
The popular forces of Colombia have been at odds with the forces of their state for decades. Yet this year on May Day, crowds of people mobilized not in opposition to their government but in…
From a shop steward to vice president of his union—Tevita Uhatafe explains how to fight your boss
For the past five years, Tevita Uhatafe of TWU Local 567 has dedicated himself to advancing the labor movement. Known affectionately as “Mic Guy,” Uhatafe has traveled from coast to coast to rally in solidarity…
What Union Pacific and the media aren’t telling you about the Baker, CA, train derailment
This Feb., Norfolk Southern’s train derailment catastrophe in East Palestine, Ohio dragged the decrepit state of the US rail system into the national spotlight. A rash of other railroad catastrophes in recent weeks has only…
Is it time to nationalize the railroads? Freight workers say yes
The train derailment disaster in East Palestine, Ohio catapulted the degraded condition of the US’s freight rail network into national consciousness. But workers have been sounding the alarm for years. Long hours, short staffs, poor…
Temple Uni grad students WON their strike. Here’s how they did it.
On Jan. 31 of this year, the Temple University Graduate Students’ Association (TUGSA) launched the first strike in their 25-year history. The decision to strike came as a result of years of organizing that largely…
Working People Live: Making Baltimore a Union Town
Join Maximillian Alvarez, Editor-in-Chief of The Real News Network, for a special live edition of his podcast Working People, with guest co-host Rebekah Kirkman! They’ll be talking with shop floor organizers responsible for a surge…
Why the UK is failing its NHS healthcare workers
Several unions of National Health Service workers in the UK have rejected a 5 percent raise offer from the government and are continuing to picket and strike. Long a target of Tory austerity measures, NHS…
Police violence, gentrification, and racial capitalism w/Robin D. G. Kelley
In 2001, Cincinnati police killed a 19-year-old Black man named Timothy Thomas, sparking an uprising that shook the city for four days. 19 years later, in the city of Minneapolis, local police officers killed George…
Staffers in Congress are sick and tired—they want a union!
Behind every elected official in Congress, whether beloved or reviled, is an army of staffers and aides who do everything from writing bills to organizing meetings, politicking—and all too frequently, no shortage of objectively degrading…
Israel’s West Bank checkpoints, from the eyes of Palestinian workers
In the West Bank of occupied Palestine, workers queue up at Israeli military checkpoints on their commutes to work. These workers are made to walk in single file through humiliating metal structures that are set…
Canada’s workers rise up! w/Emily Leedham
Caught between COVID-19 and the cost of living crisis, Canada’s workers have been pushed to the edge—and it’s spurring a revitalization of the labor movement. From an illegal one-day strike in the education sector to…
Indonesia protests big reversal on labor rights
Trade unions in Indonesia are mobilizing workers by the thousands to protest the 2020 Omnibus Bill, which significantly undermines many labor protections won under the 2003 Labor Law. President Jokowi Widodo argues that more labor…
East Palestine, 100 Days Later | Working People
It’s been over 100 days since the catastrophic derailment of a Norfolk Southern train carrying over 100,000 gallons of toxic materials occurred in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb 3. Since then, residents of East Palestine…
The Showdown at UPS | Working People
We are less than two weeks away from what could be the largest single-employer strike in US history. As of this recording, contract negotiations between United Parcel Services (UPS) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters…
What the hell is going on with the UK?
The once mighty United Kingdom is displaying all the signs of a rapidly deteriorating and declining power, and its politics are one of the surest indicators of this. In the past year, the country’s reigning…
Why you should unionize your workplace
Unionizing—it’s so hot right now. Whether you’re a barista, a warehouse worker, or a package car driver, whether you work in Hollywood or higher education, the voracious corporate greed and exploitation workers across sectors are…
Slave labor and sexism at Shoprite Namibia
Content warning: This story contains references to suicide. Shoprite Holdings, the largest supermarket retail chain in Africa, is under fire from workers organizing against grueling work conditions. The current surge in organizing follows the suicide…
Don’t let your boss use your ‘dream job’ as an excuse not to pay you
The Philadelphia Art Museum is an icon of the City of Brotherly Love, and there’s no shortage of art lovers who wouldn’t consider a chance to work there to be a dream job. But passion…
It’s time for labor unions to embrace migrant workers
Most wealthy nations in the west have turned to migrant workers to keep a variety of industries afloat. But while the cheap labor of immigrants is welcomed, the migrants themselves are not. Canada is no…
Inside the shadowy, lucrative business of ‘union avoidance consultants’
Most people often think of “union-busting” only in terms of overt and even illegal tactics like termination and intimidation, but most bosses first opt for subtler, more sophisticated activities to discourage worker organizing. Enter the…
Slovenian workers FIGHT BACK amid cost of living crisis, war in Ukraine | Working People
Ana Jakopič is a lawyer, organizer, and trade union leader in Slovenia. Currently, Ana is working as a field organizer and lawyer for KS 90, the Trade Union Confederation 90 of Slovenia (Konfederacija Sindikatov 90…
